— pictures and information provided by Edward Woodlief
Kittrell Community Watch will meet at 6 p.m. in the fellowship hall of Union Chapel United Methodist Church located at 6535 Raleigh Road, Henderson. The meeting will take place on Thursday, Feb 15.
Woodlief wrote in an email to WIZS News, “Please note this is a new location for the meetings. A member of the NC State Highway Patrol will be the speaker. Candidates for the May Sheriff Election, Curtis Brame and Billy Gooch will also speak. Light refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome.”
(Kittrell Community Watch Photo) Mary Jo Floyd, (Reporter) Jill Floyd (phone tree), Bailey Alston, Guest Speaker, Edward Woodlief, President, and Greg Thorpe, Sheriff’s Department from an earlier meeting
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Kittrell-Community-Watch-Edward-Woodlief-021318.jpg265504John C. Rosehttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngJohn C. Rose2018-02-13 13:04:182018-02-13 13:04:18Kittrell Community Watch Meeting Thurs, Feb 15, 2018
Vance-Granville Community College celebrated employees who had retired from the college — and particularly those nine who retired in 2017 — during a holiday social for faculty and staff, held in December in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus.
Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC, thanked all employees, past and present, for their dedicated service to students and the community. “Our employees make VGCC such a special place,” Dr. Williams said, adding that this year’s retirees included a “super scientist,” a “duo of dynamic directors,” a “talented techie,” an “awesome administrative assistant,” a “creative cosmetologist,” a “champion child care specialist” and the “greatest of all time groundskeepers.” She noted that these nine retirees served VGCC for a combined 136 years.
She called upon various college leaders to make presentations to their departments’ newest retirees.
Dean of Arts and Sciences Cynthia Grissom-Young recognized Dr. Gail Ruby, who, as part of a long career in education, taught Physics, Math and other courses at Main Campus, South Campus and online for four years.
Director of Plant Operations Jack Puckett honored John Allen for his seven years of service as the Groundskeeper on VGCC’s Main Campus.
Puckett likewise praised Dennis Hodge, who was retiring after 12 years. Hodge joined VGCC as a Groundskeeper and eventually became Coordinator of Grounds Maintenance. Puckett recognized both Allen and Hodge for their commitment to excellence that kept the campus grounds beautiful.
Vice President of Institutional Research and Technology Dr. Ken Lewis recognized Chuck Tulloch, Senior Computer Technician/Telecom Administrator in the Information Technology department, who retired with 10 years of service. He also graduated from VGCC with an associate degree in Networking Technology.
Myra Poole, interim dean of continuing education and basic skills, praised Jean Blaine, another 10-year veteran, who retired as director of Occupational Extension and was previously an administrator in VGCC’s Prison Programs. She was VGCC’s Staff Member of the Year in 2010.
Vice President of Finance & Operations Steve Graham recognized Jack Puckett, who, he said, wore “a number of hats” in his 16 years of service at VGCC. Puckett retired as Director of Plant Operations.
Registrar Kathy Ktul lauded Deborah Sullivan, a longtime administrative assistant in Student Services, as organized and a “workhorse” who took on numerous vital tasks. She retired after 18 years, many of those years in the Career Center.
Cosmetology Program Head Tomeka Moss saluted Iris Richardson, a Cosmetology instructor who taught at three VGCC campuses during her 18 years. She graduated from VGCC with an associate degree, a diploma and a Cosmetology Instructor certificate.
Finally, Dean Grissom-Young paid tribute to Deborah Harris, Child Care Specialist in the Child Care Center on Main Campus, and, with 41 years of service, VGCC’s longest-serving full-time employee upon her retirement. Harris was also surprised at the social when Dr. Williams presented her with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine on behalf of Gov. Roy Cooper.
–VGCC–
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The First Baptist Church of Henderson, NC will coordinate a fresh food distribution on Thursday, February 15 from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. It will take place at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market, located at 210 Southpark Drive, off Beckford Drive.
First Baptist volunteer Betty Boyd said, “This is the same distribution that St. James Missionary Baptist Church has organized and coordinated. They have been offering this service every other month. They asked First Baptist to partner with them to bring this food distribution to the area all year. We are excited about the opportunity to supplement food resources for around 200 families each month.”
The food distribution is open to anyone and is on a first come/first served basis. Citizens coming to the distribution are asked to remain in their car. Police and Sheriff’s Department personnel will direct traffic into the Farmer’s Market parking lot.
Boyd said, “The distributions that I have volunteered for with St. James Baptist have usually ended around 11:15 a.m. when they have given out all boxes. If a car has two adults, they will receive two boxes of food. We are very excited to be able to bring this supplement of fresh vegetables and fruits to our community!”
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Vance-Granville Community College recently named Delton Farmer of Durham to head three academic programs: Accounting, Business Administration and Supply Chain Management. Farmer has been a VGCC faculty member since 2007.
Farmer is a veteran of the U.S. Army, in which he served as a logistical specialist. He earned an associate degree at the University of Maryland, College Park, a bachelor’s degree at North Carolina Wesleyan College, and master’s degrees in both Business Administration and Health Administration at Pfeiffer University.
After completing six years of military service, Farmer entered the business world, working as an accountant, financial analyst and manager, primarily in the health-care and clinical research industries in the Research Triangle area. In his more than a decade at VGCC, he has taught a variety of Business Administration and Supply Chain (formerly known as Global Logistics) courses at multiple campuses and online. Farmer is also the pastor for Covenant Presbyterian Church in Durham, and he has completed his Master of Divinity degree from Shaw University.
The three curriculum degree programs that Farmer will oversee prepare students for a variety of careers in business, accounting and logistics industries. Students may complete the Business Administration and Supply Chain Management programs completely online if they choose. Supply Chain Management has two degree track options: Global Logistics Technology and Trucking Operations Management.
The VGCC Accounting program, meanwhile, was recognized as one of the ten best associate degree programs in its field across the United States by Accounting.com in 2017.
“Delton brings a wealth of real-world experience from the military and the private sector to his position, along with his many years in the classroom, educating, inspiring and supporting VGCC students,” said Angela Gardner-Ragland, VGCC’s Dean of Business and Applied Technologies. “We look forward to his leadership in continuing to grow our programs in these exciting fields that offer numerous employment opportunities for our graduates.”
For more information on the Accounting, Business Administration or Supply Chain Management programs, contact Farmer at (252) 738-3295 or farmerd@vgcc.edu.
–VGCC–
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/VGCC-Photo-Delton-Farmer-021818.jpg265504John C. Rosehttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngJohn C. Rose2018-02-12 12:39:032018-02-12 12:39:03VGCC names Farmer to lead programs
The Vance County Properties Committee will meet Tuesday, February 13 at 4 p.m. Commissioners Brummitt, Taylor and Wilder form the County Properties Committee. They are scheduled to discuss elevator repairs in the Administration Building. The consultant will be present. The committee will also review several offers to purchase REO properties (Real Estate Owned).
All commissioners are invited to attend.
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Under the leadership of CEO Paul Ross, the Henderson Family YMCA recently underwent a voluntary association audit and assessment aimed at uncovering ways the organization could better respond to the unique socio-economic challenges of the local community.
The YMCA’s Membership Committee began reviewing membership structure and pricing last spring to determine if the organization was meeting the needs of the local area. Upon contacting the YMCA of the USA, the parent company of the organization, Ross discovered that auditing assistance provided by an outside team of YMCA professionals was available.
The Henderson branch took advantage of the offer and a team of five professionals recently met with a focus group of YMCA members, parents with children in after-school care, community leaders and Henderson Family YMCA staff members. “This team looked at what services we offered and how we were meeting the needs of the community. This was not about how healthy we were financially, but how we do business,” said Ross. “They looked at everything; nothing was hidden or held back.”
According to Ross, the team recommended approximately 25 areas for improvement upon completion of their review, with the majority being smaller, internal items. The team’s two major findings included the need to reexamine membership structure and pricing to be more affordable for the population and the need to hold an annual fundraising campaign.
The YMCA had already begun to address the need to reexamine membership pricing prior to the audit and have since reduced the initial joining fee by half and are adding additional membership structures.
In addition to the previous individual and family categories, the YMCA will offer a young adult membership for ages 13-26 and a senior membership for individuals 65 and older. Ross reports that the young adult membership fee will be a savings of approximately 20 percent off the individual fee, with the senior fee being a 10 percent savings.
The new monthly membership structure and pricing includes:
Young Adult (ages 13-26): $38.50
Individual (ages 27-64): $48.50
Senior (ages 65 and older) $43.50
Family: $67
Aware of the socio-economic challenges of the community and the Tier 1 determination of Vance County, the YMCA’s previous individual and family dues have not increased in four years. “We have held membership dues steady since 2014. We are trying not to burden the community with membership price increases,” said Ross.
The second recommendation made by the audit team encouraged the YMCA to begin an annual fundraising campaign. Ross reported that the Henderson branch is the only YMCA in North Carolina that has never held an annual campaign. As a non-profit organization, funding in the past came predominantly from collected membership dues and as gifts from community benefactors.
Ross explained that other communities comparable to Henderson’s size typically raise between $50-$100K in funding through their annual campaign. This money is often designated for scholarships and financial assistance for members in need. “The YMCA is in the planning process of our first annual campaign now,” said Ross. “Our staff will be trained by outside YMCA staff with experience and we will be kicking off the campaign this fall.”
As Ross stated, reaching out to the community for support and donations is part of a larger need for the YMCA to focus more externally and “move past just our four walls.”
Ross believes that making monthly dues more affordable and offering discounted membership structures combined with funds raised in the annual campaign will help the YMCA reach its overall goal of making fees, programs and facilities more accessible to the public.
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(The Henderson Family YMCA is an advertising client of WIZS. However, this is not a paid advertisement.)
Congratulations to nine Southern Vance High School students who recently earned masonry/carpentry certifications.
Each has earned his/her certification in Core Curriculum and Green Environment in masonry/carpentry under the direction of teacher Ben Arrington, according to a press release from Vance County Schools.
They are shown in the accompanying photo and include, seated from left, Cody Patton, David Vargas, Haudtavis Cordell and Jaylen Shearin. Others, standing from left, are Jhaiiheeim Wilkins, Miliak Hudson, Tremecia Smith and Logan Boyd. Jesse Gupton also received his certification in both areas, but was unavailable for the photo. Arrington is standing at far right.
They earned their certifications through the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER).
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Two VGCC students are first apprentices in new HVAC partnership
Jared Akers of Franklinton and Cyrus Jover of Henderson, both students in the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Technology program at Vance-Granville Community College, recently became the first participants in the college’s new apprenticeship partnership with Youngsville-based Frigi-Temp.
The apprenticeship model involves a combination of formal education with on-the-job training at Frigi-Temp, a commercial HVAC and refrigeration service provider and licensed mechanical contractor that has been serving central North Carolina since 2001. The program takes approximately four years for an apprentice to complete. Not only are apprentices paid, but their college tuition is free.
Akers and Jover were already enrolled in the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Technology program when Frigi-Temp CEO Cory Thornton spoke to VGCC students about the new opportunity to become apprentices. Akers, a South Granville High School graduate, said that the program appealed to him “because it meant I could go to school and get experience in the field at the exact same time.” He had looked for apprenticeships before and was thrilled that VGCC had started the program.
“I went into the HVAC field because I researched, on websites like austinductcleaning.us, and found out that it’s a growing field with a large shortage of technicians, so the opportunities are really wide-open for younger technicians,” Akers added. “Frigi-Temp is a quality company, outstanding in customer service and awesome with their employees, so I’m very glad that this is the first company I get to work for. The experience so far has been amazing.” He said that in just one month, he has learned a great deal through hands-on experience.
Jover had already worked in the HVAC field for almost four years before he became an apprentice, but he had only worked in residential installation. He jumped at the chance to gain a new type of experience. “Commercial HVAC is fun and opens me up to a whole new world of possibilities,” Jover said. “It’s something new every day. Frigi-Temp lets their apprentices become immersed in many different specialties, not just one type of service.” Jover is originally from the Philippines, where he earned a college degree in Biology before coming to the United States seven years ago, at age 20. Here, he found that the HVAC field had numerous job openings. He enrolled at VGCC, first as a part-time and then a full-time student. Now, he is done with almost all of his classwork and spends most of his time working at Frigi-Temp.
Both apprentices sometimes work a full 40 hours per week at the company while continuing their studies.
Students interested in enrolling in the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Technology program can contact program head Wesley Smith at smithw@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3214. Employers interested in partnering with VGCC on apprenticeships are encouraged to contact Ken Wilson at wilsonk@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3259 for more information.
–VGCC–
(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS. This is a press release from VGCC. It is not a paid advertisement.)
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