Family of ‘Rae Rae’ Owen Expresses Gratitude for Community Support
Henderson resident Randy Owen was on Tuesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss his 10-year-old daughter Raegan “Rae Rae” Owen’s battle with cancer, fundraising efforts and his and wife Debbie’s gratitude for the community’s continued support.
“Rae Rae was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia on October 31, 2018, and we’ve been at Duke [Medical Center] pretty much ever since,” said Owen. “Every time we are admitted for a treatment, we are here for approximately 30 days; we’re currently on the fourth treatment.”
Committed to 24/7 visitation with their daughter, who has Down Syndrome, Owen said the process has been tough on the entire family. “It has not only affected us mentally but also physically and financially, so the support we have received has taken a lot of the burden off of us so we can focus on our daughter.”
Raegan “Rae Rae” Owen, a local 10-year-old girl battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia, snuggles under a special comfort blanket made for her by a family friend. (Photo posted with permission of Owen family)
Without the support of friends, family and well-wishers sending thoughts, prayers and donations from as far away as out-of-state, Owen said the battle to fight Rae Rae’s cancer would be even more difficult.
“The support we’ve been given is unbelievable. She [Rae Rae] may not understand 100%, but she understands that people are behind her 100%.”
Also lifting spirits is Rae Rae’s prognosis. According to Owen, his daughter is showing signs of remission and the family is hopeful her treatments will be completed this summer.
“She gets a bone marrow and spinal tap after each treatment and test results are showing negative for any leukemia cells right now,” explained Owen.
To help her through these tests and the sickness that accompanies the chemo treatments, Owen said Rae Rae takes comfort in the items she has received including shirts, cards, stuffed animals and a special blanket made by Randy’s former co-worker Maria Bailey.
Owen, the Fire & Rescue Coordinator at Vance-Granville Community College, said Bailey made his wife Debbie a blanket when she was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago.
Upon learning of Rae Rae’s diagnosis, Bailey promptly delivered the little girl a blanket of her own made with her favorite colors.
“Maria is what I would call an expert blanket-maker; it’s a love blanket,” Owen said.
In addition to the comfort items and words of encouragement, Owen said his family is very thankful for the numerous fundraisers that have been held to raise money for Rae Rae’s battle – including a fishing tournament, food sales and a bench press contest held by the Brick Power Team at the Henderson Family YMCA.
Those wishing to support the family have an opportunity to purchase a chicken plate this Friday, February 22, 2019, from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. at the City of Henderson Fire Department located at 211 Dabney Drive.
The event is sponsored by the Vance, Franklin, Granville and Warren County Fire and Rescue Departments. All proceeds benefit Rae Rae and family.
Owen invites all of those interested in following Rae Rae’s journey to view the “Rise Above for Rae Rae” Facebook page (click here). The family attempts to update the page daily.
To hear the Town Talk interview with Randy Owen in its entirety, please click here.
Henderson Men’s Shelter Adds WiFi, Security Cameras to Assist Volunteers
-Information courtesy Community Partners of Hope
The Henderson Men’s Shelter has one final month left to complete the 2018-2019 shelter season. Volunteers have been wonderful, but we still need a few more on the welcome shift.
We have added two things to make your stay more comfortable and secure when you volunteer:
WiFi service is now available in the shelter
Security cameras now cover the alley and entry door
We have also identified a group of men who are willing to do overnight supervision on a regular basis which has made scheduling for overnight much simpler. We could use a few more names, so if you are willing to cover even one overnight shift (paired with a trained volunteer) please call the shelter manager at (252) 820-0701.
Our biggest need now is for welcome shift volunteers; we can use men or women. Since the shelter manager will be there the entire time, we only need one, but we are happy to have pairs. You simply assist the manager and share a meal and conversation with the men.
PLEASE CALL (252) 432-9494 to volunteer and please take a look at the Shelter Calendar (click here) to see if you as an individual or your church or organization can fill in the blanks for supervision and/or meals.
MARCH VOLUNTEER NEEDS:
ALL MEALS ARE COVERED!!!
SUPERVISION: Welcome Shift (5:30 – 9 p.m.) – Call (252) 432-9494
– Friday, March 1
– Saturday, March 2
– Sunday through Saturday, March 10-16 – one or more evenings
– Thursday through Saturday, March 21-23
– Sunday through Saturday, March 24-30 except Tuesday
HOPE HOUSE UPDATE:
Hope House has been at full capacity (7 men) this year. Several have moved on to other housing and others have had applications waiting to take their place.
This spring we will need to do some major repairs on the exterior of the house. It is a very old structure and needs some TLC! We will be arranging repair work once the weather is warmer. If you have a group who would like to take on a project, please let us know!
SUPPLIES NEEDED AT THIS TIME:
Large bottles of hand sanitizer
Large refill bottles of hand soap
Cans of foot powder or Athletes Foot spray
Tall kitchen trash bags (13-gallon size)
Laundry detergent
7-ounce adjustable air fresheners
Pine-sol type cleaner – gallon containers
Toilet bowl cleaner – gel type
Soap – small sample size (or hotel supplies)
Instant Grits
Crackers & nabs
Cup of Noodles (with cup)
Coffee & creamer
Peanut butter & jelly
Four-pound bags of sugar
CLOTHING NEEDED– NEW ONLY!* (take used clothing to a thrift store, please)
*Please leave all underwear and socks in original packages.
Men’s Undergarments (all sizes)
Waterproof men’s gloves
Men’s sweatshirts (Sizes L, XL, XXL)
Men’s thermal sets (Sizes L, XL, XXL)
White tube socks
NOT NEEDED: Shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, instant oatmeal, deodorant, dress socks and coffee mugs.
A NOTE ABOUT DONATIONS:
All contributions are tax deductible.
You may send a check to:
Community Partners of Hope, Inc., P.O. Box 1791, Henderson, NC 27536
Donations can be taken to:
First Baptist Church (9-5 Monday thru Thursday or 9-12 Friday)
First Presbyterian Church (10-1 Monday thru Thursday)
WIZS Radio Station
or call Betty Boyd (252) 432-3967 to arrange delivery
(This is not a paid advertisement)
Space Limited to 15 Participants in Free Arthritis Exercise Program
-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center
The Aycock Recreation Center will be the site of an exercise program geared to those suffering from arthritis pain and stiffness. Courtesy of the Arthritis Foundation, this free 8-week program will be held on Mondays and Thursdays from 2 – 3 p.m. beginning March 18 and ending May 13, 2019. Classes will not be held on Thursday, April 18.
This program is low-impact and joint-safe and has been proven to decrease pain and stiffness while increasing flexibility and range of motion; suitable for every fitness level.
Space in the class is on a first come, first served basis with a limit of 15 people.
For more information, please contact Crystal Allen at (252) 431-6091 or callen@ci.henderson.nc.us
(This is not a paid advertisement)
Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist to Present ‘Slavery to the Mountain’
-Information courtesy Angela Crawford, Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church
In honor of Black History Month, Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church will present the play “Slavery to the Mountain” on Sunday, February 24, 2019, at 3 p.m.
The public is invited to attend.
The church is located at 2464 Rock Mill Rd. in Henderson.
Brick Power Team Supports ‘Rae Rae’ Owen, Local Child Battling Leukemia
Henderson City Councilwoman Sara Coffey helped organize a bench press contest at the YMCA, which was held this past weekend to benefit Raegan “Rae Rae” Owen and family. Rae Rae is a 10-year-old young lady in our community, and she was recently diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and is receiving treatment at this time. Her parents are Randy and Debbie Owen.
Coffey told WIZS News:
“We had a good turnout. We’re very thankful and appreciative of everyone. Tyler Pegram was our overall winner with 460 lbs. We had about 60 people from four different churches that came out in support of the cause. We raised around $900, not including gift certificates that still will be given from different restaurants. I presented [to] Randy for Rae Rae an autographed poster from Brooke Mills Simpson and two of Rae Rae’s family’s favorite photographs of her on canvas. It was a very emotional time for all of us, especially Randy, as I made the presentation.”
“We continue to thank our Brick Power Team for all their dedication and hard work.”
“My team will continue to support this family by attending other fundraisers as active participants. Rae Rae will start her 4th round of treatments this week. She is the strongest child I’ve ever known and continues to bless and encourage others by her strength and strong will.”
Randy Owen told WIZS News that this next round of chemo is expected to last around 30 days.
This Friday, February 22, 2019, the City of Henderson Fire Department will have a Chicken Plate Fundraiser from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. at Central Fire Station, located at 211 Dabney Drive.
The Fire Department Facebook page states, and Fire Chief Steve Cordell has also said, “This fundraiser is to benefit Raegan Owen and family; Raegan is the daughter of Randy and Debbie Owen. This will be held at Henderson Fire Department Station #1 – 211 Dabney Drive, Henderson. Please see a firefighter about buying tickets or stop by the Henderson Fire Dept.”
Vance, Franklin, Granville and Warren County Fire and Rescue Departments are supporting this cause. “One Family-One Fight. Rise Above For Rae Rae.”
Chief Cordell will join WIZS on TownTalk this Thursday, February 21with final and last-minute details and to remind everyone to come out. WIZS will broadcast live from the Fire Department on Friday for part of the time.
Eastern N.C. Attorney’s Office Collects Over $13 Million in Civil/Criminal Actions
-Press Release, U.S. Dept. of Justice
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States criminal defense Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announced today that his office collected over $13.5 million in criminal and civil actions in fiscal year 2018. Of this amount, $8,410,643.89 was collected in criminal actions and $5,113,040.40 was collected in civil actions. Additionally, over $4.6 million was collected in asset forfeitures.
The Eastern District of North Carolina also collaborated with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $13,983.13. Of this amount, $5,733.13 was collected in criminal actions and $8,250 was collected in civil actions.
Overall, the Justice Department collected nearly $15 billion in civil and criminal actions in the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2018. The $14,839,821,650 in Fiscal Year 2018 collections is nearly seven times the appropriated $2.13 billion ($2,136,750,000) budget for the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices, reported this site of a top attorney firm.
“The men and women of the U.S. Attorneys’ offices across the country work diligently, day in and day out, to see that the citizens of our nation receive justice. The money that we are able to recover for victims and this country as a whole is a direct result of their hard work,” Director James A. Crowell, IV, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys.
In the past fiscal year, the Eastern District of North Carolina has returned millions of dollars to crime victims. For example, in United States v. Justin Lawrence Daniel, over $2.3 million was recovered for victims of the defendant’s criminal conduct. In United States v. Mittesh Das, $750,000 was recovered for victim restitution and paid at the time of sentencing.
The District has also recovered significant taxpayer money lost to fraud or other misconduct, collected civil fines imposed for violations of federal law, and collected civil debts owed to various federal agencies. For example, in United States v. Physicians Pharmacy Alliance, $1.7 million was recovered for the Health and Human Services’ Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services and for the North Carolina Medicaid Program. The United States has recovered an initial payment of $750,000 from Rouseco, Inc, toward a $5.8 million judgment in United States v. Rouseco, Inc.
“We will use every available tool to aggressively collect victim restitution and criminal fines, and recover a lot more taxpayer dollars that are either lost to fraud or otherwise owed to government agencies,” said Mr. Higdon. “Asset forfeiture also serves important law enforcement interests, and we will continue to aggressively forfeit the proceeds of crime and the assets used to facilitate it. We are proud of the men and women in our office who dedicate themselves each and every day to ensuring justice through their collection efforts. They are to be congratulated for their tremendously successful efforts.”
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_EDNC.
Sheriff Curtis Brame to Serve as Keynote Speaker at Black History Program
Ashley Grove Baptist Church will hold a Black History program on Sunday, February 24, 2019, at 11 a.m. Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame will be the keynote speaker.
Pastor Perry Sharpe and the congregation invite the public to attend.
The church is located at 2425 Nutbush Road in Henderson.