Special Olympics Polar Plunge 2018

/by

The Vance County Polar Plunge for Special Olympics North Carolina is Saturday, February 3.  You must preregister by Friday, January 5.

Contact Crystal Allen at 252-431-6091 or vance@sonc.net for more information.

Freezin’ For A Reason – Polar Plunge – Check in at the Satterwhite Point Glasshouse between 9:30 and 10 a.m. on February 3.  Prize giveaway from 10 until 10:30 a.m.  JUMP! at 10:30 a.m.

Allen is the Local Coordinator in Vance County.  She also works for the City of Henderson.

In a release of information, Allen wrote the following:

“Our athletes are not charged any fee to participate in the program, and we need your support! We will be having our annual Polar Plunge Fundraiser on Saturday, February 3rd, 2018. This will be an event where courageous participants raise funds for our program to jump in Kerr Lake. In order to keep costs manageable for this event, we are asking for donations from the community. If your business provides $50 or more to the Polar Plunge, we will put your name and logo on our T-shirts, which will be given to each participant. Checks can be made payable to Special Olympics Vance County at P.O. Box 1556, Henderson, NC 27536. Please mail checks in by January 8th, 2018 in order to have logo put on the T-shirts.”

Allen also wrote, “Thanks to the continued support of communities across North Carolina, Special Olympics is proud to say we now serve more than 38,000 athletes. Here in Vance County, we currently have a basketball program, a volleyball program, and a bocce program that provide opportunities for athletes to compete locally and across the state. In the future, our local program plans to add more sports and competitions to increase participation and opportunities, creating long lasting growth and success.

“Special Olympics strives to provide children and adults with intellectual disabilities hope for a healthier, longer, and more fulfilling life through sports training and competition that keeps them engaged in regular physical activity within a structured peer network. Through participation in Special Olympics our athletes achieve goals, build self-confidence and improve their overall health and well-being.”

John Penn Citizen of the Year Nominations Due Jan. 3

/by

— courtesy of Granville County Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber’s Meetings/Recognitions Committee requests that individuals and businesses give careful consideration to nominating an outstanding citizen to receive the 2018 JOHN PENN CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARD.

The nomination form is available on our website by clicking here, or at one of the Chamber’s offices – 1598 NC 56, Butner or 124 Hillsboro St., Oxford. Nomination forms must be received by January 3rd at one of the office locations or via email to ginnie@granville-chamber.com.

Presentation of the John Penn Citizen of the Year Award, as well as other community services awards, will be presented at the Chamber’s annual banquet – Monday, January 29, 2018.

Quilting classes start up again at VGCC in January

/by

— courtesy VGCC

As the cold winter weather brings to mind the original use for quilts, Vance-Granville Community College’s long-running Quilting program resumes in January, with three 14-week class schedules.

Peggy Stocks of Manson teaches the classes that will meet on Wednesday mornings from 9 a.m. until noon, starting Jan. 10, and on Thursday evenings from 6-9 p.m., starting Jan. 11.

Velvet Boyd of Warrenton, a former student of Stocks, teaches the class that will meet on Wednesday evenings from 6-9 p.m., starting Jan. 24. All the classes are held in Building 5 on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County.

Students come to VGCC from near and far because a Quilting class, particularly one that lasts as long as 14 weeks, can be difficult to find. At a cost of $100, which comes out to less than $2.50 per hour of instruction, the class is also quite affordable.

Stocks has been teaching the art of Quilting for VGCC’s Continuing Education division since 1995. She has been a quilter since 1980. She credits the VGCC Quilting program’s longevity to the fact that many people come back again and again to take the class and continue learning, but adds that beginners are always welcome. “The students who are new get help and inspiration from those who have done it for a long while,” Stocks said. “I just love doing it. I’ve learned from many other people, and I use my experience to teach others. There’s a lot to learn. It’s not as simple as you might think.”

A student works on a quilt in a VGCC classroom.

VGCC Personal Enrichment Coordinator Gail Clark noted that Quilting students benefit from talented instructors. “Peggy focuses on hand-quilting, and many students are able to complete their quilt in a single semester, following her hands-on, personalized instruction,” Clark said. “Peggy’s students also get together to create and donate quilts. Some of her students have entered quilting contests and received ribbons and awards.” Both Boyd’s and Stocks’s quilts have represented VGCC in state community college system art exhibitions, as well. Boyd has been quilting for 20 years and went from taking VGCC Quilting classes to teaching them in the early 2000s. Her students work on a combination of hand quilting and machine stitching.

Stocks said the appeal of a quilting class goes beyond learning skills. “It’s all about taking some time out of your busy schedule to enjoy fellowship with the other students, to be creative and to do something worthwhile – something that doesn’t involve an electronic screen!” she said.

Clark said that men and women of all ages find the classes to be fun, thanks largely to their patient, helpful teachers.

Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/schedules/personal-enrichment or at any VGCC campus. For more information, contact Gail Clark at (252) 738-3385 or ped@vgcc.edu. VGCC will be closed from Dec. 21, 2017, through Jan. 2, 2018.

–VGCC–

(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.)

2 Hour Delay Vance Schools Jan 2, 2018

/by

Vance County Schools will operate on a two-hour delay, January 2, 2018 for students and staff due to our extremely cold conditions.

2 Hour Delay Granville Schools Jan 2, 2018

/by

Due to the forecast of extremely cold temps Tuesday, January 2, 2018, all Granville County Public Schools will operate on a 2 hour delay for students and staff.