Vance County Senior Center Provides Important Services for Ages 55+
By: Kelly Bondurant, Freelance Writer/Editor for Hire
The Vance County Senior Center located at 126 S. Garnett Street in downtown Henderson hosts a variety of activities and programs for a growing senior population.
According to Juan Jefferson, director of operations for the Senior Center, “The aging population in Vance County is exploding.” Jefferson said this increase in the aging population is also true at the state and national level.
With the combination of the popularity of the Senior Center and the increase in the aging population, Jefferson says the Center is often at capacity. “We usually have 100 people in and out of our facility every day,” agreed Amber Gupton, Medicare Coordinator for the Senior Center.
Vance County residents age 55 and older are welcome to visit the Senior Center Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
A state-of-the-art fitness center with exercise equipment including stationary bikes and weight machines is available along with activities such as low impact aerobics, line dancing, billiards, card games and cornhole.
According to Jefferson, the card games and billiards are popular activities and the line dancers are well known throughout the area.
“We have very energetic line dancers,” said Jefferson. “We get invitations from all around to come dance. Our line dancers are really popular. Just about every month they have some kind of engagement.”
The Senior Center also offers day trips several times a month and overnight trips occasionally.
According to Gupton, the group just returned from an overnight trip to Lancaster, P.A. “We have a good time on our trips,” said Gupton. “For our overnight trips we’ve been to New York City, Atlantic City and Gatlinburg, T.N. to name a few. Cost varies by trip.”
Daytime trips have included the N.C. State Fair, the Fruitcake Factory and a chocolate factory in Raleigh. Cost for daytime trips ranges from $5 to $20.
The Senior Center also offers general and medical transportation via KARTS. To qualify for transportation, the rider must be 60 or older and live in the Vance County area.
“Transportation is one of the biggest issues for our senior citizens,” Jefferson said. “The second biggest issue is safety and security.”
Other programs offered include Meals on Wheels, on-site nutritional programs, educational programs, on-site health screenings, blood pressure checks and support groups.
April is National Volunteer Month and the Senior Center recently held a luncheon to honor their 70 volunteers.
While the Senior Center already has a large number of volunteers, those who are interested in assisting are always welcome. “To help, you can complete a volunteer application and then we welcome you to what I call the family,” said Gupton.
In summing up the overall goal of the agency, Jefferson said, “The Vance County Senior Center strives to enhance the intellectual, emotional, social and economic well-being of seniors across the county.”
For more information on the Vance County Senior Center, please call (252) 430-0257 or visit the website at https://www.vancecounty.org/departments/senior-citizen-center/.
NVHS Seniors Honored for Job Internships
NVHS Seniors Honored for Job Internships
— information from VCS Press Release written by Terri Hedrick, Public Information Officer
Five seniors in the Occupational Course of Study program at Northern Vance High School were honored the morning of April 13th for successfully completing the hours required by the state for their job internships.
Each of the seniors works at a local business.
Julia Foster, their job coach, led the recognitions.
The students were presented with gold trophies and praised by Foster and other Northern Vance educators.
The students honored are shown in the accompanying photo with Foster, standing at far left. The students include, from left, Jaquez Sneed, Branden Strickland, Brittany Powell, Tre’darrius Tunstall and James Eastman. Two additional seniors who have also completed their internships are Joshua Jones and Bernabe Rodriguez, Jr. They were not available for the photo.
Henderson City Council Committee Meetings 4-24-18
— submitted by Esther McCrackin, City Clerk
Henderson City Council Committee Meetings
The Henderson City Council’s Human Resources Committee will meet on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, to discuss issues relating to health insurance and other benefits. This meeting will take place at 3:00 p.m. in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue.
The Henderson City Council’s Intergovernmental Committee will meet on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, to discuss changes relating to the Rec Players. This meeting will take place at 4:00 p.m. in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue. The public is welcome.
Diverse Healthcare Leader To Speak To Students, Public On April 24
— courtesy VGCC
The Medical Office Administration program at Vance-Granville Community College will host a presentation on medical office careers by a veteran healthcare instructor and manager on Tuesday, April 24, at 6 p.m. on the Main Campus.
Marianne Durling, currently an associate compliance officer with the Duke University Health System, will be in the Conference Room in Building 8 to speak with students in VGCC’s Health Services programs. The public is also invited to attend.
Durling has been active in some aspect of healthcare for more than 37 years, including clinical patient care, insurance and auditing, resulting in a diverse background, according to Christal Thomas, program head and instructor for Medical Office Administration at the college.
She has developed and taught a successful medical coding degree program, as well as a healthcare management degree program, for local colleges, for more than 11 years, garnering praise from employers and students. She won Instructor of the Year in 2012 at one of those colleges and was nominated for a state instructor of the year honor. She works with the American Academy of Professional Coders curriculum and credential development and serves as a member of the Healthcon Education Committee.
Durling has a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Health Information Administration, a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences, and an Associate’s Degree in Health Professions. She has credentials in RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CPC, CPCO, CIC and CPC-I.
She is described as a coding, auditing and revenue cycle subject matter expert for lawyers as well as a seasoned textbook editor for multiple publishers. She has been published in national professional publications. She has served on the AAPC National Advisory Board and has served multiple terms as president and president-elect of the Oxford Tri-County North Carolina chapter of the AAPC. She has also served two terms as coordinator of the Triangle Region chapter of the North Carolina Health Information Management Association. In 2017, she was awarded the NCHIMA Special Recognition Award for her work with NCHIMA.
For more information, those planning to attend can contact Christal Thomas at (252) 738-3325 or thomasc@vgcc.edu.
— VGCC —
Franklin County Early College High School Hosting Blood Drive April 26
— courtesy VGCC
Franklin County Early College High School is hosting a Blood Drive for the American Red Cross on Thursday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Vance-Granville Community College’s Franklin Campus.
Coordinating the drive is Abril Rosales-Martinez, a Super Senior at FCECHS, who says she’s been a long-time donor for the Red Cross. She’s organizing her first drive, she said, because she has seen how medical conditions affect the lives of those who are in need of blood.
“I have friends and family who have been drafted into a battle against cancer and other conditions, so I appreciate the necessity of blood donations,” she said.
Students in the Community Services Club at FCECHS are assisting Rosales-Martinez with the drive by helping donors get checked in, attending to donors in the waiting area and serving snacks when the process is finished.
Appointments can be made by visiting the Red Cross website at www.RedCrossBlood.org and using the sponsor code VGCC. Those who make appointments will minimize their wait time, Rosales said. The Red Cross also encourages potential donors to save time by completing a pre-donation reading and answering health history questions on the day of the appointment at www.RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass.
Donors must be over 16 years old, although those who are 16 may donate if they have parental permission. Those with questions about eligibility can call the Red Cross at 866-236-3276.
As an incentive, Rosales-Martinez said, VGCC Franklin Campus is conducting a drawing among the day’s donors to give away two lunch boxes and gift cards to Bojangles and Zaxby’s. The Red Cross, she added, has an appreciation offer for those donating blood between April 9 and May 13 with donors automatically being entered in a sweepstakes to win one of three $1,000 gift cards to The Home Depot, courtesy of Suburban Propane.
The Blood Drive will be staged in the Multipurpose Meeting Room in Building 4 on the VGCC Franklin Campus at 8100 NC 56 in Louisburg.
— VGCC —
Henderson/Vance County Business Broadband Survey Link
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HendersonVanceCountyBusinessSurvey
On Thursday, April 12, 2018, the Downtown Development Commission in Henderson conducted a board meeting at 4 p.m. It was noted at that meeting that the link above to a BUSINESS Broadband Survey should be distributed. The survey literally takes two minutes to complete. As DDC Executive Director Kaine Riggan noted in his email to WIZS News, taking the survey will help us get broadband internet to the area.
The residential version of the survey in Vance County was completed 6 to 8 months ago.
If you live in a neighboring county, here are some additional links:
Click here for Franklin County