-Information courtesy Claire Catherwood, West End Community Watch
Val Short, executive director of Triangle North Healthcare Foundation was the speaker for the most recent West End Community Watch meeting held on Tuesday, November 20. Short explained that the foundation operates with money from a Duke Endowment. The funds are used to award grants to groups working to improve health in our community. Studies have shown that our five areas of greatest need are chronic disease, nutrition and fitness, mental health and substance abuse, reproductive health and success in school.
Since 2013, the foundation has awarded over 60 grants totaling 1.5 million dollars. Grants have been awarded to Access Dental Health, the Boys’ and Girls’ Club, Smart Start, Granville-Vance Public Health – in response to the Opioid crisis, the YMCA Water Safety program, the YMCA Girls’ on the Run program, The Shepperd Youth Ranch, NC Med Assist, a Diabetes outreach program, and Trosa – a drug treatment program.
In the police report, all were reminded to be extra careful now that Christmas is approaching. There had been events of purse snatching, burglaries, vehicle break-ins, larcenies, and aggravated assaults. All should avoid carrying valuables and be sure to lock all vehicles.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/West-End-Baptist-Church.jpg265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2018-11-26 17:02:462018-11-26 17:02:46West End Watch Group Hears From Triangle North on Area’s Health Needs
The Third Annual “Santa Paws” event will be held on Saturday, December 8 from 6:30 until 9 p.m. at the Granville County Expo and Convention Center in Oxford. Santa Claus will be making time for the dogs and cats of the Granville County Animal Shelter to help with this donation drive.
Participants are asked to please bring a donation for the Animal Shelter in exchange for a photo with Santa. Donation ideas include flea and tick treatment (no Hartz), durable dog toys, fabuloso, cat litter, cat toys, cloth towels, dish soap and paper towels.
Pets, kids and adults are welcome. There will be light hors-d’oeuvres and refreshments provided.
The Granville County Expo and Convention Center is located at 4185 Hwy 15 South in Oxford. For more details, call 919-693-6749 or visit www.granvillecounty.org.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Santa-Paws-Event-2018.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2018-11-26 17:02:012018-11-26 17:02:01Third Annual ‘Santa Paws’ Event to be Held at Granville Expo Center
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/coopextnc.png265504Larryhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngLarry2018-11-26 12:57:592018-11-26 12:57:59Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland 11/26/18
The Vance County Sheriff’s office reports the discovery of the bodies of Robert S. Bullock of Vance County and Kesha L. Smith of Franklin County, NC.
Their bodies were discovered at approximately 10:40 a.m. Saturday (11/24/2018) inside Kerr Lake just off shore of the Satterwhite Point Rd. boat ramp area.
The Vance County Rescue Squad also located a 2008 Buick Lacrosse registered to Smith’s father submerged in the lake.
The manner and cause of death are pending an autopsy by the North Carolina Chief Medical Examiner’s Office. The death investigation is being lead by the Vance County Sheriff’s Office.
Smith was originally reported missing to the Franklin County Sherriff’s Office on November 19, 2018 and members of the Henderson Police Department had been assisting with the investigation. During the course of that investigation, it was determined that Smith was last seen on November 16, 2018 during the morning hours on Dabney Drive in Henderson.
The couple had been reported missing since November 16th and was last seen off the Raleigh Road area of Henderson, according to the Vance County Sheriff’s Office.
Additional publishable information received by WIZS News indicated that Smith was last known to be in the Satterwhite Point Road area near Vance County Middle School, which is more consistent with the finding of the vehicle and the bodies of the deceased. The facts will continued to sorted and pieced together by area law enforcement.
(This information is compiled from several recent press releases from the HPD and the VCSO and additional publishable sources.)
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wizsresize_0000s_0081_vancesheriff.png.png265504John C. Rosehttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngJohn C. Rose2018-11-25 12:24:472018-11-25 12:24:47Bullock and Smith Bodies Discovered
With only three Saturdays remaining before the Vance County Regional Farmers Market (VCRFM) wraps its 2018 season, Market Manager Tracy Madigan urges customers to stock up on fall produce – such as sweet potatoes, collards and greens – while they still can.
The market will close after 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 8th and will remain closed until mid-April of 2019. Rental of the VCRFM is available all year long and is particularly popular during the holiday season.
According to Madigan, it has been a great year for vendors and produce variety. “We had a really good year as far as increasing the number of vendors,” said Madigan. “That has provided more variety and greater quantities of produce.”
In addition to produce, Madigan said the number of regular craft vendors selling everything from handmade jewelry to candles has increased, along with the offering of baked goods.
Madigan reported that the customer count has remained steady at 9,000 – 10,000 visitors despite a surge in numbers during the peak summer season. This year’s pattern of inclement weather, especially during the spring and fall months, may have contributed to the customer stagnation.
“It has been a really strange year for the farmers weather-wise as well, but they have still come through with a lot of good produce and variety,” Madigan said.
Another draw to the market this season includes recent landscaping improvements courtesy the Cooperative Extension-based Master Gardeners.
“The Master Gardeners came into a grassy area around the market that previously flooded all of the time and made walkways and benches. Now it’s a nice area to enjoy and get some ideas of plants and flowers for your own yard,” said Madigan.
The addition of Gavin’s Grub Hub, a food truck operated by owner Gavin Jackson, is also bringing visitors in. “Gavin is a huge draw,” Madigan said. “Anytime we advertise that he’s coming, people show up to get their breakfast, brunch or lunch and are always pleased. He has also catered several events for the market.”
Of course, the best feedback comes directly from the mouths of visitors. “We get feedback all of the time from people who say they enjoy it and have made friends. It’s a relaxed, fun and local environment. I truly appreciate the patronage and support from the community,” Madigan said.
Madigan is pleased with the progress VCRFM has made over the years and said she can see its reach extending. “It is a regional market. The first two or three years it was mostly Vance and Granville county patrons; we are getting more visitors from Warren and Franklin now.”
In the future, Madigan would love to see VCRFM become a full-time operation. “I wish we could get someone full-time and get enough customers to run it six or seven days a week. That would really make it an alternative to fast food and grocery stores.”
For additional information on renting the VCRFM for your next event, please contact the Vance County Cooperative Extension Center at (252) 438-8188.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wizsfbresize_0001s_0055_Farmers-Market-Edited-e1461854851601.png.png265504Kelly Bonduranthttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngKelly Bondurant2018-11-21 16:57:352018-11-21 16:57:35Madigan, Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market Manager, Reflects on 2018 Season
Vance-Granville Community College honored 326 students receiving scholarships, as well as the donors and partnering organizations who established those scholarships, at a dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 13, in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus.
In this third annual event of its kind, rescheduled from Oct. 11 because of inclement weather, students were given the opportunity to meet and have dinner with community leaders and supporters of the college’s Endowment Fund.
Dr. Gordon Burns, the interim president of VGCC, thanked the donors who have supported students through the Fund. “Because of you, these students have a greater likelihood of succeeding in life and being contributing members in our society,” he said. “These students have the time and the freedom not to worry about financing their educations and accruing debt and thus can focus their energies on their studies and academic success.”
VGCC Nursing student April Zuniga-Trejo speaks on behalf of her fellow scholarship recipients at the VGCC Endowment Fund Scholarship Awards Dinner. (VGCC photo)
Commending the student scholarship recipients for their academic accomplishments, he also said, “These students, too, one day will be able to reach out to help a deserving student in financial need to further his or her education.”
Speaking on behalf of the scholars was April Zuniga-Trejo of Henderson. She is a graduate of Vance County Early College High School who is currently dually enrolled with VGCC and North Carolina State A&T University in the four-year RIBN (Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses) program.
Describing how she was given the opportunity earlier to meet the donors for her scholarship — Phil Dixon and his wife, Cathy, who started the Henry and Cathy Dixon Annual Scholarship — Zuniga-Trejo expressed her appreciation to Dixon and other donors.
“By investing in our students, the gap between students and their goals is finally shortened,” she said. “Having the connection with my donors has helped me realized the importance of investing in a student’s future. It is not only helping to pay for our education, but it is also paving the way in making our dreams a reality.”
Zuniga-Trejo is studying to become a nurse midwife and plans one day to start her own medical clinic for the disadvantaged.
Speaking on behalf of the donors at the dinner, Dixon followed his scholarship recipient on stage with his remarks on how he decided to contribute to the VGCC Endowment Fund as a birthday gift to his wife because of their love for education. Dixon said they realized that “there were probably a lot of people not far away that have needs that are not getting met,” so he decided on the gift of a scholarship. “I’d have to say it’s almost like a ‘two-fer.’ Cathy got a gift and April got a gift.”
Sharing a thank you note that he and his wife received from Zuniga-Trejo at their first meeting, Dixon read aloud to the audience her words: “I was overcome with happiness,” Zuniga-Trejo wrote. “I felt as if it was a sign from the universe that I was headed in the right direction and that I would make it through. All in all, your acts of kindness made an incredible difference in my life. I’m about to begin my first semester of nursing thanks to both of you.”
Dixon concluded by adding his own words, “I suggest to you that being able to make a difference in someone’s life is one of the greatest gifts that any of us can receive. I think Cathy and I received the greatest of gifts.”
VGCC donor Phil Dixon of Oxford, who contributed the funds for Zuniga-Trejo’s scholarship, speaks on behalf of donors at the VGCC Endowment Fund Scholarship Awards Dinner. (VGCC photo)
The dinner ceremony also featured the announcement of the first-ever Presidential Excellence Award, a new scholarship level. The first of those scholarships was endowed by the family of Donald and Betsy Seifert of Henderson.
Sponsors for the scholarship awards dinner were Altec, CertainTeed, Duke Energy and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company.
Scholarships of various levels, including 62 Presidential Scholar Awards (the most prestigious endowed scholarships), 59 Presidential Merit Awards, 179 Academic Achievement scholarships and 26 annual (non-endowed) scholarships were awarded to students this academic year, representing more than $240,000.
The scholarships presented to students this year bring the total to more than 9,400 awarded by the college to date. Endowment Fund officials have estimated VGCC has awarded nearly $5 million since the inception of the program.
VGCC scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff. For more information about the Endowment Fund, call (252) 738-3409.
Here is a list of the awards that were presented for 2018-2019. The list is separated by scholarship category first, then by the county of residence of the students. The student’s program of study is in parentheses.
PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR AWARDS: VANCE COUNTY RECIPIENTS
Brenda W. Beck: Evan O’Geary of Henderson (Associate in Arts);
John T. Church, Sr., Memorial: Jolina Anne Chiong of Henderson (General Science AAS Degree);
Gilbert and Frances Capps: Jerry Dickerson of Henderson (Criminal Justice Technology);
Julius M. and Breda O. Frazier Memorial: LaQuad Holden of Henderson (Automotive Systems Technology);
GSK: Amanda Miller of Henderson (Associate in Science);
GSK: Shadi Nagi of Henderson (Associate in Science);
Guild Gift Gallery at Maria Parham: DeLonna Martin of Henderson (Radiography);
Guild Gift Gallery at Maria Parham: Wendy Jordan of Henderson (Associate Degree Nursing);
Guild Gift Gallery Volunteers: Michelle Matthews of Henderson (Radiography);
Daniel Knight Jr.: Shelly Benson of Henderson (Cosmetology);
Marsha J. Nelson: Kathy Wiggins of Henderson (Accounting);
Revlon: Kaylee Gleason of Henderson (Welding Technology);
VGCC Faculty & Staff: Amber Peoples of Henderson (Radiography);
Edward Tarry Watkins Memorial: Madison Hetrick of Henderson (General Science AAS Degree);
Felix McDaniel Family: Courtney Mitchell of Kittrell (Medical Office Administration); and
John K. Nelms: Ethan Cole of Kittrell (Associate in Science).
PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR AWARDS: GRANVILLE COUNTY RECIPIENTS
John T. Church, Sr.: Courtney Crute of Bullock (Early Childhood Education);
Guild Gift Gallery at Maria Parham: Brittany Buchanan of Bullock (Associate Degree Nursing);
The Johnson Educational Fund: Brianna Norris of Butner (Early Childhood Education);
Past and Present Volunteers Guild Gift Gallery at Maria Parham: Emily Padgett of Butner (Associate Degree Nursing);
Gean Bobbitt/Guild Gift Gallery at Maria Parham: Shanae Rhoades of Creedmoor (Associate Degree Nursing);
Jerome and Dora Faulkner Memorial: Shanice Alleyne of Creedmoor (Radiography);
Glen Raven: Daniel McIlvaine of Creedmoor (Welding Technology);
Patricia P. Graham: Paige Snider of Creedmoor (Radiography);
Eben G. & Mary Frances McSwain: Brandon Sparrow of Creedmoor (Automotive Systems Technology);
Oxford Lodge #103, I.O.O.F.: Hannah Parrott of Creedmoor (Associate in Science);
VGCC Faculty/Staff: Charlene Kearney of Creedmoor (Business Administration);
John Weaver: Seham Mansour of Creedmoor (Early Childhood Education);
William David Barker, Sr., and Anabel Manderson Barker: Savannah Brogden of Oxford (Associate in Arts);
GSK: Kelsey Williamson McKeel of Oxford (General Science AAS Degree);
Guy Thomas and Lelle Courtney Horner/Guy T. Horner: Daniel Brown of Oxford (Automotive Systems Technology);
M.R. Williams, Inc.: Alyssa Gupton of Oxford (Business Administration);
Mary Ruth Nelms: Daniel Burnette of Oxford (Associate in Science);
Harold and Helen Sherman: Penny Glover of Oxford (Early Childhood Education);
Leon Turner: Katelynn Cheek of Oxford (Accounting); and
Jerome and Dora Faulkner Memorial: Solange Tant of Stem (Associate Degree Nursing).
PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR AWARDS: FRANKLIN COUNTY RECIPIENTS
Leslie Carswell/Guild Gift Gallery at Maria Parham: Stephanie Parham of Franklinton (Associate Degree Nursing);
Rehoboth United Methodist Church: Kayla Romig of Franklinton (Associate in Science);
Revlon: Cassidy Burton of Franklinton (General Science AAS Degree);
Rudolph and Ruby Keller Corbitt: Megann Casady of Louisburg (Practical Nursing);
Glen Raven: Aislinn Julian of Louisburg (Associate in Arts);
Glen Raven: Nicolas Tucker of Louisburg (Welding Technology);
GSK: Shalinda White of Louisburg (Medical Office Administration);
Vera M. and H. Dermont Hedrick: Robert Holovnia of Louisburg (Associate in Arts);
Beverly Tucker, MD/Guild Gift Gallery at Maria Parham: Dulce Santillan of Louisburg (Radiography); and
Franklin Mills/Guild Gift Gallery at Maria Parham: Allison Thurkill of Youngsville (Radiography).
PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR AWARDS: WARREN COUNTY RECIPIENTS
Robbie Gilliam Hedrick/ Robert Jerome Hedrick: Megan Proctor of Macon (Radiography);
Lelia C. Brigham Memorial: Caleb Brauer of Norlina (Associate in Arts);
Glen Raven: Jennifer Newell of Norlina (General Science AAS Degree); and
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/VGCC-Scholarship-Ceremony-2018.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2018-11-21 16:56:462018-11-21 16:56:46More Than 300 Students Honored At VGCC Scholarship Awards Dinner
-Information courtesy Paylor Spruill, Assistant City Manager, City of Henderson
The Henderson, NC Christmas Parade will be held Saturday, December 1, 2018. The parade begins at 4:45 p.m. and will proceed along Garnett St.
Floats, fire trucks, and vehicles with trailers participating in the parade will line-up on the Dabney Drive Extension (enter from Raleigh Road Only) at 4:15 p.m.
A tree lighting ceremony will follow the parade at 6 p.m. in front of the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center and the Perry Memorial Library in downtown Henderson.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wizsresize_0000s_0079_VANCECOUNTY.png.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2018-11-21 16:56:122018-11-21 16:56:12Henderson Christmas Parade, Tree Lighting Ceremony to be Held Sat., Dec. 1
The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce will host a “15 Under 40” reception at the Henderson County Club on Tuesday, November 27, 2018, from 6 – 8 p.m. This reception honors Vance County’s recently nominated emerging leaders age 40 or younger.
Recipients include Nathan Baskerville, Bert Beard, Joel Beckham, Kristen Boyd, Amanda Walker Ellis, Trevei Foreman, Cara Boyd Gill, Turner Pride, Carice Sanchez, Eric Sanchez, Tremanisha Taylor, Josh Towne, Kendrick Vann, Jessica West and Daniel White.
This event is made possible by a partnership between The Daily Dispatch, Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, Henderson Optimist Club, Henderson Kiwanis Club and Henderson Rotary Club.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wizsfbresize_0001s_0042_chamberofcommerce.png.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2018-11-21 16:55:472018-11-21 16:55:47Reminder: ’15 Under 40′ Reception to Honor Vance County’s Emerging Leaders
-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center
Are you currently worried about the direction a youth/young adult is heading? Would you like for them to interact with reformed adults who have “walked the walk” and “talked the talk?” Would you like for them to see firsthand the effects of negative consequences on their life? If so, register them for the Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department’s Tunnel Vision Forum to be held Friday, December 14, 2018, beginning at 5 p.m. at City Hall Chambers, 134 Rose Avenue in Henderson.
This forum is an open, interactive program developed to improve the thought process of youth/young adults and warn them of the wrong direction they are heading. These tough, but needed, conversations will be with local citizens who have been on the wrong side of the law and want to share their experience to prevent other youth from taking that same path.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Tunnel-Vision-Forum.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2018-11-21 16:55:202018-11-21 16:55:20‘Tunnel Vision’ Forum Will Have ‘Tough, But Needed’ Conversations With Young Adults
