Red Cross and Kerr-Vance Academy Team up for Blood Drive

/by

RALEIGH, N.C.(Feb. 15, 2017) – During Red Cross Month in March, the American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to join in its lifesaving mission by giving blood.

Since 1943, every U.S. president has designated March as Red Cross Month to recognize how the Red Cross helps people across the country and around the world. Red Cross Month is a celebration of supporters, who are the face of the Red Cross in their communities and bring hope to people facing emergencies.

Blood donor Timothy Sheely knows the need firsthand. His wife required 12 units of blood during emergency surgery following the birth of their son. “If it had not been for blood donors, she might not have survived,” he said. “Thanks to generous blood donors, I still have a wife and my kids still have their mom. I can’t possibly thank those people in person, but I can give a little piece of me back with each donation for the greater good.”

The Red Cross depends on blood donor heroes across the nation to collect enough blood to meet the needs of patients at approximately 2,600 hospitals nationwide. Donors of all blood types, especially type O, are needed to help those rely on blood products.

Make an appointment to become a hero to patients in need by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

Henderson

3/8/2017: 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Kerr Vance Academy, 700 Vance Academy Road

How to help

Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

###

 

City of Henderson Offers Update on Water Situation

/by

PRESS RELEASE: 15 February 2017

The City of Henderson/ Kerr Lake Regional Water System has begun the repair on a 36” water main just outside the water plant.  Due to the repair procedure, some customers may experience periods of cloudy or discolored water; however, it is safe to drink. This should clear up by the evening of February 16, 2017. While there should be no disruption of service during this time, we do ask customers to practice conservation of water during this time and not to use fire hydrants except for emergency purposes.

Should you have any questions concerning this repair please contact Christy Lipscomb, KLRWP Director at 252-438-2142.

News 02/15/17

/by

Vance County 4-H To Offer Poultry Show Interest Meeting

/by

You’re Invited To The 2017 Poultry Show and Sale Interest Meeting.

4 County 4-H Poultry Show & Sale

If you ever wanted to learn how to raise your own chickens, now is your chance!

All children ages 5-18 are invited to join us at 6:30 PM at the Vance County Regional Farmer’s Market (210 Southpark Dr, Henderson, NC 27536) to discuss plans for the 2017 Four County 4-H Poultry Show and Sale.  A free dinner will be served, so RSVP with your county Extension Office!

Interested?

Please Contact Turner Pride with any questions and concerns.

Available via phone (252) 438-8188 and email at tapride@ncsu.edu.

Join Vance County 4-H Today!

Vance County Cooperative Extension Center, 305 Young St, Henderson, NC 27536

Henderson Residents Asked to Conserve Water Starting Wednesday

/by

PRESS RELEASE: 13 February 2017

The City of Henderson/ Kerr Lake Regional Water System will begin repair on a 36” water main just outside the water plant beginning at 12:00 a.m. on the morning of February 15, 2017.

Due to the repair procedure it will be necessary to shut the main off to replace the pipe.

The plant will continue to produce and distribute the water through the existing 24” main parallel water main.  While there should be no disruption of service during this time, we do ask customers to practice conservation of water during this time and not to use fire hydrants except for emergency purposes.

It is anticipated that the 36” main will be back in service later in the day on the 16th.

Should you have any questions concerning this repair please contact Christy Lipscomb, KLRWP Director at 252-438-2142.

 

Esther J. McCrackin

City Clerk – City of Henderson, NC

134 Rose Avenue

P.O. Box 1434

Henderson, NC 27536

E.O. Young Elementary Celebrates Successful Science and Spaghetti Night

/by

Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

February 13, 2017

E.O. Young Jr. Elementary School celebrated science during a special Science and Spaghetti Night event on Thursday, February 9, at the school.

The evening featured parents and students visiting classrooms and participating in science experiments and activities led by teachers.

Students in third grade and fifth grade won honors with their science projects.

Capturing top honors in the third grade were Aaliyah Alenlain, first place; Devan Markham, second place; La’Niyah Terry, tied for third place; and Canaan Evans, tied for third place. They are shown in the first accompanying photo, from right to left, with their projects.

The fifth-grade winners included: Nathaniel Durham, first place; Kendall Sizemore, second place; Nathan Richardson, tied for third place; and Mason Pendergrass, tied for third place. Durham is shown in the second accompanying photo with his project.

Richardson and Pendergrass are shown in the third photo from right to left. Sizemore was unavailable for a photo.

Foundation creates scholarship for VGCC students in memory of Vance County native

/by

The Watkins Family Foundation, created by the estate of Vance County native Edward Tarry Watkins, has donated $25,000 to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund to endow a scholarship to help underprivileged women.

The donation to VGCC is actually the first made by the newly-established, Houston, Texas-based foundation, according to Meghan Watkins Thompson, a granddaughter of Watkins.

“I recall that my grandfather would always tell me, ‘you educate the woman, you educate the family,’” Thompson said.

Among family members who remain in the Henderson area is Watkins’ nephew, George Rose Watkins, who has also endowed a scholarship through the VGCC Endowment Fund to help students and regularly plays in the college’s annual benefit golf tournament. His family’s company, Rose Oil, is also a longtime supporter of VGCC and other community organizations.

“The Watkins Family Foundation was created specifically for the education of underprivileged women,” Thompson added. “George and I appreciate Vance-Granville making Ed’s wish a reality.”

This new scholarship will be a “Presidential Scholar Award,” the college’s largest, most prestigious level of endowed scholarship.

“The Edward Tarry Watkins Memorial Presidential Scholar Award represents the lasting legacy of a generous man who never forgot his hometown and demonstrated the same dedication to service and philanthropy as other members of his extended family,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC. “For generations to come, his vision will empower women to obtain the higher education they need to support themselves, their families and their communities.”

Ed Watkins, or “Bitz,” as he was called by his family, was born in Henderson in 1919, the son of William Thomas and Nannie Tarry Watkins. A 1940 Davidson College graduate, he joined the Army Air Corps after college and moved from North Carolina to Texas, serving as a bombardier flight instructor and also working with Minneapolis Honeywell to couple the Norden bombsight to the B-17 autopilot. Watkins retired from active duty in 1949 as a lieutenant colonel.

He and his wife, Hazel, moved to Houston in 1951, where he worked for Merrill Lynch before founding his own brokerage and investment advisory firm, Watkins & Company, Inc.

Active in his community and a supporter of many social and charitable causes, Watkins supported the Embassy Square Foundation in its development of the Perry Memorial Library in downtown Henderson. He and a friend also helped to establish a technical school for underprivileged children in Kun-Ming, China.

After passing away in July 2006 at the age of 87, he was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Henderson.

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.

–VGCC–

News 02/10/17

/by

News 02/09/17

/by

News 02/08/17

/by