Visitor Spending In Vance Up 4.7 Percent
The director of The Vance County Department of Tourism attributes increased visitor spending to a combination of marketing, a supportive board and successful events.
When specifically asked to what she attributed the 4.7 percent increase, Tourism Director Nancy Wilson said, “A very strong marketing campaign, a good board that stands behind the tourism department and our success in the events that we host and organize. It’s a combination of all of those I think.”
One of the signature events of The Vance County Department of Tourism is the annual Show, Shine, Shag and Dine. The 15th annual Show, Shine, Shag and Dine is coming up October 14th, 15th and 16th in downtown Henderson. If the past few years are any indication, some 30,000 people will attend the event to see vintage and drag cars with a total economic impact of between 2.5 and 3.0 million dollars, this data according to previous WIZS news articles quoting Wilson.
Governor Pat McCrory’s office today issued a press release (click here for full version) indicating visiting spending was up in 91 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. Of those, Vance County is in the top 10 of largest percentage increases at 4.7 percent behind Polk with 11.8 percent and Cherokee with 7.8 percent.
In terms of ranking counties by actual domestic travelers’ expenditures, some counties that you might expect topped the list with Mecklenburg first, Wake second, Guilford third, Dare fourth and Buncombe fifth.
Wilson said about Vance, “We knew it was up. We can tell from collections each month. The motels have had an extremely good year. We are just tickled to death. I mean we’ve got the least number of rooms we’ve ever had, and we’ve got the largest collections, so that tells you something. They are staying full.”
Wilson reiterated the impact on retail sales tax in Vance County too, of which retail sales tax figures are up for Vance County. She said visitors are coming here and boosting the retail sales tax figures.
She said, “We’ll keep on doing what we’re doing because it must be working, and we’ll just work a little harder.”
H/V Chamber Holds Ribbon Cutting for Michael’s Florist
Hendersonians take note: you now have a new local florist option!
On Friday, August 12, Michael’s Florist held a ribbon cutting celebration with the help of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce and representatives from the business community. Michael’s Florist manager Michael Puckett, officially cut the ribbon and welcomed chamber members, Henderson officials, and area businesses.
The community was invited to come out and show their support, and learn about this new local business. Michael’s Florist is a full service florist, offering fresh and silk arrangements, wedding & church arrangements, potted plants, gift baskets, balloons and more. Delivery service is available.
The event began at 10:00 AM on Friday, August 12 at their location at 945-G West Andrews Avenue. Their operating hours are Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fri from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Wed and Sat from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Closed on Sundays.
Michael’s Florist is a proud member of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce. Stop in and meet Michael and the staff of this new small business!
To learn more about Michael’s Florist, visit them at their location or please call them at 252-430-7272.
First VGCC student inducted into NC A&T Nursing partnership program
Jonathan Carlock of Henderson made history on Aug. 8, as he became the first Vance-Granville Community College student inducted into the “Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses” (RIBN) program. He and one student each from Davidson County Community College and Guilford Technical Community College have started their journeys as members of the first cohort in the new partnership between the community colleges and North Carolina A&T State University.
At the induction ceremony, held in Proctor Hall on the university’s campus in Greensboro, the A&T School of Nursing embraced the three students, who will be simultaneously enrolled at their community college and the university. They will earn associate’s degrees in nursing over three years (while also taking A&T courses online) and then continue for one year of additional courses at A&T required for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree.
“We are very fortunate in North Carolina to have such fine systems of education, and I believe that the RIBN program represents the best of collaboration between our community college system and the university system,” Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC, said at the induction ceremony. “I commend our faculty and staff, as well as those at our sister institutions and at this fine university who have worked together to make this a reality.”
Erica Jastrow, the Nursing department chair for VGCC, placed a pin and “RIBN ribbon” on Carlock’s lapel as part of the ceremony.
Carlock is a Southern Vance High School graduate who first enrolled at VGCC in January, taking general education courses. He also has completed the Nurse Aide (CNA) I program at the college. “I’m excited about working with both A&T and VGCC to further my education, and I look forward to representing both of these schools as a member of the inaugural class of RIBN,” Carlock said. His career aspiration is to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. He already has volunteer experience in the pediatric unit at Duke University Hospital.
The keynote speaker for the ceremony was Frostenia Milner, an adjunct clinical instructor and retired professor for the A&T School of Nursing. Milner helped develop the RIBN partnership with the three community colleges.
The North Carolina Piedmont RIBN initiative is one of nine such partnerships that have been launched in North Carolina since 2008 under the direction of the Foundation for Nursing Excellence (FFNE) to increase the educational preparation of North Carolina’s nursing workforce.
“Research shows that education improves patient outcomes, and we need 80 percent of practicing registered nurses at the BSN level,” Milner said. “This RIBN project is our strategy to get there.” She said that RIBN will efficiently produce more nurses across North Carolina holding both associate’s and bachelor’s degrees. “This makes it easier to go from start to finish without having a lot of steps to take in between,” Milner said. She applauded the “visionary” leaders, faculty and staff at the community colleges for working well in collaboration with A&T. Then, Milner addressed the newly inducted students. “You, too, are visionaries, because you chose to take this path to get your BSN degree,” she said.
Others making remarks at the ceremony included Dr. Joe. B. Whitehead Jr., the provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs at A&T; Kathy Phillips, division chair for Health Sciences at GTCC; Dr. Mary E. Rittling, president of DCCC; Mae Mills, project coordinator for FFNE; and Tiffany Morris and Dr. Terry Ward, interim assistant dean and interim dean, respectively, of the A&T School of Nursing.
In addition to RIBN, VGCC has a partnership with A&T to allow graduates of its Associate Degree Nursing program to transition easily to the university’s four-year Bachelor’s program. For more information about Nursing at VGCC and bachelor’s degree options, contact academic/career coach Seletha Pherribo at (252) 738-3518 or instructor Heather Wilson at (252) 738-3393.