H-V Chamber Banquet Mar. 7; Citizen of Year Nominations Due Feb. 2

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The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce will host its annual banquet on Thursday, Mar. 7. Sponsorships are available and tickets may be purchased now for the event, the theme of which is Past, Present, Future, according to Chamber President Sandra Wilkerson.

“Join us as we take a walk down memory lane, get updates on the present and what we expect our future to look like in Henderson and Vance County,” Wilkerson said in information sent to WIZS News. The banquet will be held at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center.

The Chamber also will reveal the 2023 Vance County Citizen of the Year at the banquet. Nominations for this award will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 2, Wilkerson noted.

Find the nomination form here: https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Henderson-Vance-Chamber-of-Commerce-Citizen-of-the-Year-form-2023.pdf

Completed nominations may be submitted electronically to sandra@hendersonvance.org, dropped by the office, 414 S. Garnett St., Henderson or mailed to Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce at P.O. Box 1302, Henderson, NC  27536

Visit the Chamber website at to download a nomination form.

The banquet is the Chamber’s biggest fundraiser; Wilkerson recognized Duke Energy for its continued role in the effort by being the presenting sponsor.

Other sponsorship levels are noted below:

Presenting Sponsor (only 1) Duke Energy $4000

  • Eight complimentary tickets, Company Banner provided by sponsor displayed, Company name on all promotional pieces, recognition during Banquet, recognition on Social Media, radio and newspaper

Gold Sponsor $2500

  • Six complimentary tickets, Company name on program agenda, recognition during Banquet, recognition on Social Media, radio and newspaper

Silver Sponsor $1500

  • Four complimentary tickets, Company name on program agenda, recognition during Banquet

Table Sponsor $1000

  • Two complimentary tickets, Centerpiece and individual attendee gift.  Company name on program agenda and recognition at banquet.

Pre-Dinner Social Sponsor $1000

  • Two complimentary tickets, signage at food and beverage table. Company name on program agenda and recognition at banquet.

Tickets are $60 each and tables of eight may be purchased as well.

The evening kicks off with appetizers served from 5:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. The meal catered by Cook Shack Catering, will begin at 6 p.m.

Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce

The Citizen of the Year award is presented annually by the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce to an individual whose outstanding service and dedication has made a significant contribution to the community.  Qualities and criteria looked for are as follows:

  • A person who is a resident of Vance County.
  • A person who has shown a willingness to volunteer for community organizations, giving freely of their time and talents, is enthusiastic about the community and its citizens, and who serves in positions working for the betterment of the community.
  • Someone who is dedicated to the community, lends leadership and vision, and who assists in achieving organizational goals of the community.  They may serve on service, school, church, or civic committees.
  • A person with the qualities of honesty and integrity.
  • The community work they are involved with should not be a part of their business career or paid positions they have held.

The recipient does not have to be a member of the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce.  A nominee need only be nominated once to be considered.  The number of nominations received per nominee will bear no weight in their selection.

(This article was originally published Jan. 12, 2024.)

TownTalk: Tri-City Seahawks Play In Holiday Bowl

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The holiday season and all its festivities may seem like distant memories for many of us, but for a group of young local athletes, the memories made on a football field on New Year’s Eve are likely to last a lifetime.

Eleven members of the Tri-City Seahawks had the opportunity to play in the Holiday Bowl in Knightdale.

If you’re a Seahawk around here, you’re part of the Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department league that gives young people the opportunity to play organized sports before they get to middle and high school, said HVRPD Director Kendrick Vann.

The Seahawks play in the East Wake Football League and Vann said it was a good experience for the young men all the way around to get to showcase their talent at the league’s post-season bowl game.

“Collectively, they had the best season they’ve had in the five seasons we’ve played,” said HVRPD Programmer Darius Pitt. Kids as young as 4 can come out for the teams, which include flag football for the 4-6 age group and then the 8U, 10U, 12U and 14U.

There were “a lot of eyes on some of our players,” Pitt told WIZS News, and as the season progressed, bowl coaches were assembling their teams from teams across the association.

Pitt and Chris Hardy are directors of the Tri-City Seahawks, which includes a total of more than 100 players on the different squads.

Hardy, who  also coaches the Vance County Vipers, said the young men who play with the Seahawks are learning about the X’s and O’s before they get to high school, which has proven to be a good thing.

The young people who wear the Seahawks jerseys are going to come to the middle and high school teams better prepared – in many ways, not the least of which comes through during a game.

“We preach to our kids that (in) student-athlete – student comes before athlete,” Hardy said, adding that Vipers need to conduct themselves correctly at school, not just on Game Day. “You’ve got to have the grades to play football,” he said. “We’re trying to groom young men – you’ve got to be on your A Game and show what you know.”

Tahjaye Fields was one of the Seahawks who played in the Holiday Bowl. “It was a great experience,” Fields said. “I like to be out there doing my thing.”

That “thing” for the STEM Early High School student who plays offense and defense, is getting tackles.

Teammate and fellow STEM Early High student Talik Perry said he had fun, too.

“I felt excited and I was just ready to play,” Perry said. A highlight: “I tackled a dude that was, like, two times my size.”

Being on a team like the Seahawks does more than just expose youth to coaches and playing as a cohesive group. Being a Seahawk also builds confidence – just ask Cameron Giddings.

At 13, he’s one of the older players of the group, but he’s been playing rec league ball since he was 6.

Giddings said he sees his role as helping the younger players build that confidence. “We put in the work and try to win,” he said.

Players who put in the work at practice and through playing other sports – in Giddings’s case, track, also helped his conditioning and improved his stamina.

The payoff? Being chosen to play in the Holiday Bowl.

“It was good – really surprising,” Giddings said of his selection to play in the bowl game. “I didn’t think anybody was watching me.”

Often, watching someone in a game inspires others. For Malachie Hayes, it’s Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry.

Hayes said “it felt good” to be out on that field in the Holiday Bowl, doing what he loves doing, “truckin’ and running through the defenders.”

And yeah, he’d love to do it again.

Ahmad Jeffers, playing for the 8U team last season, said he most enjoyed just running with the ball. Jeffers is a Clarke Elementary student and said he made a 10-yard run. He wants to be a receiver.

Hayes, 11, said he got pumped when he played his first play on defense. “I got a pick 6 and took it to the crib – that’s all,” he said.

Like the ad says, “It’s not bragging if it’s true.”

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The Local Skinny! North Henderson Baptist Presents ‘A Night To Shine’

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North Henderson Baptist Church is looking forward to being a part of what arguably may be considered the biggest prom night in the world. The church is one of more than 700 locations across the globe that will be hosting “A Night to Shine” on Friday, Feb. 9 and the Rev. Eddie Nutt said prom attendees should expect to get “the absolute royal treatment.”

Sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, “A Night to Shine” is in its 10th year of providing a prom experience for individuals with special needs, Nutt said on Tuesday’s TownTalk – a segment of society often overlooked when it comes to fun stuff like proms and such.

The prom is for individuals 14 and older with special needs, Nutt explained. They’ll walk the red carpet, get a limo ride around the block and enjoy an evening filled with food, music and dancing – with photographers and videographers on hand to capture those special moments. The prom will begin at 6 p.m. and will end about 9 p.m.

And all this is “to show them the love of Christ,” Nutt said, “that they are loved and they do have value.”

The goal is to have 75 folks attend the prom, and Nutt said there will be a respite room for parents or other caregivers who may want to stay close while their loved ones enjoy a few hours of music and dancing.

Please register by Friday, Feb. 2 so organizers can plan to have enough food and nametags – not to mention crowns and tiaras.

 

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Vance County Schools Get $300,000 From DPI ‘s Center For Safer Schools

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Vance County Schools is among more than 200 school districts and charter schools across the state to get part of $35 million to address school safety by the Department of Public Instruction’s Center for Safer Schools.

Vance County Schools will get $300,000, as will Franklin County Schools, according to a press release from CFSS Executive Director Karen W. Fairley.

Granville County Public Schools and Warren County Schools each will receive $150,000. In addition, two Granville County charter schools also will get funding – Falls Lake Academy will get $53,874 and Oxford Preparatory School will get $40,000.

Districts and schools had to submit applications for the grant funding, which will be used for safety equipment, training and services for students in crisis.

Safety equipment covered by this grant includes items such as cameras, vape detectors, radios, and weapons detection systems. Training can include professional development for school leaders to assist students who are experiencing anxiety, trauma and/or conduct problems. Services made available through this grant can include school-based mental health services.

“It is part of the center’s mandate and mission to give public-school units the tools they need to help keep their schools safer – that includes grant funding,” she said. “We thank the General Assembly for its generous appropriation that enables us to support North Carolina public schools.”

State Superintendent Catherine Truitt said the need for school safety funding is crucial in ensuring students’ well-being throughout their educational journey.

“Nothing is more important than making our schools safer and more secure, and these grants will continue to play a vital role,” Truitt said. “This funding will help improve school security in many ways, including, updating technology and training to prevent future emergencies. I applaud state lawmakers for making this a priority and look forward to working with them to deliver more safety funding in the future.”

Funding for the hiring and training of school resource officers (SROs) was a continuation of the $33 million in SRO funding awarded in October 2022 for the 2022-23 school year.

Awards are subject to all administrative and financial requirements, including timely submission of all financial and programmatic reports; resolution of all interim audit findings; and adherence to allowable expenses.

A list of public-school units that were awarded 2023-24 School Safety Grant funding can be found here.

In 2018, the General Assembly worked with the Department of Public Instruction to launch a new School Safety Grant Program to improve safety in public school units by providing grants for school resource officers, services for students in crisis, training to increase school safety, safety equipment in schools and additional school mental health support personnel.

Since then, more than $150 million has been awarded to public-school units across North Carolina.

 

‘Shamrocks On Breckenridge’ Offers St. Patrick’s Day Fun Mar. 15

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Downtown Henderson is planning for a busy weekend with not one, but two, events scheduled for mid-March.

Plans are underway for Shamrocks on Breckenridge Friday, Mar. 15 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and then an International Foods Food Truck Festival the next day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In keeping with the St. Patrick’s Day theme, Shamrocks on Breckenridge will feature music, dancing, food trucks and community resource vendors.

Downtown Development Commission Chair Amanda Ellis said applications for sponsors are being taken now, so don’t wait to get your business logo on all kinds of advertisements for the upcoming event.

This year, food vendors will be the only retail vendors; other vendors will be set up to share community resources available in the area, according to information to WIZS from Ellis.

The sponsorship levels are: Pot of Gold – $1,000; Shamrock – $500; and Leprechaun – $250.

Ellis said the plan is to provide free food through the sponsorships for the event.

The deadline for sponsors is Feb. 16, 2024. Email Ellis at amanda@rogersandrogerslawyers.com or phone Alice Sallins at 252.767.4579 to learn more about becoming a sponsor or a vendor.

Downtown Development Director Tracy Madigan said more information will be forthcoming about the international food festival soon.

Ayana Lewis Appointed To Fill School Board District 4 Seat

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The Vance County Board of Education has appointed Ayana Lewis to serve in the District 4 Board seat after the recent resignation of Edward Wilson, who had served since 2012.

Lewis, a Henderson native, will be sworn in at the board’s next meeting on Feb. 12 at 6 p.m., according to information from VCS Chief Communication Officer Aarika Sandlin.

Lewis, a Democrat, had filed for the District 4 seat and would have been on the ballot in November. Wilson did not file for re-election.

Lewis has close to 20 years of education experience, having previously served in Vance County Schools as Gear Up’s assistant coordinator, as well as bookkeeper and first grade teacher.

She and her husband are co-founders of the Abria Chase Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to the memories of two of their children who lost their lives in a house fire.

Lewis helps other parents who have lost children and she and her husband received the Community Excellence Award from the Full Effect Church of North Carolina in 2023.

Lewis received her bachelor’s degree from N.C. Central University and a Master of Art in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health from Wake Forest University.

Tracy Madigan Honored As Newest Sam Watkins Visionary Award Recipient

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Tracy Madigan, director of the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission, is the newest recipient of the Sam Watkins Visionary Award presented by the United Way.

Madigan said she was among the 40 or so in attendance at the United Way’s annual breakfast when her name was called.

“I was very honored and very humbled,” Madigan said in a telephone interview Thursday with WIZS. “It hit me from left field – I was blindsided,” she said, never expecting that she would follow in the footsteps of previous recipients like Vance County Commissioner  Col. Archie Taylor, George Watkins, Donald Seifert and others who have been honored since the award was established after Watkins’s death in February 2014.

But if anyone deserves an award for being a visionary, it’s the person in charge of reimagining downtown Henderson.

The ever-modest Madigan said that when she accepted the award, she said she was most appreciative, but reminded those gathered that “it’s all about partnership – all of us working together to make things happen.”

Sam Watkins, a driving force in the revitalization effort that produced McGregor Hall, is remembered for the vision he had for Henderson and Vance County through the award.

Madigan said the mission statement of the downtown development commission centers around McGregor Hall, which she called a cultural hub for the five-county area.

In addition to McGregor Hall, Henderson’s downtown is going to be in the spotlight as plans for the S-Line passenger and commuter rail take shape. Having a depot – mobility hub –  on Garnett Street is in the works and Madigan said she looks forward to continuing the city’s initial efforts to make the downtown area more physically attractive as well as a spot for future businesses to locate.

N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon has partnered with N.C. Sen. Lisa Barnes to bring more dollars to the area.

“We’re going to be asking for more, too,” Madigan noted.

Right now, she would like to see more development in and around the downtown area, especially near McGregor Hall and the Police Department. She wants to make Garnett Street more pedestrian-friendly and attract more businesses to the downtown.

She said a carefully placed deli and/or bakery would attract more people to want to come and live in or near the downtown area.

She’s got the vision, and she said downtown Henderson is just one or two projects and a little more initial investment away from taking off. “There’s a lot going one, it just doesn’t happen overnight.”

SportsTalk: Local Coaches Prep For Basketball Tournaments And Spring Sports

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John Hammett and Scottie Richardson may be athletic directors for different schools in different counties but they are both facing the same things: a basketball season that is winding down and the start of spring sports.

Hammett, Oxford Prep’s athletic director, says his boys’ basketball team is having a real strong year despite a loss this week to Vance Charter.  “We’ve got some real good shooters,” Hammett said.  They take on Roxboro Charter Friday night. “Roxboro is young but they have a couple of good player,” Hammett said of the team’s opponent. The girls team is currently 7-9. “They have been getting better throughout the year,” said Hammett.  Oxford Prep has five games remaining before they start the conference basketball tournament.

Meanwhile, at Crossroads Christian, athletic director Scottie Richardson says his girls team will be the second seed for their upcoming tournament. The boys could be.  “We control our own destiny,” Richardson said.   It will take a few more wins in the remaining four games for Crossroads to secure that second seed.

One of the problems both men face is an overlap between basketball and baseball.  “I would like to see both basketball and baseball seasons shortened to eliminate the overlap,” Hammett said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.  Richardson said it is difficult to coordinate with coaches when players play multiple sports.

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