Retired judge, wife endow scholarship at VGCC

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Henry Banks, who recently retired as chief judge of the North Carolina Ninth Judicial District Court bench, and his wife, Mamie B. Banks, recently established a new scholarship at Vance-Granville Community College.

Residents of Henderson, Judge Banks held court in Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren counties as a district judge for almost 21 years, while Mrs. Banks is a longtime educator, currently teaching in the Exceptional Children’s department at Northern Vance High School. She actually started her own higher education at VGCC, taking general education courses at the college before transferring to North Carolina Central University to complete a bachelor’s degree in education and, later, a master’s degree in special education.

Judge Banks also received both his undergraduate and law degrees from NCCU. He practiced law for many years in Henderson and served on the Henderson City Council for 13 years.

In awarding the new J. Henry and Mamie Banks Academic Achievement Scholarship, preference will be given first to students in the VGCC Paralegal Technology degree program, and secondly to students preparing to become teachers, either in the Early Childhood Education program or in the College Transfer program.

Judge Banks said that in addition to his wife’s experience in the teaching profession, he has always had a passion for education, as well. “We’re endowing this scholarship to provide financial support to help people pursue their dreams,” he said. “Because of my career, I know there is a particular need for qualified paralegals in our area.” Mrs. Banks added that she and her husband hope their contributions will encourage others to donate to the community college and help area residents gain education and training.

“We are so grateful to Judge and Mrs. Banks for their support of VGCC students,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC. “Their examples of public service, both in the law and in education, will inspire students who receive the scholarship in their name for years to come. Not only the scholarship recipients, but also their families, their employers and their communities will benefit from the Banks family’s generosity.”

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–

E.M. Rollins Teachers Get CenturyLink Grant

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Regina Hilliard and Faye Crawford, two second-grade teachers at E.M. Rollins Elementary School, today were awarded a $5,000 technology grant from CenturyLink.
Hilliard and Crawford submitted their grant request a couple of months ago through the CenturyLink technology grant program.
They plan to purchase a variety of technology devices, including iPads, and software for their students with the grant funding.
Several CenturyLink representatives were on hand at the school this morning to make the grant presentation. Derek Kelly, a legislative affairs manager with CenturyLink, and Larry Mathiot, area public relations representative for CenturyLink, led the presentation.
The forward photo shows Crawford, left, and Hilliard holding the large replica of the grant check at center. Joining them are E.M. Rollins Principal Stephanie Ayscue, standing to the right of Hilliard; Kelly, standing at far left; Mathiot, standing in back third from left; and other CenturyLink representatives.

VGCC registering students for summer Science Camp

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Vance-Granville Community College will offer a Science Camp for local middle school students this summer at the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. The camp will be held Monday-Friday, June 12-16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.

Rising sixth, seventh and eighth-graders from Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren counties are invited to participate in the week-long camp.

Sessions will be taught by faculty members from the VGCC Science Department and other college programs. The VGCC Science Camp is now in its seventh year. “We will have fun, hands-on activities that involve various sciences and allow campers to explore STEM career fields like electronics, pharmacy and biotechnology,” said VGCC Science Department Chair Steve McGrady. “Our outstanding VGCC faculty members collaborate each year to make this a learning experience that is unlike anything available in our four-county area.”

The cost to attend the camp is $125, which includes lunch each day and a camp T-shirt.

The deadline to register for Science Camp is May 12. Parents can now register their campers online at www.vgcc.edu/camps.

For more information, contact Steve McGrady at (252) 738-3339 or mcgradys@vgcc.edu.

–VGCC–

News 04/06/17

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Triangle North Healthcare Foundation’s 2017 Grant Cycle now open

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If you are part of an organization that is searching for funding for health-related projects and programs, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation may have the opportunity you are seeking.

The Foundation’s 2017 Grant Cycle opened Monday, April 3.  The first step in the grant application process is the Letter of Interest, which is due May 15th. The Letter of Interest form is available on the online Grant Portal, which can be accessed via the Foundation’s website www.tnhfoundation.org

In order to be considered for a TNHF grant, you must represent a nonprofit organization, school, or governmental agency that serves the Triangle North region— Warren, Vance, Granville, and/or Franklin counties. Your project should fall into one of these five funding priorities:  Chronic Disease, Mental Health & Substance Abuse, Nutrition & Physical Fitness, Success in School as related to Health & Fitness, and finally, Reproductive Health.

 

To schedule a meeting to discuss a potential grant project, call 252-598-0763.

Since its first grant cycle in 2013, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation has awarded nearly $800,000 in grants to a variety of programs and projects, including Save Our Kids and Girls on the Run at the Henderson Family YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs’ Healthy Teens, Green Rural Redevelopment’s Micro Market Farm School, Community Workforce Solutions’ Health Matters, Smart Start, Vance Co. Schools Kidpower program, and many others. A full listing of TNHF grant programs is available on the Foundation’s website.

The mission of the Foundation is “to encourage, support, and invest in quality efforts that measurably improve health in the Triangle North region.”  The Foundation cannot accomplish this alone.  “Through our partnerships with community organizations, formed through grantmaking, this Foundation can make a difference in the health status of our communities,” said Mrs. Short. “Please let us hear from you!” she added.

VGCC, Warren Library partner for discussion of Tennessee Williams & “The Glass Menagerie”

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Vance-Granville Community College is partnering with the Warren County Memorial Library to present a program on playwright Tennessee Williams and his classic drama, “The Glass Menagerie,” which the college is preparing to stage as a dinner theater event.

The educational program is scheduled for Monday, April 17, from 10:30 a.m. until noon at the library on South Front Street in Warrenton. The event is free and open to the public. Betsy Henderson, VGCC’s Department Chair/Instructor of Humanities and Fine Arts, will make a presentation and lead a discussion on Williams (1911–1983) and the play, including its poetic elements, in celebration of April as National Poetry Month.

Henderson will also talk about VGCC’s upcoming production of “The Glass Menagerie,” which she is directing. The college’s fifth annual Dinner Theater is scheduled for the evenings of Thursday, April 27, and Friday, April 28, in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County.

First staged in 1944, “The Glass Menagerie” is based in part on Tennessee Williams’s own memories of his family. In 1945, the play premiered on Broadway, won the prestigious New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for the best American play of the year, and launched Williams to fame.

Henderson has an MFA in Acting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi. She was VGCC’s 2005 Instructor of the Year. As an actress, Henderson has worked professionally with Raleigh Ensemble Players (REP), Deep Dish Theatre Company, Burning Coal Theatre Company, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Theatre of the American South, Hot Summer Nights @ the Kennedy, Temple Theatre, and Justice Theatre Project. Henderson has toured nationally with productions of “Miracle Worker,” portraying Annie Sullivan, and “Diary of Anne Frank,” portraying Mrs. Frank. Her performance in REP’s “Distracted” in 2011 was recognized by the Independent Weekly as one of the Best Lead Performances of the year. Henderson has served on local theatre boards of directors, and as a faculty member for Cary’s Applause Youth Theatre. She is currently vice-chair of the board of directors of Granville Little Theatre, as well as the chair of the GLT education committee. She has also been the Creative Director for the Broadway and Beyond/TeenWorks summer camps for 10 years.

For more information, contact Betsy Henderson at hendersonb@vgcc.edu or David Spence at davidspence@warrencountync.gov.

–VGCC–

Grant Applications 2017 Due

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The Vance County Chapter of the North Carolina Community Foundation is currently accepting Grant Applications through 12:00 noon on May 2, 2017.

Nonprofit (501C3) organizations and churches supporting charitable causes that enhance the quality of life in Vance County are encouraged to apply.

Grants typically range from $500 to $1,000. These grants are competitive and preference will be given to those applications which address significant community needs and honor the value of every dollar.

For more information please contact Quinn Novels, Regional Director of the NCCF, at 919 256-6914 or to see our list of funds and application instructions visit our webpage at nccommunityfoundation.org/vance.

(Press Release from the Vance County Chapter of the North Carolina Community Foundation)

The Raleigh Flute Choir Comes to McGregor Hall This Friday Night

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Join us for an evening of fun fluting like you’ve never heard as The Raleigh Flute Choir, a chamber ensemble of nine professional flutists from central North Carolina, perform live in concert.

The Raleigh Flute Choir was founded in 1986 and has distinguished itself as one of the nation’s leading flute choirs. Utilizing all members of the flute family, from the tiny piccolo to the eight-foot contrabass flute, the ensemble seeks to entertain and educate by performing transcriptions of well-known classical works, delightful arrangements of familiar folk songs, and original compositions written particularly for this unique instrumental ensemble. Appearing in a variety of venues, past highlights include concerts at Biltmore Estate, Colonial Williamsburg, Piccolo Spoleto, and The White House, as well as annual performances at the North Carolina Museum of Art and Duke Chapel.

This concert is sponsored by the Henderson Community Concert Association and Document Systems Inc. Ticket packages are available for those who would like to enjoy this performance along with two others in the Music at McGregor Chamber and Classical series: WindCircle Quintent on January 13th and Dmitri Shteinberg in Piano Recital of February 17th. CLICK HERE for more information on the series.

News 04/05/17

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Home and Garden Show 04/04/17

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