-Information courtesy the Vance County Emergency Operations website
Vance County is actively seeking your assistance in capturing storm-related damage that you may have received to your residence during Tropical Storm Michael. If you received damage, please complete the form by clicking here and returning the form to:
Vance County Emergency Operations
156 Church Street, Suite 002
Henderson, NC 27536
Attn: Storm Damage
-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
Vance-Granville Community College will offer information sessions for the Medical Office Administration and the Office Administration programs starting Thursday, October 25.
Those interested in the two programs for career opportunities can attend their choice of five sessions to get overviews of the programs, discover work-based learning and volunteer opportunities, and learn about the prospects for employment in the fields.
Those interested in the two curriculum programs can choose from among these five information sessions:
Main Campus: Thursday, Oct. 25, noon, Building 8, Conference Room;
Main Campus: Thursday, Oct. 25, 6 p.m., Building 9, Civic Center, Seminar Room 2;
Franklin Campus: Thursday, Nov. 1, 6 p.m., Franklin Campus, Room F1210;
South Campus: Tuesday, Nov. 13, 6 p.m., Room G1131; and
Warren Campus: Thursday, Nov. 15, 6 p.m., Seminar Room, Room W4103.
The Medical Office Administration curriculum prepares individuals for employment in medical and other healthcare-related offices. Coursework includes medical terminology, computer information systems, office procedures, medical coding, medical billing and insurance, legal and ethical issues, and electronic health records. Students learn administrative and support functions and develop skills applicable in medical environments.
For graduates with this degree, employment opportunities are available in medical and dental offices, hospitals, insurance companies, laboratories, medical supply companies, and other healthcare-related organizations.
VGCC offers the Associate in Applied Science degree in Medical Office Administration with two tracks from which students may choose: a general track and a coding specialist track option.
VGCC also offers three certificates including the Medical Coding Specialist certificate. Medical coding is the process of reviewing patients’ written medical records and converting them into an alphanumeric language, primarily in order to submit a bill for services or supplies to an insurance company for payment.
The Office Administration curriculum offers an associate’s degree, diploma, and certificate options and prepares individuals for employment in administrative support careers outside the healthcare field. Office Administration equips office professionals to respond to the demands of a dynamic computerized workplace. Students take courses designed to develop proficiency in the use of integrated software, oral and written communication, analysis and coordination of office duties and systems, and other support topics.
Graduates of Office Administration should qualify for employment in a variety of positions in business, government, education, and industry. Job classifications range from entry-level to supervisor to middle management.
Prospective students can learn more about all of these program options at the information session of their choice. Please visit www.vgcc.edu/officeinfosession for more details.
Enrollment of new students is taking place now. The spring semester begins in early January. All courses are available online.
For more information, contact Christal Thomas at (252) 738-3325 or thomasc@vgcc.edu or Hollie Garrett at (252) 738-3352 or garretth@vgcc.edu.
-Information courtesy Kelly H. Grissom, Executive Assistant/Clerk to the Board, County of Vance
Please be informed that the county’s public safety committee (Wilder, Brummitt, Faines) is scheduled to meet Wednesday, October 31, 2018, at 3:30 p.m. in the upstairs commissioners’ room at 122 Young St. in Henderson.
Topics include open burning ordinance, rapid key entry ordinance and fire services.
All commissioners are invited to attend.
-Information courtesy the Vance County Tourism Development Authority
Think you know Vance County pretty well?
The Vance County Tourism Development Authority presents a “Show, Shine, Shag and Dine Scavenger Hunt Adventure.” On-going now through Monday, October 29, 2018, the hunt is designed to help people explore Vance County.
Scavenger hunters will use hints to locate numbered posters throughout the county and will be required to take a “selfie” at all 25 locations. The pictures must show the person and the poster number. Post your photos on Facebook at #VanceCountyTravelorsDiscoverAlot or bring all photos to the Vance County Tourism office for a chance to win $100.
-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
The volunteers who operate the Guild Gift Gallery at Maria Parham Health have endowed their 13th scholarship to help students enrolled at Vance-Granville Community College. The new award is the second that specifically honors the service of the past and present volunteers who have donated their time to work at the gift shop over the years.
When 10 of the volunteers met last month for a photo in the lobby of the hospital on Ruin Creek Road, they represented more than 100 years of work in the gift shop. Altogether, there are two dozen volunteers who currently staff the gallery with a combined number of 170 years of service.
The new gift continues a tradition of the organization’s support for education. Since 2008, the Guild Gift Gallery has given over $350,000 to the VGCC Endowment Fund to create scholarships that help deserving students who will become the nurses and other health-care professionals of the future. A small team of the guild is also dedicated to sending out single mothers gifts on Mother’s Day. The same team also operates on sending out provisions to the street urchins so they could send gifts for dad who work outside the town.
Above, a group of volunteers gathers at the Guild Gift Gallery at Maria Parham Health with representatives of Vance-Granville Community College’s Endowment Fund to celebrate the creation of their newest scholarship. Seated, from left, are Charlotte Ayscue, Gean Bobbitt, Shaaron Reynolds and Jean Hutchins. Standing, from left, are Kay Currin, Judy Campbell, Vernell Champion, Pat Ayscue, Jimmie Ayscue, Lou Reavis, Sylvia Edwards and Eddie Ferguson. Currin and Ferguson represent the Endowment Fund. (Photo Credit: VGCC)
The latest award is being called the Guild Gift Gallery Past & Present Volunteers Presidential Scholar Award, according to Eddie Ferguson, director of VGCC’s Endowment Fund. The scholarship will award $1,250 each year to a student enrolled in a Health Sciences curriculum program at VGCC.
Of the 24 volunteers who are currently active, the years of service are as follows: Gean Bobbitt, 27 years; Lou Reavis, 22; Louise Bennett, Jean Hutchins, Jean Norwood, and Betty Stevenson, 13 years each; Charlotte Ayscue and Sylvia Edwards, 10 years each; Vernell Champion, 9; Margie Moss and Shaaron Reynolds, 8 years each; Tricia Kleczek, 7; Betty Abbott, 5; Gail Malone, 3; Shannon Clark and Carol Pegram, 2 years each; and Sylvia Anderson, Jimmie Ayscue, Pat Ayscue, Judy Campbell, Fern Ellington, Dave Kleczek, Beverly Parrish, Stephanie Stringer, and Linda Washburn, 1 year each.
“This new scholarship beautifully connects all of the people who worked at the gift shop in the past with those who volunteer today to benefit the students who will help us carry forward into the future,” Ferguson said. “These volunteers have made and continue to make the Guild Gift Gallery such a success.”
Gean Bobbitt, coordinator of volunteers, said, “These women and men go above and beyond to provide the highest level of service to patients and to hospital visitors in a caring and friendly way. It’s so easy to see that they are excited about the work they do and the contribution they make.” She thanked Duke LifePoint and Maria Parham Health for their support of the Gallery.
Dr. Gordon Burns, interim president of Vance-Granville Community College, offered his praises for the work of the volunteers. “This gift shop demonstrates that it is an essential part of the hospital and the community,” he said. “Its local impact is evident as the money that the shop generates stays right here in the local community and it helps local students who are pursuing a career in healthcare at Vance-Granville.”
In addition to the scholarships honoring past and present volunteers, the Guild Gift Gallery volunteers have created presidential scholar awards honoring Bobbitt and in honor of Ann Rose Allen, who is now deceased, and in memory of Leslie Carswell, Dr. J. Franklin Mills, and Dr. W. Beverly Tucker.
The VGCC Endowment Fund and Scholarship Program has now awarded more than 9,000 scholarships to students since 1982. Scholarships have been established by individuals, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff to assist deserving VGCC students. 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.
-Information and flyer courtesy Sandra Wilkerson, Director of Admin and Events, Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce
Maria Parham Health presents a Reverse Raffle with Silent Auction and Dance on Saturday, November 10, 2018, from 5:30 to 11 p.m. at the Henderson Country Club. Semi-formal attire is suggested.
Tickets are $125 and include dinner for two, dancing and a chance for a $5,000 grand prize.
Various silent auctions will be held including two reserved tickets. Raffle tickets will be sold for three reserved tickets.
Money raised benefits the local Shop With a Cop program and the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce’s efforts to help local businesses.
The event is brought to you by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, Henderson Police Department and the Vance County Sheriff’s Department.
Please call the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce at (252) 438-8414 for more information or to purchase tickets.
(This is not a paid advertisement)
-Information courtesy the Henderson Downtown Development website
Become a part of Historic Downtown Henderson! For each $300 contribution, an engraved 8″ x 8″ granite paver will be placed on Garnett Street. Your payment is a charitable contribution to the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission and will be used towards continued revitalization efforts in downtown Henderson. The HVDDC is a 501 (c)3 organization and your contribution is tax deductible.
The pavers are installed around the trees in downtown Henderson. The engraving must be no more than 12 characters per line, including spaces. You can personalize pavers for yourself, your friends, family members or your organization. There are many possibilities!
Downtown Henderson is the area’s only historic commercial district and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. Over 75% of the structures contribute to the downtown’s unique turn-of-the-century appearance. For years to come, residents and visitors can enjoy a unique commercial historic district that bears the name of people who have contributed to the revitalization of downtown Henderson. Leave your legacy in granite!
For additional information, including a link to the order form, please click here.
(This is not a paid advertisement)
-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice
The Department of Justice established the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) in the wake of Hurricane Katrina when billions of dollars in federal disaster relief poured into the Gulf Coast region, which opened opportunities for criminals to exploit people during vulnerable times. The NCDF, a national coordinating agency within the Department’s Criminal Division, operates a call center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and serves as a centralized clearinghouse for disaster fraud complaints and information relating to both natural and man-made disasters. The NCDF seeks to improve and further the detection, prevention, investigation, and prosecution of fraud related to natural and man-made disasters, and to advocate for victims of such fraud. More than 20 federal, state, and local agencies participate in the NCDF, which allows them to forward on complaints to the appropriate agency for investigation.
“Following Hurricane Michael’s landfall and as recovery efforts continue, it is important for people to be on the lookout for fraudsters who seek to profit from natural disasters through identity theft schemes, impersonation of government officials and solicitations for fake charities,” said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. “The Department of Justice is committed to detecting this type of fraud, and we will aggressively prosecute the offenders. Through our National Center for Disaster Fraud, and in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, we are working to keep Americans from becoming victims of these schemes.”
Since Hurricane Michael’s landfall, many people are left without food, water, or shelter, and are experiencing devastating damage to life and property. Unfortunately, there are criminals ready to take advantage of victims before, during, and especially after a natural disaster. They are looking to strike those at their most vulnerable time.
While compassion, assistance, and solidarity are generally prevalent in the aftermath of natural disasters, unscrupulous individuals and organizations also use these tragic events to take advantage of those in need. Examples of illegal activity being reported to the NCDF and law enforcement include:
Numerous U.S. Attorney Offices in districts impacted by recent hurricanes have established task forces comprised of local, state and federal agencies in their respective areas to combat disaster fraud.
“The NCDF has an excellent staff of investigators, analysts, call center operators, and managers who are well prepared to handle the anticipated volume of complaints after the recent hurricanes and help ensure that each report of fraud reaches the appropriate investigative agency,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon J. Fremin for the Middle District of Louisiana, who is also the NCDF’s Executive Director. “Raising public awareness is a great way for the NCDF to reach thousands of people who may one day be subjected to fraudulent schemes.”
Members of the public are reminded to apply a critical eye and exercise due diligence before trusting anyone purporting to be working on behalf of disaster victims. They should also exercise the same care before giving contributions to anyone soliciting donations on behalf of disaster victims as well as being extremely cautious before providing personal identifying or financial information to anyone, especially those who may contact you after a natural disaster. Solicitations can originate from e-mails, websites, door-to-door collections, mailings and telephone calls, and similar methods.
Members of the public who suspect fraud, waste, abuse, or allegations of mismanagement involving disaster relief operations, or believe they have been the victim of fraud from a person or organization soliciting relief funds on behalf of disaster victims, should contact the National Disaster Fraud Hotline toll-free at (866) 720-5721. The telephone line is staffed by live operators 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also fax information to the Center at (225) 334-4707, or email it to disaster@leo.gov. Learn more about the NCDF at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud and watch a public service announcement here. Tips for the public on how to avoid being victimized of fraud are at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/tips-avoiding-fraudulent-charitable-contribution-schemes.
