Grace Ministries

TownTalk: Grace Ministries Prepares 2000 Meals for Thanksgiving

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G.R.A.C.E. Ministries is partnering with several churches in Vance and Granville counties to distribute a couple of thousand plates of food Saturday, Nov. 20. Jamie Elliott, one of the founders of G.R.A.C.E. Ministries, said he welcomes the community to come join in, whether you’re interested in helping prepare the food or whether you want to come and pick up plates for you and your neighbors.

Elliott spoke with John C. Rose on Monday’s Town Talk and he said the food has been purchased, but added that monetary donations surely would help replenish the coffers – checks written to G.R.A.C.E. Ministries may be mailed to P.O. Box 316, Henderson, NC 27536.

In addition to eat-in and take out plates at the G.R.A.C.E. Ministries location at 961 Burr St., Elliott said West End Baptist, Island Creek Baptist and West Oxford Baptist churches all will be distributing plates on Saturday as well. West End will be set up at Henderson Family Dentistry, 560 Dabney Dr., Island Creek will be distributing food at its location, 950 Stagecoach Rd. and West Oxford will be giving out plates from their location, 627 Hillsboro St., Oxford.

Plates should be ready for pickup around lunchtime, but volunteers should plan to arrive by about 8:30 a.m. “Those cooking will be on site about 3 a.m.,” Elliott said. “Grab some friends and come on out,” he said. “We’ll have a good time (while) serving the Lord.”

There will be little time for relaxing after the Saturday food event, Elliott said, because as soon as they wrap up the pre-Thanksgiving meal, “we’ll put all our attentions on the toy drive” for Christmas.

New or very gently used toys will be collected in advance of the Dec. 18 program at G.R.A.C.E. Ministries. Elliott said he sincerely hopes that, this year, children can return to the church, hear a Christmas story and receive a gift. Visit graceofhenderson.org to learn more about the upcoming events.

G.R.A.C.E. Ministries works in the four-county area to reach those struggling with addiction. Weekly recovery meetings are held on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at 961 Burr St., Elliott said. Resources are available to help those in need.

Contact Elliott at 252.204.3617 or Bobby West at 252.432.7124 to find out ways to help with these holiday events.

 

Vance County Schools Logo

VCHS Theater Arts Class Creates Winning Video For Statewide Contest

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A team of theater arts students at Vance County High School won first place in a statewide video contest sponsored by the N.C. School Boards Association.

Board of Education Chair Linda Cobb and board member Ruth Hartness recently accepted the award on behalf of VCHS.

Teacher Samantha Campbell and her theater arts class produced the video, titled

Each year, the NCSBA gives a theme upon which school districts develop the video, according to Aarika Sandlin, director of communication & marketing for VCS.

“Vance County High School theater art students were up to the challenge and worked together to create a video that encompassed the theme, but also elements of our district,” Sandlin told WIZS via email.  We are elated that our theater arts class has once again come out on top! Ms. Campbell’s class developed an idea and worked together to make it come to life. We are elated that our theater arts class has once again come out on top!” she added.

The students’ video was among 31 videos submitted. VCHS has brought home top honors in 2018 and 2019, Sandlin noted.

The video borrows from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and features a parent struggling to decide whether public schools can overcome challenges, from integration to COVID-19.  She is visited by ghosts of education past, present and future before making her decision. The video is 1:34 minutes long and uses silent-movie techniques of mood-setting music and alternating script and film to create a vintage feel. In the end, the parent, Yvonne Vance, makes her decision about her daughter’s education.

View the video: https://www.vcs.k12.nc.us/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=4&ModuleInstanceID=25&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=6505&PageID=1.

Please Help and Share; Vance Man Missing Since Oct. 30

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Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame says he is very worried and so is the family.

— picture 1 in blue shirt provided by the family to WIZS

— picture 2 an additional updated picture (Joel standing) from NC Department of Public Safety

NORTH CAROLINA SILVER ALERT ANNOUNCEMENT — info from NC Department of Public Safety

RALEIGH 10/30/21 5:42 PM — The N.C. Center for Missing Persons has issued a Silver Alert for a missing endangered man, Joel Lopez-Hernandez.

Citizens are asked to be on the lookout for Joel Lopez-Hernandez, who is believed to be suffering from dementia or some other cognitive impairment.

Anyone with information about Joel Lopez-Hernandez should call Kimley Gregory at the Vance County Sheriff’s Office at 252-738-2200.

Name: Lopez-Hernandez Joel

Gender: Male DOB: 09/12/1993 Age: 28 Race: Hispanic Height: 5′ 7″ Weight: 185 pounds

Hair Color: Black Hair Length: Short Eye Color: Brown

Clothing Description:
Last seen wearing navy sweater with gray shirt underneath, black knee length gym shorts. No shoes.

Reporting Law Enforcement Agency: Vance County Sheriff Office

Contact Information: Kimley Gregory at 252-738-2200

Location of Incident: 75 Gwynn Pond Lane Henderson NC

Location Last Seen: I-85 Northbound from 212 mile marker on foot

Direction of Travel:
I-85 NB from 212MM

Possible Destination:
Unknown

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Pender Reflects On First Season At VCHS

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Wilbur Pender was hired as Vance County High School’s head football coach only four weeks before the season started, and the team’s season was disrupted for two weeks due to Covid but none of that really mattered as the Vipers posted a 7-3 record this season making it to the state playoffs. They lost in the first round 48-6 to Westover High School in Fayetteville. Pender says that game, “Let us know where we are, I saw a lot of deficiencies show up.”
The Vipers, according to Pender, are a close team but, “We just didn’t play good enough to win that game. I hate to say it but the best team won,” Pender added. Looking back on the season Pender said the Vipers did their best to control what they could control, and he tried to give his team the best chance at a positive outcome.
While losing seniors like Omari Allen, who will be moving on to East Carolina next season, Pender says there will be a good group of players returning and he is encouraging his players to play other sports that will help make them better athletes when next season begins.
He expects to continue to grow the program at Vance County and would like to see a rebuild of the Jay-Vee program which, because of the pandemic, did not happen this year.

 

Crossroads Christian School

SportsTalk: Richardson Tips Off Crossroads Basketball Season Friday

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Scottie Richardson has two hats. One hat is his Athletic Director’s hat and the other is his Head Basketball Coach hat.  Friday night he will be wearing his basketball hat as Crossroads Christiam kicks off the 2021 basketball season against Oxford Prep.  In his 4th year as coach Richardson says there is a system in place for the team which will have 14 players including five seniors, anchored by All State player Andreas Prince who averaged 22 points per game and made 44% of three point attempts last season. On Tuesday Crossroads will face Henderson Collegiate in a game that can be heard live on WIZS beginning immediately following the Joy Christian Center broadcast.

Richardson says that he is expecting good things from the basketball program but also praised other sports at the school, “It’s the best athletic season in school history,” Richardson stated on Thursday’s SportsTalk with Trey Snide. The school’s soccer team, which started 0-4 on the year finished the season with the most wins in school history for the program with 15. The previous record for men’s soccer was four. The soccer team finished ranked 3rd in the state losing in the final four by one point.  The cross country team, which had not had a full roster in nine years, won the state championship this season. Girls volleyball posted 10 wins this year, the most victories since 2010.

“We got the right coaches on the bus and the wrong ones off,” Richardson said of the success of the school’s athletic programs.

 

The Local Skinny! Youth Interested In Showing Dairy Calves Can Attend Meeting Nov. 16 At Warren Armory

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Youngsters who want to learn more about the 2022 Dairy Calf project of the Warren County Extension 4-H program are invited to a meeting next week, according to information from Matthew Place, Warren livestock agent.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. at the Warren Armory Civic Center. The civic center is located at 501 US Hwy. 158 Bus E, Warrenton, NC 27589.

Participants do not have to live in Warren County; Place said he welcomes youngsters and their parents to the meeting to learn details.

The eight-week project will take place next summer. The 4-Hers will work with their assigned Guernsey calf weekly to get them ready for the Central Carolina District Junior Dairy Show.

The 4-H program is for young people ages 5 to 18.

For more information, contact the Warren County office of N.C. Cooperative Extension at 252.257.3640.

 

Vance County Logo

Vance Commissioners Will Meet Nov. 17 To Review, Approve Voting District Changes

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The Vance County Commissioners will meet on Wednesday, Nov. 17 to review the proposed voting district map.

Chairman Dan Brummitt called the special meeting, which will begin at 5 p.m. in the commissioners’ conference room of the county administration building, 122 Young St., Henderson.

This information comes from Clerk to the Board Kelly H. Grissom.

Vance County had to redraw voting district lines following the release of the 2020 Census data.

The proposed redrawn district lines will affect several of the seven districts in Vance County, and according to information from the county, there remain a few small areas that need more tweaking.

The ideal number of residents in each district is 6,083, according to complicated algorithms used in making the calculations for ensuring the districts are as balanced as possible.

According to the map’s legend, District 4 comes the closest to this ideal number with 6,086. The other district populations are: District 1 – 6,073; District 2 – 6,044; District 3 – 6,111; District 5 – 6,101; District 6 – 6,088; and District 7 – 6,075.

Some of the proposed changes include:

  • An area with general boundaries of Carey Chapel Road, Stewart Farm Road and Daniel Harris Road will move to District 3 from District 2;
  • Several pockets of District 5 will move to District 2, including one area bounded by Charles, East and Water streets and one area around Boddie, Lamb and Main streets;
  • An area in the vicinity of Vance Academy Road and Old County Home Road will move from District 7 to District 4;
  • An area near Dorsey Road and Oxford Road will leave District 7 and move to District 6;
  • An area near Parker Lane and Meadow Lane will move from District 5 to District 7;
  • An area near Shirley Drive and Yadkin Street will go from District 7 to District 5;
  • A portion of District 1 with general borders of Old Hester Place, Willow Creek Run, and Hicksboro, St. Andrews Church and Kings roads will move to District 5;
  • and a portion of District 5 near Barham Lane and Glendas Lane will move to District 1

There remain several spots on the proposed district map that need a little more work, including along the line shared between Districts 2 and 5 and along the lines shared between Districts 3 and 6.

To view the map with the proposed changes, visit: https://www.vancecounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Redistricting-Proposed-Plan-C.pdf

TownTalk: Gang Free Working To Vaccinate Families

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Gang Free Inc. in Henderson is one of 10 sites across the state selected to partner with NC Department of Health and Human Services and Healthier Together to offer a six-week-long family vaccination clinic.

Melissa Elliott, founder of Gang-Free Inc. said 56 individuals participated in the Nov. 6 kickoff event at 940 County Home Road. “We’ve been rolling ever since,” she told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk. The clinic is open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. The exception is Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25) and Friday, Nov. 26. Appointment times are available, but not necessary. Elliott said drop-ins are welcome.

The clinic is for individuals of any age, she said, adding that they have the Pfizer vaccine recently approved for children 5-11. And anyone coming to get their first vaccine before Nov,. 30 will receive a $100 gift card, she added.

Elliott said it is “totally humbling” to see her organization listed among the other state sites that are hosting the family vaccination clinics and said it is a tribute to the mission of Gang-Free to be a location that seeks to offer help to the community.

Gang-Free Inc. isn’t a large organization, she acknowledged, but said what it may lack in size, it makes up for with community spirit.

“We’ve got hearts and we care about people,” she said.

Having a clinic that is open to the whole family is a great form of outreach, she said. Often,  marginalized populations that face a scarcity of money and resources are a target for educating and informing about the vaccination. “We always educate before we vaccinate,” she said. Health educators on hand help explain the need for a vaccinated population. When Elliott hears them relate the COVID-19 vaccine to other routine and accepted vaccines that children get, she said it helps the public understand the importance of vaccination.

“I don’t see anything as a problem,” Elliott said, rather, “I’m always looking for solutions.” Helping people understand their role in helping their community is part of the group’s mission with the family vaccine clinic. “We’re going to knock all the barriers out of the way – we’re going to get them here,” Elliott emphasized.

If you need transportation, contact KARTS at 252.438.2573.

For more information about the clinic, call 252.598.0067.

Visit Myspot.nc.gov to learn more.