NCWorks Provides Graphic Designer For Downtown Efforts

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— press release from the Downtown Development Commission in Henderson, NC

The Downtown Development Commission is hosting four interns through the NCWorks NextGen Program this Summer, providing support to downtown merchants, events and city and county departments.

The program provides a respectable wage to new bachelor’s degree graduates for an internship placement of up to 480 hours in their selected career field.

The first intern, Quintin Davis of Warrenton, started Monday and will staff the Arts Council at 233 S. Garnett Street Monday through Thursday from 9-2. Davis graduated from Warren County Early College High School and attended the University of Mt. Olive where he earned his B.S. degree in graphic design.

“I love that I get to gain more graphic design experience while working in the arts field,” shared Davis who also participated in UMO’s concert choir. “I look forward to helping Henderson with its marketing and branding efforts.”

His first projects include signage for Vance County Veterans Services and a photo shoot of locally produced products for the county’s Economic Development Commission.

Downtown Development Director Kaine Riggan provides supervision for the interns and is selecting the candidates to strategically fill key posts for downtown attractions, adding vibrancy to the central business district.

“The Croatan Club and the Emrose Gallery are the gold standard for how we want our historic buildings to look” shared Riggan. “Being able to staff it for regular hours says that we are ready for visitors and open for business.”

While Davis’ post will run through September, other recent graduates will start in May and stagger staffing needs throughout downtown for the next fiscal year.

Riggan also hopes to utilize new NCWorks interns for staffing the Bennett H. Perry Jr. Museum on Church Street and the Classic Car Showroom on Horner Street throughout the summer season.

Downtown merchants, city and county departments and planners of downtown events may submit requests for assistance to Kaine@DowntownDevelopment.org or call (252) 820-9785.

Free Screening of Movie “Resilience” Part of Prevent Child Abuse Month

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By: Kelly Bondurant, Freelance Writer/Editor for Hire

In observance of April’s designation as Prevent Child Abuse month in North Carolina, the District Nine Guardian ad Litem program is sponsoring a free screening of the movie “Resilience-The Biology of Stress & The Science of Hope” on Friday, April 6, 2018.

The one-hour documentary begins at 2:00 p.m. in the Farm Bureau Room of the H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library in downtown Henderson. Popcorn will be provided to viewers.

The movie outlines the link between childhood trauma and a lifetime of health risks for chronic diseases and poor health behaviors. Information regarding public health resources and volunteer opportunities will also be available at the film screening.

Those interested in attending may contact Melanie Griggs, supervisor of the Guardian ad Litem program for District Nine, at (252) 430-5121 for more details; however, the event does not require an RSVP.

The District Nine Guardian ad Litem program currently serves children who are in the custody of the Department of Social Services in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren County.

According to Griggs, the program has three paid professional staff and approximately 75 volunteers who offer support and comfort as children move through the court system.

“We get referrals for a child weekly,” Griggs said. “There has been a small uptick in court cases involving Social Services due to the recent opioid crisis.”

Weekly referrals of children under the custody of Social Services means the program is constantly in need of volunteers. “We are always looking for volunteers who are ready to go through the required training and work with these children,” said Griggs.

All interested volunteers are required to complete an application, provide three references, pass a background check and complete 30 hours of training. Those interested in volunteering or learning more about the program may visit the Guardian ad Litem website at www.volunteerforgal.org.

“We would like volunteers to become involved in these children’s lives by attending meetings with that child and really learning the child’s story,” Griggs said.

Working in conjunction with the Guardian ad Litem program and Prevent Child Abuse month, the Granville-Vance Public Health Department is spreading the word that the first week of April is National Public Health Week.

According to Lindsey Bickers Bock, health education supervisor with Granville-Vance Public Health, the focus of this week is creating a healthier nation through the course of one generation.

This directly ties into the focus of the effects of childhood trauma as multiple studies have found a link between childhood adversity and adult health issues.

“A lot of research shows that what’s been labeled Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, really have an impact on health outcomes and health behaviors such as smoking, overeating and chronic conditions throughout life,” said Bickers Bock.

ACE’s include physical, sexual and emotional abuse and major life events such as divorce or incarceration of a parent. As Bickers Bock explained on Tuesday’s edition of Town Talk, it is universal that most children from birth to 18 years old have experienced one or two ACE’s.

Research shows that there is a jump in the number of health issues for adults who experience three or four ACE’s, with the risk of chronic illness skyrocketing for adults who experienced six or more traumatic events in childhood.

According to Bickers Bock, this decline in health is caused by a myriad of factors including the way the body processes chronic stress hormones and the impact that has on the development of the immune system.

To help combat this problem, Bickers Bock said Granville-Vance Public Health is working with coalitions on child health to brainstorm ways representatives from schools, the legal system, after-school programs and public health can work together.

Granville-Vance Public Health currently offers trauma-informed primary care, group pregnancy care, parenting education and a wellness coalition for children ages 10 and under.

In addition to these efforts, Bickers Bock believes a change in the way we think of children suffering from trauma needs to change, “We need to flip our mindset from what is wrong with this child to what has happened to this child.”

For more information on the services provided by Granville-Vance Home health visit their website at www.gvph.org.

News 04/04/18

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Much Ballyhooed Abagayles Book Demolition

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(Picture taken April 2, 2018 at 1:15 p.m. – WIZS Photo)

(Text republished from a January 8, 2018 WIZS.com story)

In the respective Vance County Commissioners and Henderson City Council meetings Monday night, January 8, 2018, the boards each voted to demolish the former Abagayles Books property on Garnett Street and that the effort would be jointly funded 50/50.

Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington indicated the council “moved ahead with that to joint fund with the county 50/50.”

Vance Commissioners Chairman Tommy Hester said, “Yes, we did approve.”

Monday night’s Vance Commissioners agenda packet, of which the entire agenda is available online by clicking here, indicated the properties committee met and reviewed quotes received to demolish the building at 405 South Garnett Street.  The committee recommended its demolition.

The agenda packet information reads as follows on page 16 of the document:

“The committee met and discussed recent quotes received by the City of Henderson for demolition of the jointly owned Abagayles Books Building on Garnett Street. Previously the city and county considered adding a roof to the structure at a cost of $24,000 although a recent structural evaluation by an engineer determined significant repairs would be necessary inside of the building. The City land planning committee has recommended and the city council will be considering demolition of the building at their January 8th meeting. Recent quotes obtained for the demolition have a low bid of $18,000 plus an additional $500 to increase the liability insurance to 2 million. The county would cover 50% of the demolition cost from existing budgeted funds, or not to exceed $9,250 subject to approval from the City of Henderson. The committee discussed the potential presence of asbestos and recommended including an additional $5,000 as a contingency to cover 50% of any asbestos cost. An asbestos report completed since the committee meeting indicates no presence of asbestos, although a contingency is still advised. All county costs associated with the demolition would come from existing budgeted funds for joint property demolition and maintenance. The committee recommended proceeding with the demolition but requested that the adjoining building owner be notified of any responsibility for the shared wall following demolition. Also, the owner of the adjoining vacant lot has given permission for use of the lot for access during demolition. Recommendation: Approve demolition of the Abagayles Books building and authorize use of existing budgeted funds for 50% of the demolition cost or not to exceed $9,250 plus $5,000 as a contingency for asbestos abatement subject to approval from the City of Henderson.”

Annual St. Andrews BBQ Chicken Plate Sale 4-6-18

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— information submitted by Ken Stegall

Our church BBQ Chicken Plates will be prepared on Friday the 6th of April. These will be 1/2 BBQ Chicken with coleslaw, potato salad, bread, and cake.  Lunch will be take out only, and dinner will be eat in or take out.

No tickets required; we will sell until we are sold out.

These plates are $8.00 per plate and available at 11:30 a.m. until sold out.

This is our Annual ST ANDREWS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BBQ CHICKEN sale located at 100 Hicksboro Rd, Henderson, NC.

(Not a paid advertisement.)  Please submit your public service announcement online at https://wizs.com/psas/

Free Workshop Aims To Promote Awareness About School/Work Accomodations

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— WIZS has been asked to announce

Are you struggling at school or work?  Do you need extra support at school or work?  On Saturday, April 7th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Mission Legacy will host a public informational workshop. The workshop is called: Understanding School, College, and Work Accommodations. The workshop will provide information on how to receive accommodations or extra support at school, college, or work. The purpose of the workshop is to promote awareness for people with medical conditions or disabilities. The workshop is free to the public. It will take place at 205 Breckenridge Street in the Farm Bureau Room. For more info contact Mission Legacy Incorporated at (252) 204-0909 or visit website www.missionlegacyinc.org.

(Not a paid advertisement.)  Please submit your public service announcement online at https://wizs.com/psas/

Local Chambers Present Administrative Professionals Day Luncheon 4-25-18

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— NEWS RELEASE FROM GRANVILLE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

AREA CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE HOSTING
ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS DAY LUNCHEON
Allison S. Capps, Assistant District Attorney, 9th Prosecutorial District, Guest Presenter

The Granville County Chamber of Commerce, together with Franklin, Warren and Vance Chambers, are, once again, sponsoring the annual Administrative Professionals Luncheon.

This year’s event is being held Wednesday, April 25 at noon, at Thorndale Oaks, 105 West Quail Ridge Road in Oxford. Business owners and administrators are encouraged to treat their administrative professionals to lunch, networking and a very interesting presentation by Allison S. Capps, Assistant District Attorney/9th Prosecutorial District, in observance of Administrative Professionals’ Day. The luncheon is an open invitation.

Allison Siler Capps grew up in Belmont, NC. She attended Peace College, receiving her B.A. in Psychology. Following Peace, she attended the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University, from which she received her law degree.

She began her career as an Assistant District Attorney in the 2nd Prosecutorial District, working for just over a year. She returned to the 9th District, (Granville, Vance, Franklin and Warren counties) where she had interned while in law school.

“As a member of the DA’s office, she has tried over 20 jury trials, ranging from DWIs to First Degree Murders and everything in between.” She has received numerous awards from Crime Stoppers, NC Gang Investigators Assoc., etc.

Mrs. Capps is an active member of Delrayno Baptist Church, President of the Board of Directors for the Granville Education Foundation, participates in Girls on the Run Program and in the NC Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. She resides in Oxford with her husband, Jason, and their son, Luke.

Lunch reservations are required ~ $20/person by April 19th to either of the Chamber’s offices – 919.693.6125, wanda@granville-chamber.com or 919.528.4994, tawheeler@granville-chamber.com

News 04/03/18

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Annual Relay for Life Survivor Dinner Set for Friday, April 20, 2018

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By: Kelly Bondurant, Freelance Writer/Editor for Hire

The 2018 Relay for Life Survivor Dinner will be held at South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church at 905 Americal Road in Henderson on Friday, April 20.

The evening of dinner and entertainment is free of charge to the area’s cancer survivors and one family member of their choice.

The dinner, sponsored by Maria Parham Health, begins at 6 p.m. and requires advance registration. Participants must RSVP to the American Cancer Society by Tuesday, April 10.

According to Hope Breedlove, co-chair of the Relay’s Cancer Survivor Committee, the registration process has slightly changed from previous years.

“This year’s registration process only requires a simple phone call to the American Cancer Society in Raleigh,” said Breedlove. “Sue will answer the phone or you can leave a message. She needs to know three things – your name, if you’ll bring a guest and your t-shirt size.”

To register for the dinner, participants should call the American Cancer Society at (919) 334-5221. As Breedlove explained on Monday’s Town Talk, if there is no answer, callers should leave a detailed message.

Participants may also email Sue.Cain@cancer.org to RSVP.

Survivors will receive a free Relay t-shirt at the dinner along with more detailed information concerning this year’s Relay event.

Caregivers and community members will have an opportunity to purchase a t-shirt from Relay teams over the next few months. As Breedlove explained, money raised from t-shirt sells is a large part of the fundraiser for cancer research.

“I encourage all survivors to join us,” Breedlove said. “We have a really fun time at this dinner and it gives us volunteers an opportunity to honor our local cancer survivors.”

This year’s Vance County Relay for Life will be held Saturday, June 23, 2018, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. in downtown Henderson. Specifically, the event will be held in the square between the H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library and the Henderson Police Department.

This is a change in location from previous years when the event was held at Southern Vance High School.

The opening ceremony will begin promptly at 11 a.m. on June 23. Cancer survivors will walk the first lap shortly after the opening ceremony concludes at approximately 11:30 a.m. with the caregiver’s recognition to follow.

As in years past, a tent will be set up for survivors to gather for fellowship, snacks and to wait for the ceremony to begin.

A new registration process will be used for this year’s Relay event. Survivors, caregivers and walkers may register for Relay for Life online at www.RelayForLife.org/VanceNC or by calling 1-800-227-2345 and choosing option number two from the menu.

Exclusively for survivors, an on-site registration will be held at the survivor dinner and at Relay for Life. The majority of survivors will only need to verify their contact information and sign the event waiver.

According to Breedlove, the entire committee is looking forward to the Relay event and are “excited to have this time to honor our local cancer survivors.”

City of Henderson Logo

Public Works Committee Meeting 4-3-18

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— submitted by Esther J. McCrackin, City Clerk

The Henderson City Council’s Public Works Committee will meet on Tuesday, April 3, 2018, to discuss a possible stormwater ordinance and fee initiative, as well as budget discussions related to Public Works. This meeting will take place at 10:30 a.m. in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 134 Rose Avenue.

The public is welcome.