Rotary Clubs and Community Volunteers Work to Reduce Hunger
On November 19th the Rotary Clubs of Oxford, Henderson, Roxboro and the Kerr Tar Region are joining together to produce Emergency Food Boxes (EFB) for the food insecure in our area. The Rotary clubs will be joined by an estimated 100 volunteers from schools, sororities and other community organizations to produce the boxes.
During the November packing event, 1,200 EFBs will be produced, providing more than 25,000 meals for agencies serving the food insecure, including: ACTS and Vance County Senior Center in Vance County, and Safe Haven, Christian Help Center and a church-based food bank in Person County.
Another packing event will be held on January 21, 2017, producing an additional 1,200 boxes supporting agencies in Granville County. Each EFB contains individual bags of rice, beans and dehydrated vegetables, enough food to make 21 meals and feed a person for a week. More importantly, the box includes illustrated cooking instructions in English and Spanish and menus to feed a family of four for just $75 a week.
Food insecurity is a significant problem in our area, where an estimated 20% (21,000) of the population does not always know where they will find their next meal. Together, the November and January packing events will provide more than 50,000 meals at a total cost of $12,000.
The Emergency Food Box project was funded by the Rotary Clubs of Oxford, Henderson and Roxboro and Rotary District 7710. The Masonic Home for Children in Oxford generously provides storage and production facilities and volunteers to make this project possible.
For more information, contact OxfordNCRotaryClub@Yahoo.com
Coastal Federal Credit Union Comes to Henderson
Coastal Federal Credit Union is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed a merger with Freedom Credit Union. The merger was official as of July 1, 2016, with branches and systems converting to Coastal between October 28 and November 2.
Freedom was a $53 million credit union based in Rocky Mount. The merger gives Coastal 8,300 new members, 13 new employees and four more branches. Coastal renovated locations in Rocky Mount, and on-site at WakeMed’s facilities in Raleigh and Cary. Freedom’s Henderson location has been replaced by a new Coastal branch, located at 236 Dabney Drive.
“Freedom’s board sought a merger partner because they desired to expand member service, provide more long-term opportunities for their employees, and overcome the challenges of rising regulatory compliance costs that small credit unions face,” says Chuck Purvis, President and CEO of Coastal.
Purvis added, “The merger was attractive to Coastal, as well. We now have new branch locations to serve existing members living in the communities around the Rocky Mount and Henderson branch locations. It also opens up several opportunities to share all the benefits we can offer to our new employer groups.”
For more information, please contact Joe Mecca at 919-420-8044.
Coastal Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned, financial cooperative, offering a full range of financial products and services. Coastal was chartered on August 31, 1967 with the mission of fostering the credit union philosophy of “people helping people.” Today, with $2.8 billion in assets, Coastal serves 220,000 members from 1,600 business partners and is among the leading financial institutions in North Carolina. Coastal operates 22 branches in the Triangle market and serves members in all 50 states through a network of 5,000 shared branches, mobile banking featuring mobile check deposit, and a robust offering of online services at www.COASTAL24.com.
Two longtime members retire from VGCC endowment board
John K. Nelms and Julia Ann Taylor, both of Oxford, recently announced their retirement from the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund Board of Directors, effective in December.
Nelms has been on the board of directors since 1978. Among his numerous contributions to the Endowment Fund, Nelms created the Mary Ruth Nelms Presidential Scholar Award in 2009 in memory of his late wife of 61 years. The Endowment board also created a Presidential Scholar Award in his honor in 2011.
When the college was still young, Nelms — then the director of the Granville County Economic Development Commission — was instrumental in getting his county involved in supporting what was then Vance County Technical Institute. He persuaded Granville County commissioners to join Vance County in funding the school and in locating its main campus near the county line between Henderson and Oxford. Nelms served on the VGCC Board of Trustees in an advisory capacity from 1971 until 1973, and as an active member from 1973 until 2005. He was its chair from 1983 through 1984 and from 1999 until 2003. Nelms was named VGCC’s first (and to date, only) Trustee Emeritus upon his retirement.
Taylor, meanwhile, has served on the Endowment Fund board since 1985 and has been the board’s secretary for all of those years. She is responsible for endowing the college’s Grace Hamme Jester Presidential Merit Award scholarship, in memory of her aunt, and she helped, along with other family members, to endow the Joseph and Carrie P. Hamme Presidential Merit Award. Active in her community, Taylor served on the Granville County Planning Board for 28 years — the longest period of service of any resident on any Granville County board — while also volunteering with the local historical and genealogical societies. Both Taylor and her husband, Dr. Richard Taylor, received the John Penn Citizen Award from the Granville County Chamber of Commerce in 2015.
The board of directors oversees the Endowment Fund Corporation, a nonprofit organization established in 1976 to seek and receive scholarship funds and other contributions for the college. The most recent additions to the board include Clay Frazier of Henderson, the president of Universal Leaf North America, U.S.; Darryl Moss, the mayor of Creedmoor; and Josh Towne of Henderson, the owner/operator of the Chick-fil-A franchise in Henderson.
Other current board members include Robert L. Hubbard (the vice-chair), Julius Banzet III, Sarah Baskerville, Jim Chatman, Rep. James W. Crawford, Jr., Dr. Ben F. Currin, L. Opie Frazier, Jr., Rev. Dr. Richard M. Henderson, T.S. Royster, Jr., Donald C. Seifert, Sr., and Todd Wemyss. As president of VGCC, Dr. Stelfanie Williams chairs the board.
Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 8,800 scholarships to students since 1982. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education. For more information about the Endowment Fund, call (252) 738-3409.
Vehicle Stolen from Vance-Granville Community College Main Campus
On Wednesday, October 26, 2016, a VGCC student reported to the Campus Police & Security that a blue Jeep Cherokee Sport SUV belonging to the student was left parked in the lot near Building 5 at 8 a.m. and was missing upon the student’s return at 11:15 a.m.
Currently, no witnesses have come forth with information regarding the theft and there are currently no suspect leads. This criminal investigation has been referred to the Vance County Sheriff’s Department for follow up.
If anyone should have any information related to this case, they are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 252-492-1925. Crime Stoppers offers a reward of up to $2,000 for information that may lead to an arrest. Callers may remain anonymous.
Lewis Young Resigns as Coach of Southern Vance Football
Lewis Young, the Head Varsity Football Coach at Southern Vance High School, announced his resignation on Monday, November 7, 2016. He has resigned only as the Head Varsity Football Coach and will continue teaching at Southern Vance High School.
Coach Young has served the Raider Football program for over 20 years in various roles, most recently as Head Varsity Football Coach from 2012-2016. He finished with a 14-43 record and made two appearances in the NCHSAA playoffs (2012, 2013) including a 12-6 upset victory over #2-seeded South Columbus in 2013. Prior to being Head Coach, Coach Young served as the Defensive Coordinator under Mark Perry and David Jennings and led the defense for the 2006 Southern Vance team that lost 27-24 to Shelby in the NCHSAA 2AA State Championship game.
Coach Young is a well-respected and important member of the Southern Vance family who has positively impacted the lives of a countless number of our student-athletes . We will miss his dedication and loyalty to Southern Vance football and thank him for his service to our school and community.
Southern Vance is currently accumulating candidates and working tirelessly to fill the Head Varsity Football Coach vacancy. Interested candidates should send a resume and letter of interest to Athletic Director Joe Sharrow (jsharrow@vcs.k12.nc.us) and Principal Stephanie Ayscue (sayscue@vcs.k12.nc.us).