Celebrate the extra sunlight with us next Thursday at the Spring Forward Social @ Buffalo Wild Wings Morganton
Kick back after work on the private patio with some light bites provided by BWW and connect with other young professionals in Burke County.

When: Thursday, March 13 | 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Where: Buffalo Wild Wings (635 W Fleming Dr. Morganton, North Carolina)

Burke County Emerging Leaders membership is FREE for anyone 21-40. Come hang with us!

Volunteer for Burke County United Way’s Read Across America Day to read to Burke County Public Schools elementary classrooms on Friday, February 28, 2025!

Read Across America is an annual celebration of reading and early childhood education. They are looking for 80 + volunteers to sign up!

🌙 Networking, but make it chill. 📚🍷

Join us next Thursday for Networking Unplugged and connect with other young pros in Burke County. Whether you're new to town or just looking to expand your circle, this is the perfect spot to mix, grab a tasty beverage and unwind. (Maybe even find that best seller you've been meaning to read).

🗓 When: Thursday, February 20 | 5:30 - 7:30 PM
📍 Where: Thornwell Books, Downtown Morganton

💡Burke County Emerging Leaders membership is FREE for anyone 21-40. Come hang with us!

Morganton Rotary and The Emerging Leaders are joining forces for a Red Cross blood drive at the Morganton Community House on Saturday, February 1! Please review the available volunteer time slots below and sign up for a time that works for you! Volunteers will be assisting with checking people in, etc. (Nothing scary!) We truly appreciate your willingness to participate in this life saving event.  Also we hope you will consider donating blood after your volunteer shift. You can also sign up for your donation appointment below.

First meet-up of 2025! Start your day off right next Tuesday with the Emerging Leaders Breakfast Club.

When: Tuesday, January 14 at 8:00 - 9:30 AM

Where: Dirty Dog Coffee (2861 US-70, Morganton, NC 28655)

Stop by for some coffee and connect with other young professionals in our community. We'll also unveil our full 2025 Event Calendar—be the first to see what’s in store for our year ahead.

Burke County Emerging Leaders is FREE and open to anyone 21-40. If you’re all about meeting cool people and doing cool things, this is for you.

Join us for an Emerging Leaders Halloween Potluck & Ghost Tour at the Henry River Mill Village!

This event is family friendly. All ages welcome!

🕸️ When: Tuesday, October 29, 2024 | 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

📍Where: 4255 Henry River Road, Hickory, NC

🎟️ Get Tickets here: $20! Online sales close at 5 PM on Monday, October 28. Day-of tickets available for $20 (cash only).

🍗 Potluck Signup here!

Bring a dish to share, your lawn chairs, and come dressed for our costume contest! Plus, we’re collecting donations for Burke County United Way's Hurricane Helene Relief Fund to support our community.

Drop by for a casual meetup before work at Waterbean Coffee in Morganton! (815 S Sterling St.) Meet and catch up with other young professionals in Burke County. Stop by anytime between 8 am and 9:30 am. Emerging Leaders is open to all Young Professionals aged 21-40.

Drop by for a casual meetup after work at Buffalo Wild Wings in Morganton! We'll have a patio space reserved and a spread of finger foods. Meet and catch up with other young professionals and grab a bite to eat.

Emerging Leaders is open to all Young Professionals aged 21-40.

We're getting together with our pals over in Catawba County, Hickory Young Professionals (HYP) for a joint social out at the beautiful Copper Penny Grill at Lake Hickory (101 Catawba Ave, Hickory)! We’ll be in “The Cave” area of the bar. Come hang and network with other young professionals in our area!

This is a free event. Ages 21 +

Drop by for a casual meetup before work at Mountain Burrito Valdese! They’ll have a drip coffee station provided for us; other breakfast items are available for purchase. Meet and catch up with other young professionals in our area.

Emerging Leaders is open to all Young Professionals aged 21-40.

Join us at the LP Frans Stadium in Hickory for Hickory Crawdads vs. Greensboro Grasshoppers!!

Gates open at 6 PM and the game starts at 7 PM! We will be at one of the Party Patios (left end side of the Stadium - these are ADA Accessible)!

Tickets are $15 each which includes:

• Exclusive access to the reserved Emerging Leaders party patio for the
  entirety of the game

• Starter ballgame snacks (while supplies last)

• Access to a preorder food/drink menu, plus service throughout the game for additional food and drink. (Please note, food and drink orders are at an additional cost.)

Reserve your tickets by Friday, July 18th! (Ticket link goes to Burke Chamber website.)

Emerging Leaders is open to all Young Professionals aged 21-40.

Come climb with us at Bigfoot Climbing Gym from 6 - 8 pm! (If you're a total beginner, don't worry...there will definitely be others there!)

Bring $10 (preferably cash!) and let them know you're with Emerging Leaders. This covers climbing + shoes.

If you plan to come and climb, please fill out a waiver online beforehand.

Feel free to bring your own beverage and/or snack. Food Matters Market next door has a great selection if you want to bring something over.

Food Matters will also be providing a few snacks for us!

Emerging Leaders is open to all Young Professionals aged 21-40.

10:30 am - Meet at Fonta Flora Brewery at Whippoorwill Farm (in the Milking Parlor), where Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina's staff will share how and why they protect land in Burke County (and surrounding counties), directly followed by a 2 mile (+/-) guided plant ID hike on the Fonta Flora State Trail.

Participants will learn about common (and some not-so-common) trees, shrubs, and wildflowers found across western NC. All will get to take home their very own FCNC Field Guide!

12:00 pm - We will head back over to the brewery for beers and a social.

Facebook Event: Emerging Leaders Hike & Hops w/ Foothills Conservancy

This is a free event. Emerging Leaders is open to all Young Professionals aged 21-40.

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm: Burke’s Amazin’ Race is a community scavenger hunt across Downtown Morganton, hosted by Burke County United Way. Teams of 3-5 members (21+) will compete to collect clues, take on fun challenges, and adventure through our community. We encourage Emerging Leaders to gather up a team and participate, as this is a fundraiser for Burke County United Way’s Strong Families initiatives.

6:00 pm: After Party & Awards Celebration at The CoMMA - open bar with local beer & wine, a barbeque dinner, music entertainment, race award ceremony, and social.

Team Registration deadline is April 1, 2024!

Emerging Leaders get free teams!

Fill out our interest form to join a team or create your own.

3:45 pm Meet in parking lot of Rosa De Saron Church located at 500 E Fleming Dr. This is the church to the right of the Outreach Center.

4:00 - 5:30 pm - Burke County Chamber Litter Sweep
Our road to sweep for litter is a section of Stonebridge Drive (which runs right by the church). The Chamber will have everything provided for us, but you may want to wear pants and comfortable shoes as we will be walking along the sides of the road picking up litter.

6:00 pm - Emerging Leaders Pints at Hillman Brewery
Whether or not you join us for the litter sweep, come by and grab a beer with the Emerging Leaders at Hillman Brewery in downtown Morganton!

Emerging Leaders is open to all Young Professionals aged 21-40.

Join us Tuesday, February 20th from 5:30-7:30 pm for a February Social at 100 Main (in the back party room) in Downtown Valdese! Enjoy some complementary appetizers and connect with other young professionals in our area.

Emerging Leaders is open to all Young Professionals aged 21-40.

Drop by for a casual meetup before work at Thornwell Books in Downtown Morganton! Meet and catch up with other young professionals in Burke County and grab some coffee, tea or pastry. Stop by anytime between 8 am and 9:30 am. Emerging Leaders is open to all Young Professionals aged 21-40.

Join us at CoMMA Performing Arts Center in Morganton for our next Networking & Professional Development event on Tuesday, September 26th from 5:30-7:30 PM!
Join us for networking with other young professionals, cash bar, refreshments, and a presentation with Kurt Reid, author of Financial Freedom Simplified.

This is a free event! Please RSVP by September 25th so we can get a headcount for refreshments!

Financial Freedom Simplified provides practical tools for money management and investing to improve financial well-being. An easy-to-understand guide full of actionable information on a wide range of financial-related topics.

Kurt envisioned the wealth-building process as a young teenager; he and his wife lived it and succeeded at it as adults; he taught it to others as a professional; and now he is sharing his knowledge as an author.

Drop by for a casual meetup before work at Little Guatemala! Meet and catch up with other young professionals in Burke County and grab some delicious Guatemalan coffee or breakfast.

Join us upstairs at The Grind Cafe in Downtown Morganton for our first Emerging Leaders Social of the year. Come for networking, refreshments provided by Fatz in Morganton, and a short presentation about the Community Mentor Program, with our special guest, Alan Wood of Burke Development, Inc. This is a free event!

Please RSVP by February 3rd so we can get a headcount for refreshments!

Join us for a stop-in breakfast social at Little Guatemala before you head into work! Enjoy Guatemalan coffee, pastries, networking, and learn more about how Little Guatemala is modeling service to the community as a small business.

This is a free event! Go here to register: bcuw.org/emerging-leaders.

Coffee & Pastries sponsored by King Street Apartments.