VGCC and Dill Air Controls Products join forces with Apprenticeship program
Vance-Granville Community College and Oxford-based Dill Air Controls Products, LLC, recently signed on to join the North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program (NCTAP), in an effort to provide new opportunities for local students and to prepare a skilled workforce.
NCTAP offers students a unique start to a professional career and develops them into future industry leaders. The program focuses on integrated basic training which develops technical, methodological and social skills. Typically starting in the 11th grade of high school, the four-year program leads to a student obtaining an associate degree at the community college and paid, on-the-job training at the participating employer.
Students in the program will be employed full-time by the company after they graduate from high school, and their VGCC tuition and fees are paid by the employer. Including salary, benefits and college tuition, the value of the program to the student is approximately $150,000 over four years.
VGCC and Dill Air Controls Products are currently spreading the word to students in Vance County and Granville County about this opportunity. The company intends to select its first two apprentices in 2016. They would complete the program in 2020.
Dill Air Controls Products is a leading manufacturer and distributor of tire and tank valves, tire pressure gauges, tire pressure monitoring sensors and service tools for the aerospace, automotive and commercial products industries. Company officials said they were pleased to announce the new partnership with NCTAP and VGCC. “We look forward to participating in this program to grow our employee base with local students who are committed to contributing to the manufacturing industry in Granville County,” said Dill’s President, Brian Rigney.
“This new partnership will support student success while building upon Vance-Granville’s tradition of collaborating with local employers and our local school systems to lead the economic development of our region,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC.
For NCTAP, the college’s involvement represents an expansion into what the apprenticeship program calls its “northern region.” Additional companies will be invited to join the partnership with VGCC. The college will focus on apprenticeships related to the college’s Mechatronics Engineering, Electronics Engineering and Welding Technology programs at first, but other Applied Technologies programs could be involved in the future.
According to NCTAP vice chairman Kent Misegades, his organization is particularly excited to work with VGCC because the college offers the Mechatronics program, which is not currently offered by any community college in the Raleigh-Durham area. “Mechatronics is the way to go for a student in advanced manufacturing, because it trains you in a broad range of skills,” Misegades said.
Zachary Chaney of Roxboro, who works for CaptiveAire in Youngsville as an NCTAP apprentice, recently spoke to representatives of VGCC, Granville County Schools, Vance County Schools and Dill Air Controls. “NCTAP is a great opportunity to work and learn at the same time,” Chaney said. “I feel more confident now, knowing more about all aspects of manufacturing. It’s given me not only a paycheck, but also a sense of pride and accomplishment.”
Misegades said students entering the program must meet certain requirements but are not required to have a certain type of prior experience in the field. He said the program is looking for candidates with an interest in engineering or manufacturing. He plans to hold orientation for participants in March or April of 2016, followed by a pre-apprenticeship program in the summer. Then, students would officially start the apprenticeship in the fall. Misegades noted that NCTAP is registered with the N.C. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Labor.
For more information about the apprenticeship program, high school students and their parents should talk with their school guidance counselors or contact Ken Wilson at VGCC, at wilsonk@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3259.
Leo Kelly Fills Wright’s Seat
Leo Kelly, Jr. will fill the unexpired term of late Vance County Commissioner Eddie Wright. County Attorney Jonathan Care told WIZS News that Kelly was unanimously voted in by the commissioners. Clerk to the Board Kelly Grissom said, “He will be sworn in on December 7.”
Kelly will fill the seat for approximately one year because the district 5 seat was already due for election in 2016 anyway. At that point, Kelly can choose to run for the seat.
Kelly was voted in by the board at the November 2nd meeting, as we originally reported during the 12:37 P.M. News on WIZS 1450 AM on November 12th.
Early in the process, Archie B. Taylor, Chairman of the Vance County Board of Commissioners, sent a request to the chairman of the local Democratic party asking for the names of individuals good for the position who fulfilled the requirements. Betty Boyd, who is the Third Vice Chair and in charge of publicity, told WIZS News, “We met last Thursday night (Oct 15) at Perry Library. Four candidates made a three minute speech. Leo Kelly received the nomination to serve the unexpired term of the late Eddie Wright.”
Kelly was a longtime Dean at Vance Granville Community College. A news article published by the college in 2009 quotes VGCC’s president at the time, Randy Parker, as saying, “Leo Kelly is the longest-serving full-time employee in the history of our college, and his dedicated leadership has made an enormous difference in the lives of so many people in our communities.”
Detective Wormley Fundraiser
In a recent interview with WIZS News, Police Chief Marcus Barrow described the dedication of fellow officers in Detective Deric Wormley’s time of need. Detective Wormley faced an extremely life threatening situation, and as Chief Barrow described it, no one left Wormley’s side. Wormley collapsed inside the Henderson Police Department in late October from a heart attack. CPR was immediately administered. He was transported to the hospital. His fellow officers and officers of several other agencies gathered at the hospital, as Barrow described it, and remained there so as to not leave his side. Now officers and the public alike can help with Wormley’s medical expenses by simply enjoying a plate of food. See below. Come; offer support. (Flyer provided by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce. The Daily Dispatch Newspaper has also published an article about Det. Wormley.)
Farm-City Week part 3 of 3
Vance County has declared the third week in November each year as Farm-City Week. During that time, local residents are encouraged to reflect upon the connections and interdependence between the people and businesses in our towns, and the farms that surround them. This great nation was built on agriculture, but the towns and cities provide the markets and support businesses that make farming possible.
URBAN AGRICULTURE: A FARM AND CITY MASHUP
By Diana Lewis, Natural Resource Conservation Service
Vance County has joined the ranks of many cities across the United States to begin reviewing local land use permit codes to include urban agriculture and allow locally grown, year round production of fresh foods within city limits. On November 3, 2015, the Henderson Zoning Board unanimously granted a Special Use Permit to two of our city homeowners that will be transitioning into Organic production of vegetables.
Local governments throughout the U.S. and NC in cities such as Seattle, Baltimore, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Boston, Asheville, Boulder, Austin, Salisbury, Portland, and Greensboro have already implemented special-use permits to allow installation of non-permanent structures such as greenhouses or high tunnels. This opens up a great opportunity to revitalize vacant inner city lots vandalized for years or just allowed to grow up or be trash dumps. It also provides opportunities for communities to partner with local agencies or community groups and implement educational projects for residents to be a part of.
Neighborhood kids, young adults and retirees can now be a part of growing vegetables from seed to harvest and bringing dying communities back to life. High tunnels provide a great opportunity to grow Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer produce, herbs, berries and greens in a protected environment and avoid extreme environmental conditions that can cause expensive crop failures. Produce such as tomatoes, sweet peppers, cucumbers, melons, summer squash, eggplants, ginger, garlic, collards etc. grown in high tunnels, can be in turn sold to local restaurants, day care centers, and schools providing healthy and delicious locally grown veggies right here in Henderson, NC!!
Legal Aid of North Carolina – providing free legal services in civil matters to low-income people
(The following is a press release.)
Low-income Medicare recipients in North Carolina can call Legal Aid of North Carolina’s new Benefits Enrollment Center at 1-877-579-7562 (toll-free) for free help enrolling in federal benefits programs that provide financial help with health care, prescription drugs, home energy bills and food costs.
“Many Medicare recipients in North Carolina are eligible for additional federal benefits and don’t even know it,” said Angeleigh Dorsey, director of Legal Aid’s Senior Law Project, which operates the Benefits Enrollment Center.
“If you’re on Medicare and need a little extra money for life’s necessities, call us today. We can help you figure out what programs you’re eligible for and guide you through the application process,” she said. “The best part is, we’re a nonprofit so all our help is completely free!”
To be considered low-income, a person must live at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty line, defined as earning about $18,000 a year or less for one person, $24,000 a year or less for two people, and $30,000 a year or less for four people.
The Benefits Enrollment Center staff determines eligibility by looking at a person’s income, assets, rent or mortgage payments, utility payments, cost of health insurance premiums and other expenses.
“If you’re worried about eligibility,” Dorsey said, “don’t be. Just give us a call and we’ll work with you to figure it out.”
Legal Aid’s Benefits Enrollment Center can enroll eligible North Carolinians in five federal programs:
- Medicare Savings Program. Waives the $104.90 monthly premium for Medicare Part B, which covers physicians’ services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and other items.
- Medicare Part D Extra Help program. Provides full or partial subsidies and copay assistance for recipients of Medicare Part D prescription drug benefits.
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Provides nutrition assistance to low-income individual and families.
- Medicaid. Some low-income Medicare recipients may also qualify for Medicaid, which can decrease their out-of-pocket expenses for health care.
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Provides financial assistance with home energy costs.
Legal Aid’s Benefits Enrollment Center launched in June with a grant from the National Council on Aging. The goal of the BEC is to enroll 1,100 seniors in benefits programs by May 2016. The BEC can help people across the state but is targeting outreach to nine counties in the west and southeast: Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Duplin, Gaston, Richmond, Robeson.
“We weighed a number of factors when selecting these counties,” Dorsey said. “Number of low-income seniors who aren’t enrolled in these benefits programs, percentage of people of color, proximity to Legal Aid field offices, etc. We also have good relationships with stakeholders in these counties.”
In addition to running the toll-free helpline, Legal Aid staff working on the Benefits Enrollment Center hold enrollment and information events at senior centers, and providers of home meal delivery to reach those who are homebound.
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Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people in order to ensure equal access to justice and remove legal barriers to economic opportunity. Our Senior Law Project provides free civil legal help to North Carolinians age 60 or older. To learn more, visit www.legalaidnc.org or find us on Facebook and Twitter.
VGCC Vanguards 2-2 to start basketball season
The Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards men’s basketball team won their first two games of the 2015-16 season before dropping the next two to nationally-ranked opponents.
VGCC kicked off the regular season with a 67-57 victory over conference rival Wake Tech Community College on Nov. 6 on the Vanguards’ home court, Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson. Sophomore Raekwon Hall led VGCC in scoring, with 25 points, while also contributing 3 assists and 4 rebounds. Freshman Chris Pernell of Raleigh put up 12 points. Another freshman, Donal Gooch of Raleigh, was the top rebounder, with 10. His fellow freshman, Antonio Adams of Oxford, was not far behind with 9.
Two days later, VGCC won on the road, dominating the JV squad at the University of Mount Olive, 101-57. Seven Vanguards scored in double figures, led by sophomore Alcyone Moore of Charlotte with 17 and freshman Aaron Robinson of Graham with 15. Moore was also the team’s top rebounder (13). Ty’Quon Reid, a freshman from Durham, led the team in assists (11) while also contributing 13 points and 5 rebounds.
The Vanguards’ first loss came at home when they hosted the Bobcats from Bryant & Stratton College of Virginia on Nov. 10. The Color Guard from J.F. Webb High School in Oxford started off the game with a salute to veterans during the playing of the National Anthem. VGCC kept it close during much of the first half, but after the break, BSC pulled away to win 97-55. The Bobcats, who, like VGCC and Wake Tech compete in Region X of NJCAA Division II, were ranked 14th in the nation at the time. Moore again was the leader in scoring, with 14 points, while Reid added 11 points. Adams put up 5 rebounds to lead in that category.
On Nov. 14, VGCC lost at home to the Storm from Davidson County Community College by a score of 107-90. Davidson County CC was ranked seventh in the nation for Division III. Reid led his teammates in scoring with 34 points. Hall added 23 points of his own. Gooch had the most rebounds (12).
Upcoming VGCC home games are set for Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m., versus Patrick Henry Community College, and Friday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m., versus Virginia University of Lynchburg. Both are at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson, and admission is free.
