Aycock Rec Center

Aycock Rec. Center to Reopen Next Week, Dedication Ceremony to Follow

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-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center

Aycock Recreation Center will reopen on Tuesday, September 3, with the gym scheduled to reopen on Saturday, September 7, 2019.

The Rec. Center has been closed, with the exception of the outdoor track, since July 26 for upgrades including replacement of the gym floor.

A dedication ceremony for the upgraded facility will be held on Thursday, September 12 at 12 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

Aycock Rec. Center is located at 307 Carey Chapel Rd in Henderson.

Neal Goddard Named Rebuilding Hope’s Sept. Spotlight Volunteer

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-Information courtesy Rebuilding Hope, Inc. 

Volunteer Neal Goddard came to Rebuilding Hope in a very practical way. “Rebuilding Hope built me a ramp when I had knee surgery in 2014,” Neal says. “I came by to see the facility. I heard a lot of great news about how Rebuilding Hope helped a lot of people.”

Neal Goddard named Rebuilding Hope’s September 2019 Volunteer of the Month. (Photo Credit: RHI)

On another occasion, when he requested help to replace his roof, a volunteer asked if he would like to help the ministry. “I said yes and am so glad I did,” the Williamston, NC, native says.

Neal has volunteered a day a week for about a year taking applications. “Every time someone fills out an application for a ramp because of a medical reason and it’s built by volunteers, it does my heart good,” Neal says. “I would encourage others to volunteer to see how you love the work and the other volunteers who help you. God will bless you.”

A member of New Sandy Creek Baptist Church, he is a member of the calling committee and a member and past president of Baptist Men.

Neal and his late wife Lori have two children and three grandchildren, with one on the way. In his leisure time, Neal says he enjoys reading the word of God, watching sports, gardening and learning about and growing flowers.

VGCC Holds Convocation to Start New Academic Year

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College recently held its annual fall convocation to bring faculty and staff together for a kick-off to the new academic year.

Much of the event focused on a discussion of student success. Special guests for the convocation were representatives of “Achieving the Dream” (ATD), a national education reform organization designed to assist community colleges with improving student success. VGCC joined the ATD network of colleges in 2018.

ATD Leadership Coach Dr. Joanne Bashford and ATD Data Coach Dr. Linda Hagedorn presented information about the college’s progress in moving the needle on student success in the past six months.

VGCC Director of Planning & Research Julie Hicks and English faculty member Frankie Frink provided their colleagues with updates on key data points and forms of support to address the needs of students who are food insecure, respectively.

VGCC’s participation in Achieving the Dream and the leadership of Dr. Rachel Desmarais, who became college president earlier this year, have caused the college to place a greater emphasis on data related to teaching and learning, and equitable student outcomes for all.

Approximately 44 VGCC faculty and staff members serve on one of four ATD teams: the Core, Data, Communications, and Strategies teams. These teams will continue to work collaboratively throughout the fall semester to develop an Action Plan derived from the feedback and planning that took place during the fall convocation. This ATD Action Plan will be connected to the VGCC Strategic Plan.

“Convocation provided an opportunity for all new and returning faculty to learn more about the latest with ATD and provide feedback,” said Dr. Levy Brown, the college’s vice president of Learning, Student Engagement & Success. “We are committed to equitable student outcomes, which ultimately impact student success.”

The event also included the opportunity to recognize VGCC employees who have recently hit milestones by completing five, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years of service.

“As we mark the 50th anniversary of Vance-Granville Community College’s service to the community, we celebrate the dedicated people who have made the college a wonderful place to work and learn, while we also look ahead to the future through the Achieving the Dream program,” said Dr. Desmarais.

Wildcats Softball to Host 220 Seafood Fundraiser

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-Information and photo courtesy Amanda Pegram, Wildcats Softball 

The Wildcats Softball team will hold a fundraiser at 220 Seafood Restaurant in Henderson on Monday, September 9, 2019, from 4 to 7 p.m.

$7.00 per plate. Eat-in or take out.

Dinner includes fried trout, french fries, coleslaw and hushpuppies. Drink included for eat-in only. Glad to serve walk-ins.

Proceeds will be used to fund tournaments and purchase needed equipment.

Please help support this great group of girls from Granville, Vance, Warren, and Halifax counties.

(This is not a paid advertisement)

VCRFM Memorial Garden

Join the Master Gardener Volunteers for a Fall Gardening Symposium

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-Information courtesy Paul McKenzie, Agricultural Extension Agent, Vance/Warren Counties

Join the Master Gardener℠ volunteers of Vance/Warren Counties on Saturday, October 5, 2019, for their fall Gardening Symposium, which will be held in historic Warrenton, NC.

The symposium will feature Brie Arthur, author of The Foodscape Revolution. Brie studied Landscape Design and Horticulture at Purdue University and since has worked as a grower, propagator, author, and correspondent on the Growing A Greener World show on PBS. She has a passion for sustainable, local food production and will share advice on how to practice this in your own backyard, with an emphasis on native plants.

The presentation by Brie Arthur will take place at 1 p.m. in the Warren County Courthouse. Registration is $20 and may be submitted by downloading a registration form from https://go.ncsu.edu/foodscapewarren.

As a special bonus, the Master Gardener volunteers are partnering with Preservation Warrenton to offer a free walking tour of historic downtown starting at 10 a.m. that morning, which will highlight many fascinating stories from the town’s past. The tour will end in plenty of time for folks to enjoy downtown shopping and dining before heading over to the Courthouse for the 1 p.m. main event.

For more information, call the NC Cooperative Extension office for Warren County at 252-257-3640, or email paul_mckenzie@ncsu.edu.

Town Talk 08/30/19

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News 08/30/19

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Kerr Tar Regional Council of Governments

Kerr-Tar Regional COG to Offer Eligible Residents Emergency Home Repairs

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-Press Release, Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments

The Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments (COG) has been awarded $200,000 by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA) under the 2019 cycle of the Urgent Repair Program to assist residents in the counties of Franklin, Granville, Person, Vance and Warren.

The Urgent Repair program finances emergency home repairs for homeowners who are elderly or have special needs and whose incomes are below 50% of the median for the area. Only repairs that address imminent threats to the life and/or safety of occupants of the dwelling unit or accessibility modifications will be performed under the program. A total of 18 households are projected to be assisted.

In the Urgent Repair Program, one or two critical problems may be repaired, but the entire house is not addressed. Examples of work typically done under this program include roof or HVAC system repair, well or septic system repairs, adding accessibility features like ramps, bathroom grab bars and wider doors.

The COG will provide assistance to those whose homes are selected for repairs in the form of a loan. Homeowners will receive an unsecured deferred, interest-free loan, forgiven at a rate of $2,000 per year until the principal balance is reduced to zero. The maximum amount of the loan available is $10,000.

Applications are available starting September 2, 2019, and must be returned to the COG office by 5 p.m. on November 1, 2019. Clients to be assisted will be selected by January 1, 2020.

The application and program information are available on the Kerr-Tar Regional COG website at www.kerrtarcog.org or by calling 252-436-2040.

The funds provided by the NCHFA for the Urgent Repair Program come from the North Carolina Housing Trust Fund.

Friday Marks the Grand Opening of GRACE Ministries’ New Thrift Store

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-Information courtesy GRACE Ministries

GRACE Ministries will officially open its new Thrift Store, located at 981 Burr Street in Henderson, on Friday, August 30, 2019.

Normal hours of operation will be Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Store items include furniture, clothes, shoes, toys, small house appliances, kitchen, home decor, miscellaneous and lots more.

Those wishing to donate can drop off items at the store location during normal business hours. To arrange to have items picked up from your location, please call (252) 432-7124.

Attention Ladies: Miss NC to Speak at Fall WOVEN Session

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-Information courtesy the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce

The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce and the VGCC Small Business Center welcomes Miss North Carolina, Alexandra Badgett to speak at the WOVEN (Women of Vance Empowered Networking) lunch and learn on Tuesday, October 15, 2019, at the Henderson Country Club.

The event will be held from 12 until 1:30 p.m. and will serve as the H-V Chamber’s last WOVEN session for 2019.

The cost is $20 and registration is required by October 11. You do not have to be a Chamber member to attend.

For more information and to RSVP, contact Sandra Wilkerson at sandra@hendersonvance.org or call (252) 438-8414.