Triangle North Healthcare Foundation Community Response Grants

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Triangle North Healthcare Foundation’s annual grant program opens today, Feb. 1, 2021. The Community Response Grants provide up to $20,000 to nonprofits, governmental and educational organizations for programming that responds to the effect COVID-19 has on families and communities, according to Val Short, the foundation’s executive director.

Organizations that serve counties in the Triangle North Region comprised of Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties are eligible to submit applications, Short said in information provided to WIZS. Individuals are not eligible to submit an application.

Find the link to the grant application at www.tnhfoundation.org. New applicants must register for an account. Any organization interested in submitting a grant application should schedule a meeting with Triangle North Healthcare to discuss the project. Virtual meetings via Zoom will begin next week, Short said. Call TNH at 252.430.8532 to learn more about the grant process. Completed applications are due no later than July 31, 2021.

Triangle North Healthcare Foundation began funding projects in 2013. To date, more than $2 million has been awarded to fund more than 80 health projects serving the four-county region.  The grants support programs in the focus areas of child well-being, chronic disease, mental health and substance use disorders, nutrition and physical fitness, and reproductive health.

Triangle North Healthcare Foundation is a regional healthcare grantmaking organization, established in November 2011 after the merge of Maria Parham Medical Center with the for-profit Duke LifePoint.  The foundation has been funded by an endowment that was created from the assets of the former nonprofit hospital.

TownTalk 2-1-21: Vance Granville’s Month-long Celebration of Black History

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Vance-Granville Community College has a bevy of activities scheduled for its celebration of Black History in the month of February. A team from VGCC has created the monthlong event – from book discussions to highlighting Black trailblazers – in a webpage VGCC calls “Against All Odds – Honoring Black Trailblazers.” Visit www.vgcc.edu/blackhistorymonth/ to learn more about how to participate in these events.

Dawn Michelle Tucker, dean of Continuing Education & College + Career Readiness at VGCC, was on Town Talk Monday to kick off the monthlong celebration. Tucker spoke to host John C. Rose about famous Blacks in history, as well as the struggles that still challenge African Americans today.

Tucker, along with co-chair Angela Thomas, dean of Health Sciences and other VGCC faculty and staff, put together a “celebration of all the accomplishments and the different opportunities that we’ve been able to take full advantage of,” she said. Webinars, lunch and learn sessions, in addition to the two book discussions are all activities that the community can take part in.

The first of two book discussions will take place on Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. The book that will be discussed is titled “Who Owns the Icehouse? Eight Life Lessons from an Unlikely Entrepreneur,” based on a true story written by the nephew of a man who owned an icehouse in 1950’s in the Mississippi Delta.

In conjunction with this event, VGCC President Dr. Rachel Demarais will sign the Presidents for Entrepreneurship Pledge to kick off the book discussion. This pledge has been, or will be, signed by community college presidents across the nation to show support for expanding entrepreneurship in the communities they serve and creating a positive culture on their campuses to foster entrepreneurism. VGCC has training and counseling services available for new business owners through its Small Business Center, Tucker said.

Promoting entrepreneurship, especially among African Americans, Tucker said, is one component of that pledge. “It’s our commitment to making sure that our community has the support system in place for new entrepreneurship opportunities,” she said. VGCC strives to provide a consistent message of support for those individuals who want to venture out on their own to create a new business. “The consistency will have an impact on what we’re doing,” she added. All this is to provide for the community the necessary resources to advance entrepreneurship.

Click Play to Listen to TownTalk with VGCC’s Dawn Michelle Tucker…

“We have to continue to push out the idea of entrepreneurship. If as a college we are pushing the idea and being consistent about our messaging about entrepreneurship, then we are hopeful that the consistency of what we’re doing will have an impact on our communities, Tucker said. College officials want to continue to pour in the idea of entrepreneurship, and the book “Who Owns the Icehouse?” provides insight into the mindset of not just being an entrepreneur, she said, but being a successful entrepreneur.

Challenges surrounding racism and inequality are barriers that Black people still face today, Tucker said. “It’s the challenge of being seen as a person of color first and not being seen by your character, your integrity and what you actually bring to the table outside of the color of your skin,” she said, adding that Blacks often are “not able to fully reach (their) potential because we are held up by skin color.” How Blacks move forward, in the face of these challenges, is part of the ongoing conversations that must take place, Tucker said.

The community college continues to look for new programs and opportunities, Tucker said, adding that newly minted entrepreneurs most likely will need a skilled work force to be successful in their endeavors. Vance-Granville Community College has long provided programs that allows workers to re-tool or learn new skills to make them more marketable employees.

As dean of Continuing Education and Career Readiness, Tucker takes seriously her responsibility to share her experience with young people entering the workforce. “That’s how I get to live in the younger person’s world, by sharing information and building relationships with them so that they have the benefit of older, more experienced people to share ideas and to gain momentum for moving forward,” she said.

Local News Audio

WIZS Local News 2-1-21 Noon

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Small Farms Week Food Drive for ACTS

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The North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Vance County Center in association with N. C. A&T State University is hosting a food drive from now until February 15, 2021. The food drive is in honor of local farmers in conjunction with Small Farms Week, which comes up later in March, according to information from Vance County Cooperative Extension.

All food collected through the food drive will be donated to ACTS (Area Christians Together in Service).

Anyone interested in donating to this food drive can take items to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Vance County Center office, located at 305 Young Street in Henderson.  Also, items can be taken to the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce at 414 S. Garnett Street.

For more information, please contact Wayne Rowland at 252-438-8188.

Vance County Coop wishes to thank you in advance for donating to those in hunger in Vance County.

Camp Oak Hill, Summer Camp, Early-Bird Rates, But What You Get is What Counts

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Although the recent snowfall and cold temps scream winter, parents may already be thinking about how their children will spend at least some of their summer. And parents with an eye toward saving money can check out nearby Camp Oak Hill – it has early-bird rates for reservations made before the weekend is over.

Camp Oak Hill, located in northern Granville County, is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. Current Board President Missy Edlin said the goal is to have 400 campers over the course of the summer.

In a normal summer, the camp could handle up to 200 campers a week. “We have a heavy protocol for COVID,” she said Friday. The camp follows guidance from the Centers for Disease Control as well as the American Camp Association, of which it is a member. “We want to make sure we’re well prepped for…this summer,” she said. There are different camp sessions, which begin in mid-June, for elementary, middle and high school students.

Registration opened in October, she said, for the 2021 summer camp offerings. The reduced rates end Sunday, at which time she said the rates would go up. Visit campoakhill.org to learn more.

Repeat campers enjoy the variety of activities the camp offers, from campfire singalongs to swimming and arts and crafts. Edlin is excited about a new program for rising high school seniors called Servant Leadership Training. She is putting the finishing touches on the curriculum. That camp is scheduled for July 11-23.

Edlin was herself a camper at Camp Oak Hill, starting in 1986. She was later a counselor and in charge of the aquatics program. As an adult, her ties to COH remain strong. She has been a board member and is now board president.

Her son has been attending the camp for 7 years, she said. There are many others like her family – former campers who now send their own children as campers or counselors.

There are some positions still to be filled for the upcoming summer camp season. Although most, if not all, of the female staff positions have been filled, Edlin is still looking to hire male counselors and staff. Visit the website to learn how to apply.

“I just love the family, and love the community” feel at Camp Oak Hill, which has its roots in traditional Christian values, Edlin said. “Also building that personal relationship with Jesus,” she added. It’s part of what makes Camp Oak Hill such a special place – the sharing and nurturing of faith.

Pandemic restrictions have taken a physical and emotional toll on everyone, but especially children, Edlin said. Children’s spiritual selves also have been affected, she said. We can go to church online, but it’s just not the same thing as being in community, Edlin said. She would like to create ways to be in touch virtually with campers, she said, so “at least they can feel like camp is kind of caring for them.”

Green Rural Redevelopment (GRRO)

Covid Testing, Free Groceries, PPE at Elks Lodge Thurs, Feb 4

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There will be a free COVID-19 testing event next week at the Henderson Elks Lodge. People who get tested also will receive free groceries and personal protective equipment. The event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 4, according to Lucette Mercer, deputy director for GRRO, which is sponsoring the event in partnership with the local Elks Lodge.

Green Rural Redevelopment, Inc. (GRRO) will be overseeing the testing and PPE distribution during the daylong event. The Elks Lodge is located at 326 W. Rockspring St. Free transportation is available to those who need it. Call 803.207.6511 to schedule a ride.

Because of continued high numbers of COVID-19 cases in Vance County, resulting in increased hospitalizations and deaths, the two organizations teamed up to host the event, Mercer said. Local health officials recommend observing CDC guidelines. Knowing your COVID-19 status is important, since transmission can occur even when symptoms are not present. Even with the distribution of the vaccine, getting tested and knowing your COVID status are very important for your safety and the safety of those around you, Mercer stated in information from GRRO, a non-profit group that strives to reduce poverty, food insecurity and chronic health conditions in underserved communities.

Testing and food and PPE distribution will be provided through drive-up service with minimal contact, in accordance with all precautions recommended for the prevention of the spread of the virus, Mercer noted.

Contact Mercer at 303.912.2520 or email lucettem@grronc.org to learn more.

VGCC Logo

New Production Technician Class; Real Skills, Better Pay, Certifications

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— press release

Vance-Granville Community College is excited to announce a new Production Technician program. The program is designed to provide fast, hands-on training to learn job skills in safety, math, quality practices, teamwork, communications, problem solving, production processes and basic bio-processing. Our 96-hour program will prepare workers to help increase productivity, performance, competitiveness and enhance value/profit. The program will start February 15 and runs for only 16 days.

Learn skills needed to be effective contributors in production operations and achieve credentials that get employers’ attention. If you are already in the industry, improve your performance and obtain a higher-paying job within the industry. The Production Technician program is a competency-based training program designed to provide students with enhanced career opportunities in manufacturing. Students will be introduced to the concepts of process improvements and emphasizing the importance of quality and its role in company profitability and job sustainability.

This course prepares people to enter careers as a production technician, machine operator, packaging machine operator, assembly-line worker or assembly-machine operator. Often, entry-level production technician positions are the starting point for a new employee to advance within the company.  In this role, you need to understand and perform tasks based upon setup or job sheets, processes and the use of technology. According to Career Coach, new workers could start around $41,000. Entry-level compensation typically varies between $30,000-$40,000 per year.

Students completing the course:

  • are guaranteed a job interview.
  • receive the North Carolina Manufacturing Certificate.
  • are certified as a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt.
  • are certified forklift operators.
  • are certified in OSHA 10 safety.

Tuition scholarships are available. Full scholarships will be provided to the first eight applicants.

Act now, because class capacity is limited. To register for this course, visit

https://www.vgcc.edu/coned/productiontech/.

Dale Folwell

Treasurer Folwell Recommends Improved COVID Vaccine Distribution Plan

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— from the office of North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell

For weeks North Carolina lagged behind much of the nation in administering the doses of COVID-19 vaccinations it received, and state Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, will outline the consequences of the state not being prepared for the rollout during his monthly “Ask Me Anything” conference call for members of the media on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

Treasurer Folwell is advocating for a “PPP” approach to execute rapid, efficient supply chain delivery. Rather than concentrating immunizations in local health departments and more expensive hospitals, he believes it makes greater sense to expand availability of the shots to primary care physicians, pediatricians and pharmacies – the three Ps that have been reliably and professionally administering vaccines for more than 100 years.

The Department of State Treasurer has amassed about 26,000 health care providers in the State Health Plan’s Clear Pricing Project network. Many of them are willing and qualified to provide the shots but state health officials have kept them on the sidelines.

The treasurer contends the shaky rollout likely is contributing to more deaths, will increase poverty because business lockdowns will remain in effect until the vaccines can be more widely administered to contain spread of the virus, and students will continue to fall further behind in their education and suffer increased mental health problems because most schools remain closed.

Another topic the treasurer will discuss is the potential community harm from the pending sale of county-owned New Hanover Regional Medical Center to health care giant Novant Health.

Treasurer Folwell contends the acquisition is the latest in a series of hospital consolidations that have inflicted negative consequences on North Carolina taxpayers and health care consumers. An article in Fortune magazine supported his position that increased hospital concentration and monopolies lead to higher costs, lower quality and decreased access. The article noted 74% of North Carolina general hospitals belong to mega-health care systems. Only three other states have a higher percentage.

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WIZS Local News 1-29-21 Noon

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SNOW Totals for Henderson and Vicinity; 5 INCHES

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A National Weather Service web page reporting snow totals shows that Henderson received 5 inches.

Oxford received 5 inches as well.  Littleton saw 5 inches.  Roxboro got 4.9.  RDU airport had 1.6.

Where did it snow the most in our area?  5.9 inches was the highest total according to the National Weather Service, and it was reported 3 miles WSW of Oxford along Lake Devin Road.

There is more snowy and icy weather in the forecast.  Some of the TV meteorologists have been talking about it already, and it does show up in the NWS forecast as well over the weekend.