Two VGCC campuses to host Mini-Medical School summer camps

High school students from throughout the region are invited to learn about health sciences and careers in medicine by participating in the 2017 “Mini-Medical School” Summer Camp, conducted by the Wake Area Health Education Center (AHEC) in partnership with Vance-Granville Community College.

The intensive, week-long day camp is being offered twice: June 12-16, at VGCC’s South Campus, located between Butner and Creedmoor, and July 24-28, at VGCC’s Franklin County Campus, just outside Louisburg. At either location, students will be on campus from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

This will be VGCC’s fourth summer hosting a Mini-Medical School, which uses computational science (computer simulation) and hands-on activities to study key aspects of medicine. Topics include anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, cardiology, epidemiology, medical genetics and genomics. Becky Brady, a registered nurse and chemical engineer, will serve as the lead instructor.

Participants will not only learn about training for careers in the medical field, but they will also have opportunities to become certified in CPR and Youth Mental Health First Aid (for students aged 16 and over) during the course of the camp.

Campers will be able to learn more about VGCC programs that prepare students for medical careers, including Histotechnology, Nursing, Medical Assisting, Radiography, Pharmacy Technology, Human Services Technology, Emergency Medical Services and Occupational Healthcare.

Wake AHEC serves nine counties in central North Carolina from its office in Raleigh: Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Lee, Person, Vance, Wake, and Warren counties. AHECs are located throughout North Carolina and are affiliated with the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers Program at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill School of Medicine. The mission of the statewide AHEC Program is to meet the state’s health and health workforce needs. NC AHEC provides educational programs and services that bridge academic institutions and communities to improve the health of the people of North Carolina with a focus on underserved populations.

The registration fee for the camp is $200, which includes materials, CPR and Youth Mental Health

First Aid Certifications, catered lunches and snacks.

For more information and to register, visit www.wakeahec.org/hchome.htm or contact Heather Schafer at hschafer@wakeahec.org or 919-350-0468.

 

–VGCC–

News 05/08/17

Henderson Resident Shot and Killed on Nicholas Street Last Night

Press Release- May 7, 2017

On Saturday May 6, 2017, at 10:18 p.m. members of the Henderson Police Department responded to the 800 block of Nicholas Street in reference to someone being shot. Upon arrival, officers located Mardell Wendell Wynn, 29, with a gunshot wound. Vance County EMS responded to the scene and pronounced Wynn deceased. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation was contacted to assisting with the investigation.

If anyone should have any information related to this case, they are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 252-492-1925 or the Henderson Police Department at 252-438-4141. Crime Stoppers offers a reward of up to $2,000 for information that may lead to an arrest Callers may remain anonymous.

Authority: Chief M.W. Barrow​

Medical Arts Pharmacy – Small Business of the Year

— written by Jeannie Rose

Medical Arts Pharmacy of Henderson was presented the Vance County Small Business of the Year Award on Wednesday.

The 2017 Small Business Luncheon for Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren Counties was held at the Henderson Country Club Wednesday, May 3rd at noon.

Craig Hahn, Executive Director of the Warren County Chamber of Commerce, Tanya Evans, District Manager for Duke Energy and John Barnes, President of the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, welcomed everyone and spoke about the importance about small businesses in our community. The three said that you don’t always see the good that small businesses do because it might not be done in the public eye. A good example of this is Chris Brewer and Brewer Cycles. Brewer Cycles has helped host the Duke Children’s Charity Ride for over 20 years. Small businesses help our community run smoother, they said. When you shop local, you help local business owners take care of their families as well.

Brewer was the keynote speaker for the event, and he talked about how Brewer Cycles started out. He said his dad bought him his first bike when he was young as a reward. Brewer’s love for the sport and his relationships in the field led to a local shop owner asking him if he wanted to buy his business when he was getting ready to retire. Brewer’s dad put up his tobacco stock, and Chris took a loan. He was able to pay back the loan after four years of operating the business, and he has helped Brewer Cycles expand and improve greatly since then. Brewer said, “I sold about 100 units the first year of operating the business but last year sold about 1200 units.” They have expanded their facility twice recently. Brewer said it all comes back to how you treat the customer. If you treat them right, they will go and tell a few people, but if you treat them wrong, they may tell even more.

The businesses invited to the 2017 Small Business Luncheon are foundations in our community. They represent the best of the best of small businesses in this area.

Barnes presented the Small Business of The Year Award for Vance County to Medical Arts Pharmacy. Chocky White, his wife Nettie White, and their three children Cara White Kirby, Brent White and Craig White were on hand to accept the award.

Chocky White told WIZS News, “I feel so honored because there are so many businesses in Vance County who work hard to be successful. Our business depends on the trust of its customers, and we are so fortunate to have so many faithful customers. We try our best to serve their needs, whether it’s during business hours, or after normal hours. We try to help them with all their medical needs, whether it’s medicine or medical equipment.”

White’s sons and daughter help manage and operate the business. Cara White Kirby said, “We do it all for our customers! Every challenge that we face is easier with their support. Our employees are like family to us, and we could not do everything that we do without their help!”

Chocky White spoke briefly after accepting the award, saying that his relationship with his customers was really what had helped him the most.

Chocky and Nettie moved to Henderson in 1971 and immediately started working on opening the pharmacy. Both had grown up in Warrenton, and they had no connections when they started the business. Nettie was commuting to Chapel Hill every day to go to school. Chocky said he was the only employee when the business started. He said there were seven strong independent drug stores in this area. He said, “That year Eckerd’s Drug Store also opened a chain store in Henderson. My father loaned me $6,000 to buy the inventory to put in the store.”

In February of 1971, he opened the store. He said, “Nettie took off to Chapel Hill, and I had hoped that it would be a really successful first day. That Tuesday morning, there was no business. Nettie called on a pay phone to check on how things were going. I was dreading the question, and then she finally asked how many prescriptions had been filled.”

The afternoon was the same way, still no business. He finally filled nine prescriptions in the last hour of business. White said he went home feeling like it couldn’t get any worse. The next day he had not filled any prescriptions by the time Nettie called, but in the last hour of business he filled eight prescriptions. On Thursday he filled seven prescriptions in the last hour. On Friday he filled six prescriptions in the last hour. He said, “We were trending in the wrong direction.” At dinner he told his wife, “We started with little of nothing, and in six days we will be back to little of nothing.”

White remained the only employee for several years. He tried to offer services that other pharmacies could not and to always have a pharmacist available that could talk to customers when they needed it. He said he thinks that’s the thing that really made the difference.

In the 46 years since White started the business, he has changed how he prints prescription labels, prescription drug insurance has come into being and big box drug stores have also presented a challenge. Throughout it all, White has ensured that the customers still have someone they can talk to, and Medical Arts always tries to have someone answer the phone, instead of a machine. Also, they have  tried to find niches that were not being served by other stores. Durable medical equipment has really helped, he said.

White said, “About five years ago, I was definitely thinking about retiring and my children had shown some interest in coming back. They did, and it led to a need to expand the store.” The new store was built last year at 253 Ruin Creek Road, and also they have a new website. He said the new store, new web site and the drive thru have all really helped make things easier for their customers.

Kirby said, “As his children, we are so proud of him! It’s no accident that he has been so successful. He has worked extremely hard over the last 46 years. He has done it the right way, by being fair and honest and taking great care of people, because he genuinely cares about the people of Vance County. In the early years, he worked on Sunday mornings before we went to church. And he has gone out to the store on holidays and nights when people really needed medicine. People don’t forget that. He has always preached to us that it’s all about service.”

The luncheon was sponsored by Duke Energy, the Granville County Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, The Chamber of Commerce of Warren County, and the Vance Granville Community College Small Business Center.

Blaine Holmes, Vice Chairman of the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce presented the 2017 Small Business of the Year Award for the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce to Toney ACE Hardware. Elizabeth Melvin, Roger Melvin and John Melvin were in attendance to accept the award.

Cynthia Currin of Floyd Management Realty, a 2015 Small Business of the Year Award recipient, presented the 2017 Small Business of the Year Award for Granville County Chamber of Commerce to Bob’s Barbecue of Creedmoor, NC. Paula Ellington and Carla Mangum were in attendance to accept the award. Other Chamber Staff and Tourism Staff are also pictured. The twin sisters took over the restaurant in 1996. Their parents, Bobby and Nita Whitfield, opened the business in 1970.

Craig Hahn presented the Small Business of The Year Award for Warren County to Warrenton Furniture Exchange.  David Gardner and his wife Kathy were in attendance to accept the award. Bill Miller, President of the Board of Directors at Warren County Chamber of Commerce, is on the far left.

Food Safety Workshop for Produce Farmers

— written by Paul McKenzie

Courtesy: Vance County Cooperative Extension

On May 16, produce farmers have an opportunity to learn more about managing food safety risks from farm to market by attending a full day workshop on Navigating the Harmonized GAP Audit. This event, hosted by North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Vance County Center will be held at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market in Henderson.

The workshop will combine classroom and on-farm instruction to provide producers with the tools needed to identify potential food safety concerns, as well as strategies to minimize potential contamination. Growers who participate will be provided with resources to implement an effective on-farm food safety program. The goal of this workshop is to provide farmers with the tools to reduce food safety risks and meet market requirements. Participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance to fulfill training requirement for those undergoing a GAP audit.

The cost of the workshop is $20, with a registration deadline of May 11th. For more information, contact Paul McKenzie at 252-438-8188 or the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association at 919-542-2402.

This workshop is made possible through the efforts of many partners including North Carolina State University, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, the Center for Environmental Farming Systems/North Carolina Growing Together Project (CEFS/NCGT), Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) and the Green Rural Redevelopment Organization.


Paul McKenzie
Agricultural Extension Agent, Vance/Warren Counties
NC Cooperative Extension
305 Young St., Henderson, NC 27536
158 Rafters Ln., Warrenton, NC 27589
https://www.ces.ncsu.edu
252.438.8188 (Vance) 252.257.3640 (Warren)
@pgmckenzie

This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Town Talk 05/05/17

VGCC nominates student for statewide leadership award

Francis Scotland, Jr., of Oxford, a student in the College Transfer program at Vance-Granville Community College, was recently the college’s nominee for the North Carolina Community College System’s Governor Robert W. Scott Student Leadership Award for 2017.

The award was established in 2004 in honor of Scott, who served as Governor of North Carolina from 1969-1973, and as President of the N.C. Community College System from 1983-1995. Each year, the N.C. Association of Community College Presidents bestows the honor on one community college student in recognition of his or her academic and leadership achievements.

Scotland was recognized for his leadership as a student ambassador and as an officer in the VGCC Student Government Association (SGA). He recalled being “hesitant” the first time he was offered a position of leadership at the college. “I was offered the position during my first year at VGCC by my former Chemistry teacher, Steve McGrady,” Scotland said. “He pulled me aside after class one day and told me how good my grades were and asked if I wanted to be a counselor for the VGCC summer science camp. I was both nervous and humbled that I was offered such a position. I feared that I wouldn’t be able to handle such a position, that I couldn’t live up to the expectation he had set for me. I not only took the position, but I have helped with the science camp for the past two years.” That experience led him to take advantage of other opportunities to serve at VGCC.

After serving as a senator in the SGA in 2015-2016, Scotland had to run what he described as “a friendly political campaign” to be elected by the student body to the office of parliamentarian in the spring of 2016. “Through campaigning, I met a lot of my peers who I’ve never had the opportunity to meet before the campaign,” he recalled. “SGA is the voice of the students; we coordinate and plan events for the student body as well as addressing any concerns a student may have.”

Scotland said one of his favorite leadership roles has been as the lead student ambassador. “I was given the opportunity to become a student ambassador in the spring of 2014; then I got promoted to lead ambassador in the fall of 2015,” he said. “As a lead ambassador, I am required to assign other ambassadors to professional and recruitment events that VGCC hosts. This position not only helped me with my time management skills but it also helped me with my overall management skills. Learning how to schedule people to work events in addition to working in a professional environment are life skills I will always carry with me.”

He added, “I didn’t want people to think I’m an overachiever for taking on several leadership titles. Instead, I want to be somebody who can be a role model for my peers. Taking on these leadership positions has given me life skills that are embedded in my life forever and can never be changed.  Being a leader is more than telling people what to do. It’s about active listening and addressing the concerns of others. Even though many people would call me a leader, I am equal part a follower. I believe one can only lead by following others.”

“Francis is one of our most dependable, dedicated and helpful student leaders, and we appreciate his excellent service to the VGCC Vanguards,” said Jermiel Hargrove, the college’s coordinator of student activities and athletics, who advises both the SGA and the ambassadors.

Scotland has excelled academically, as well. He was recently inducted into the college’s chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa international honor society. He has already completed the requirements for both the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees and will march at VGCC’s commencement exercises on May 12. Scotland will continue his higher education at a four-year university in the fall to study electrical engineering.

–VGCC–

Vance County Early College High Selects Graduation Marshals

Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

May 4, 2017

Students who are members of the junior class at the Vance County Early College High School have been selected as graduation marshals to assist in events for the Class of 2017.

The 10 junior marshals were honored at a luncheon on April 28 at the school. They were selected as marshals for their outstanding academics.

The students are shown in the accompanying photo and include from left: Ke’Moni Champion, Victoria Inscoe, Seth Moody, Suzanne Williams, Luke Frazier, Nancy Bonilla, Lehman Ford, Zenee Davis and Lillian Kanouff. Nealee Fisher also will serve as a marshal, but was not available for the photo.

Granville County Crime Stoppers May Report

TO:                           News Media

FROM:                    Granville County Crime Stoppers  

DATE:                     May 4th 2017

SUBJECT:             BURGLARY/LARCENY/VANDALISM

 

On Thursday, March 30th, 2017 during late evening hours an unknown person or persons unlawfully went upon the driveway of private property off Thad Carey Road, Stem, NC and criminally removed one Glock 19 pistol magazine, which was loaded with ammunition from the center console of a private owned vehicle.

On Sunday, April 9th, 2017 during early morning hours an unknown person or persons unlawfully went upon private property off Rivers Edge Road, Oxford, NC and criminally forced entry of a shop, which caused property damage to door and jam and unlawfully removed three (No. 10) 100 ft. extension cords (one yellow and two orange in color), and two (No. 12) 500 ft. rolls of copper wire.

On Wednesday, April 12th, 2017 during late evening hours an unknown person or persons unlawfully went upon private property of a residence located off Appaloosa Trail, Franklinton, NC, which was damaged by fire on March 11th, 2017 and criminally removed items from the property.

Sometime between December 2016 and Tuesday, April 18th, 2017 an unknown person or persons unlawfully went upon private property of a residence off Jack Clement Road, Oxford, NC and criminally removed an air conditioner unit.

Sometime between Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 late evening hours and Thursday, April 27th, 2017 early morning hours an unknown person or persons unlawfully went upon private property of Carroll’s Outdoor Power Equipment Sales and Service located off Roxboro Road, Oxford, NC and criminally cut a lock, which was on a “2016” Master Tow 6X8 ft. utility trailer, that is black in color with a wooden floor and lift gate on the back and removed trailer from the property.  The trailer has a registration number displayed on the left fender and silver wheels.

On Tuesday, May 2nd, 2017 during mid-morning hours an unknown person or persons unlawfully went upon private property of a residence off West Tom Parham Road and forced entry, which caused criminal property damage and removed a dresser drawer with numerous pieces of jewelry.

On Tuesday, May 2nd, 2017 between mid-morning and late evening hours an unknown person or persons unlawfully went upon private property of a residence off Indian Trail ,Oxford, NC and forced entry, which caused criminal property damage and unlawfully removed one 12 gauge Benelli Nova pump action shotgun and one 12 gauge Browning Lite automatic shotgun.

If you have information concerning this incident, please contact the Granville County Sheriff’s Office at 919-693-3213 or call Crime Stoppers 919-693-3100.

THE GRANVILLE COUNTY CRIME STOPPERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS AUTHORIZED THE PAYMENT OF A REWARD OF UP TO $1,000 FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO THE ARREST/INDICTMENT(S) OF PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS CRIME.  IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS CRIME OR ANY OTHER SERIOUS CRIME(S) IN GRANVILLE COUNTY.  YOU ARE ASKED TO CALL THE GRANVILLE COUNTY CRIME STOPPERS IN OXFORD AT 919-693-3100.

News 05/05/17