Amazing Grace Advocacy: Serving Cabarrus County Families Since 2015

When Gwen Bartley's three foster and adoptive children were diagnosed with brain disorders, she found herself inside a system that was not designed to make things easy. Her children carried a dual diagnosis — mental health challenges and intellectual disabilities at once — and she found them stuck in the gap between two support systems that rarely talked to each other. Rather than accept that gap, she spent years fighting for services, learning the language of IEPs, care plans, and county support networks, until she had something powerful: the knowledge and experience to help other families do the same. In 2015, she turned that hard-won understanding into Amazing Grace Advocacy — a Concord-based nonprofit that has spent over a decade walking alongside Cabarrus County families raising children with brain disorders.

Gwen Bartley, Founder and Executive Director of Amazing Grace Advocacy, Concord, NC

At its heart, Amazing Grace Advocacy is a navigation organization. The team of Integrated Care Navigators does not replace doctors, therapists, or school counselors — it connects the dots between them. Families raising children with Autism, Intellectual Disabilities, ADHD, Mental Health disorders, Childhood Trauma, Substance Use Disorder, or other neurological challenges can start by scheduling a free call with the staff, describe what their family is facing, and get matched with a Navigator who has personal expertise in exactly those challenges. The core service — Individualized Family Service — is one-on-one work with a Navigator to build a specific, actionable plan for the family's situation, whether they are just beginning this journey, navigating a current crisis, or planning ahead for their child's adult life. There is no fee and no obligation to schedule that first call.

A Nine-Month Bridge to Adulthood: The Life Skills Lab

One of the most distinctive programs at Amazing Grace Advocacy is the Life Skills Lab — a nine-month structured program for young adults ages 18 to 25 with neurodiverse challenges. The program is built around five areas that matter most for adult independence: employment readiness, self-advocacy, independent living, mental wellness, and financial literacy. Participants work alongside non-disabled peers in a hands-on environment, building real-world skills with community support. For families who have spent years wondering what adulthood will look like for their child — and whether the right support will exist when it matters — the Life Skills Lab is a concrete, hopeful answer.

A Team That Knows from the Inside

Every member of the Amazing Grace Advocacy staff has one thing in common: each is either raising a child with a brain disorder or working directly with one. This is not a credential requirement or a formal policy — it is simply who showed up and stayed, because they understood from personal experience what these families carry every single day. Executive Director Gwen Bartley leads a team of Integrated Care Navigators whose lived experience is the very credential families most need when they walk through the door.

Gwen's presence in Cabarrus County extends far beyond the third-floor office on Union Street. She serves as Chairperson for the System of Care Collaborative, Innovative Approaches, and the Mental Health Task Force and Advisory Board at the county level. She sits on the boards of the Exceptional Children's Assistance Center and Families in Recovery. At the state level, she is a Family Partner with North Carolina's Division of Public Health and serves on the State Systematic Improvement Plan through the Department of Public Instruction. Nationally, she is active with the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs. Through all of it, she describes her greatest personal accomplishment simply: being Mom. The office space itself tells the same story — St. James Lutheran Church gave Amazing Grace Advocacy its third-floor location as a gift, a gesture that reflects the kind of neighbor-first spirit that keeps Concord's community organizations alive.

How to Connect with Amazing Grace Advocacy

Amazing Grace Advocacy is located at 104 Union St S, Concord, NC 28025 — third floor of St. James Lutheran Church, at the corner of Union and Corban in downtown Concord. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. To schedule a free call with one of their Navigators, reach the team at (980) 229-3423 or at connect@amazgraceadvocacy.com.

Cabarrus County families looking for guidance can explore every program and service at Amazing Grace Advocacy. For those ready to take the first step toward navigation support, their family programs and services page walks through each available option — from individualized navigation to the Life Skills Lab.

Solo Faith Church highlights Amazing Grace Advocacy in our Solo Faith Directory — because every family in Cabarrus County raising a child with brain disorders deserves a knowledgeable, compassionate guide in their corner, and this organization has been exactly that guide for over a decade. At Solo Faith Church — located at 587 Old Charlotte Rd SW in Concord — we believe in connecting our congregation and community to resources that help families thrive. The work Gwen Bartley and her team do reflects a commitment to dignity, access, and hope that aligns with everything Solo Faith Church stands for in this county.

Solo Faith Church Is Here for the Whole Community

Whether you need food delivery, a listening ear, or a community to belong to, Solo Faith Church is here. Free food delivery through DoorDash. Open every Sunday. No judgment, no paperwork. Learn more here.

Community Support Note: This spotlight is part of Solo Faith Church's local business directory initiative to uplift our Concord neighbors. Information was responsibly compiled from the business's public website and publicly available records to help our congregation and community discover local services.