United Way of Vance County Yard Sale 4-14-18
— submitted by Terri Hedrick
Support our United Way of Vance County Yard Sale this Saturday, April 14, 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the United Way office location at 715 South Garnett Street in Henderson. Proceeds will support basic needs of local families. Adult and children’s clothing, children’s toys, bicycles, furniture, household goods and more will be for sale. Come out and get great items at low prices and support our community at the same time!
Please submit qualifying public service announcements for non-profit organizations, and WIZS will publish them online at wizs.com / Facebook / Twitter as well as on 1450 AM and on our live stream. You may use the online form at https://wizs.com/psas/.
Shepherd Youth Ranch Provides Equine Therapy to Local Children
By: Kelly Bondurant, Freelance Writer/Editor for Hire
Shepherd Youth Ranch, located in Creedmoor, NC, pairs rescue horses that have experienced abuse and neglect with children who have also experienced trauma.
Founded by Ashely Boswell in 2004, the program relocated from just outside of Charlotte, NC to Creedmoor seven years ago to provide local youth with equine-assisted learning and psychotherapy. The ranch currently serves a 12 county area with Vance, Granville, Franklin and Wake being their most heavily served population.
Trained horse counselors work with children and their families; however, Boswell believes it is the horses themselves who do the counseling. “Our horses have a great impact on these children’s lives,” said Boswell. “They are prey animals and can really read the nonverbal cues of people and know what’s going on.”
Since the therapy involves animals, Boswell believes this helps create a non-threatening environment that allows the children to open up and express their thoughts and frustrations.
Boswell has found that most of the participants two biggest fears are the fear of abandonment and the fear of rejection. “Many of the children have been abandoned by one or both parents,” Boswell said. “Also, many of the children have a fear of bullying and being rejected.”
At first, some of the children are intimidated by the sheer size of the horses. Boswell believes that overcoming this initial fear helps build life skills, “When a child can accomplish something in spite of that fear [of horses] they can then take the skills they learned with the horse out into the world and overcome other fears.”
Participants begin with Trail 2 Success, the foundation program of the ranch. This is a 24-week intensive equine-assisted learning program. Children attend weekly sessions while their parents attend monthly multi-family sessions.
After completing the Trail 2 Success program, children can enter the Shepherd Academy program to continue their work with the horses. “Children can participate in the Shepherd Academy program for as long as they want,” said Boswell. “The goal is that they will become interns and volunteer and serve other programs as mentors for other children.”
Both the Trail 2 Success and the Shepherd Academy programs are available for children ages 7-17. The ranch also provides a therapeutic riding program for children ages 4-17 with autism.
Many of the ranch’s horses have been with the program since it was first founded. According to Boswell, the majority of the horses are from abusive situations and were purchased directly by the ranch or were rescued by more official means.
Boswell explained that while the program began with mostly court-ordered participants, the word has spread about the ranch’s services and many children are now there of their own accord.
These children are often referred by school counselors, mental health professionals, youth organizations, court counselors, teachers and parents.
One of the most satisfying outcomes of the program, according to Boswell, is the positive effect the equine therapy has on the participants’ self-esteem and suspension rates, “During and after graduating from our program, there is a 95 percent decrease in both in and out of school suspension rates and a 99 percent decrease in recidivism.”
Boswell reports that only one child has gone back into the court system after completing the program in the 14 years it has been in operation.
In summing up the overall mission of the ranch Boswell stated that “we believe through God’s creation itself, the horse, that we can reach the unreachable.”
For more information on Shepherd Youth Ranch including their mission and volunteer opportunities, please call (919) 480-1535 or visit their website at www.shepherdyouthranch.org.
Free Food Distribution Thurs, Apr 12, 2018
The First Baptist Church of Henderson, NC will coordinate a free food distribution on Thursday, April 12 from 10 a.m. until 12 noon. 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, “In partnership with St. James Missionary Baptist Church, we are able to offer this distribution once a month! We are responsible for April, June, August, October, December, and February. St. James coordinates the other months. In February, we distributed 10,207 pounds of food.”
In an earlier article on WIZS.com, 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!”
Henderson Kiwanis Club 2018 Annual Azalea Sale
— submitted by Arthur Falkner
Please come out and support the Kiwanis Annual Azalea Sale on Fri., April 13th 1-6 p.m. and Sat., April 14th 7 a.m. -4 p.m. Located on Dabney Drive in front of Wendy’s. We will have 1 and 3 gallon Azalea’s, Helleri Holly, Knock-out roses and Various Shrubs.
Henderson Police Chief Barrow, District Attorney Waters Discuss Recent Homicides, Issues Facing Police Department
By: Kelly Bondurant, Freelance Writer/Editor for Hire
Henderson Police Chief Marcus W. Barrow and District Attorney Michael D. Waters, with the 9th Judicial District, recently spoke on-air with WIZS to provide updates on their respective offices and discuss the recent uptick in homicides in Vance County.
According to Barrow, the most recent homicide cases, which took place in two separate incidents on Harrell Street and Merriman Street in Henderson, are still part of an ongoing investigation.
The District Attorney’s Office has been involved in all of Henderson’s 2018 homicides, according to Waters, and often works in collaboration with the police department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and highway patrol to solve such cases.
“My office tries to get involved early in order for the cases to go to trial sooner,” said Waters.
The recent rise in homicides and the level of investigation such cases require makes the department’s personnel shortage that much more concerning. According to Barrow, the Henderson Police Department is currently down by 13 law enforcement agents – roughly 20 percent of the department’s workforce.
“What hurts the most is that we are losing experienced officers,” Barrow said. “We predicted this issue last year when I went before council and requested pay raises in an effort to right the ship and fix the issues.”
Barrow stated that he does not feel that the problem was handled quickly enough, resulting in officers taking higher paying jobs with better benefits in other towns.
Waters further explained that the shortage of personnel is not unique to Henderson and Vance County, but is currently a state-wide issue. “Most law enforcement agencies in the 9th District and all over North Carolina are looking to hire right now. There are shortages in police departments, FBI and in the highway patrol,” Waters said.
According to Waters, this shortage is due, in part, to a smaller pool of available certified law enforcement officers. “Fewer candidates available for law enforcement positions makes jobs more competitive,” said Waters.
Such staff reductions have necessitated a review of police department policies and priorities to determine how and when a call is handled. “If you have a larceny, for example, that occurs and the person has already left, you might receive a phone call [instead of a visit],” said Barrow. “Non-emergency calls may have to be put on the back burner.”
In addition to staff turnover, the police department is also short on available personnel when an officer is involved in a lengthy investigation.
“Police officers often get tied up in the investigation of cases and that is an additional drain on available personnel,” Waters said. “We need to be conscious of using officers’ time wisely in court.”
According to both Barrow and Waters, one way in which the public can assist the police department and help with the issue of crime in the community is to serve jury duty.
“Over the last year in Vance County, we have attempted to try cases and have run out of available jurors several times,” said Waters. “One thing people can do to help is to serve and participate when they receive their notice of jury duty.”
Barrow believes the current relationship between law enforcement and the District Attorney’s Office benefits the community and helps solve cases faster. “What Mike Waters has created with the District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement in the 9th District is amazing and has greatly improved our relationship,” Barrows said.
Waters credits that collaboration with quick convictions, “This year we’ve tried two murder cases and gotten two convictions which we’re very proud of and demonstrates the hard work of the offices involved with those cases.”
In order to be successful, Barrow believes those interested in joining the police department should possess, “maturity, a love for the community, an interest in investigation, the ability to see cases through to their conclusion, a calm mind and a level head.”
A passion for the job and serving others also helps. “Law enforcement is a career where you have to love what you’re doing and stay the course,” said Barrow. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years and I can’t imagine doing anything else.”