Warren Health Dept. Seeks Community Input To Community Health Assessment

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The Warren County Health Department is in the process of completing its four-year community health assessment and asks county residents to contribute to the assessment by taking a short survey to identify key health needs and concerns.

The survey is a list of questions related to personal behaviors, risks, health goals and priorities, as well as overall health. This community health opinion survey questions are formed by a diverse representation of community citizens, businesses and key stakeholders.

The purpose of this assessment survey is to learn more about the health and quality of life of Warren County residents. The results from the surveys will be used to help develop plans for addressing major health and community issues in Warren County.

All information is confidential and respondents’ opinions and answer choices will not be linked to them in any way.

This health assessment tool provides a way for communities to voice any unmet health needs or concerns. It is important to have this survey tool to collect data from the community as it helps Warren County Health Department and other county agencies with areas of improvement. This will allow Warren County to determine what social determinants of health the community prioritizes.

The survey can be found at www.warrencountync.com, Warren County Health Department Facebook page, and at https://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/lMyK41pb. Printed copies are available for pick-up at the Warren County Health Department.

The Warren County Health Department is located at 544 W. Ridgeway Street, Warrenton, NC. For more information about the Community Health Assessment, visit www.warrencountyhd.com.

Warren Youth Baseball, Softball Registration Open Through Feb. 28

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Registration for Warren County Parks and Recreation youth baseball and softball leagues is open the month of February. The cost is $10 per person and is for young people between the ages of 4 and 17. High school students interested in registering may register up to 18 years.

Registration can be completed online at www.warrencountync.com/345/Parks-Recreation.

or by stopping by the Parks and Recreation office in Warrenton, 113 Wilcox St.

For more information or register, please visit the website or call the office at 252.257.2272.

Parks and Recreation is also seeking volunteer coaches for youth basketball season. Submit volunteer application and background check online at www.warrencountync.com/345/Parks-Recreation.

 

 

 

Warren Parks and Rec Offers Holiday Kids Crafts Program At Library

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Warren County Parks and Recreation is offering a Holiday Kids Crafts program for ages 5-12. This program will be held at the Warren County Memorial Library on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. beginning Feb. 7 through Feb. 21. This program will provide instruction and all supplies to make 2-3 crafts per week. Register by Feb. 3  cost is $5 per child for the three-week session. Limited space is available, so register early.

Registration can be completed online or in person:

For more information or register, please visit the county website or call the Parks and Recreation office at 252.257.2272.

Parks and Recreation is seeking have volunteers for this and other programs. Submit volunteer application and background check online at www.warrencountync.com/345/Parks-Recreation

Warren Parks And Rec Offers Lifeguard Training Program

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Warren County Parks and Recreation is offering a training program on Tuesdays beginning in February to prepare applicants for the lifeguard certification course. This free program will provide transportation for instruction and practice. Upon completion of the training, which runs from Feb. 7 through Mar. 28,those who can pass the prerequisites will have the option to sign up for the lifeguard certification course free of charge. The program is open to individuals 15 years and up.

Register online for the academy and choose one of the options below:

  • Option 1: Pick up from local high school to the John Graham Gym (there will be homework time, open play, light dinner, etc. before departing from the John Graham Gym at 5:30 p.m. to go to Aycock Recreation Center)
  • Option 2: Meet at the John Graham Gym at 5:30 p.m. for free transportation to Aycock Recreation Center
  • Option 3: Meet at Aycock Recreation Center at 6:30 p.m.

Register by Jan. 31 either online or in person:

For more information or to register, please visit the website or call the office at 252.257.2272.

Parks and Recreation welcomes volunteers for this and other programs. Please submit volunteer application and background check online at www.warrencountync.com/345/Parks-Recreation.

Info Session On 4-H Poultry Project Set For Feb. 21

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The spike in egg prices has gotten everyone’s attention lately. Just a couple of years ago, a dozen eggs cost less than $1. Today, that same dozen will set you back close to $5 – or more.

Inflation, coupled with avian flu outbreaks affecting the poultry industry, are the chief culprits, analysts say.

Could this price surge create more interest in backyard flocks? Maybe so. And that’s just fine with local 4-Hers, who are getting ready for the 2023 poultry show and sale.

Children ages 5-18 are invited – with their parents – to join a Zoom meeting on Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m. for an information session about the upcoming Four County Poultry Show and Sale.

Participants will get 10 birds to raise, show and then sell at auction. The auction proceeds go to the participant and the local 4-H group. Trophies and awards will be given.

Register at https://go.ncsu.edu/4countypoultry2023 or contact your county extension agent or 4-H agent.

The Local Skinny! St. Paul’s Lutheran Food Minsitry

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The kickoff event for the “Feeding the 5,000” food ministry is set for this Saturday, and Corey Brooks, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church near Ridgeway, said volunteers will be ready to serve a hot meal between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

“Come in, sit down, have a hot meal…and enjoy a time of fellowship,” Brooks said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

During the colder months, the meal will be served in the church fellowship hall, but when the weather’s nicer, the plan is to “meet people where they are” and go to different places in the community to serve food.

Thanks to funding from the Mid-Atlantic Lutheran Mission and other local folks interested in helping with food insecurity issues in the community, Brooks said the project has taken shape.

He also said a “Blessing Box” is built and ready to be installed across from the Norlina post office. The weather hasn’t cooperated for installation, but Brooks said it should be up and running by the weekend.

The idea is simple: “Take what you need and leave what you can,” Brooks said of the box, which will be stocked with food items. And Bibles, too.

“We’re excited to have others from other churches in the community that are going to help and volunteer to make this come together,” Brooks said of the meal program. They are brothers and sisters in Christ, he said, “here to serve our neighbors in need.”

Monetary donations can be made to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, with “Feeding the 5,000 food ministry” in the memo line.

The church is located off the Ridgeway-Drewry Rd., 114 Poplar Mt. Rd., Norlina, NC 27563.

 

CLICK PLAY!

 

Tobacco Trust Fund Grant Cycle Open To Receive Proposals Through Mar. 3

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The Tobacco Trust Fund Commission’s grant cycle is open and is now accepting grant applications through Mar. 3, 2023. Access the application, guidelines and other information about the funding opportunity by clicking here.

Federal, state and local governments can apply for grant funding, as well as economic development groups, educational institutions and nonprofits

Individuals can also apply, but the commission’s executive director, William Upchurch, Jr. said trust fund officials encourage individuals to work with a cost-share partner: NC AgVentures at N.C. State University, AgPrime at the University of Mount Olive, and WNC AgOptions at WNC Communities. Upchurch said that the Tobacco Trust Fund is open to talking with folks who have questions about the grant cycle and its cost-share partners.

The Tobacco Trust Fund grant cycle focuses on the priorities of community economic development, skill and resource development, increasing farm profitability, diversification of crops and development of natural resources. They look for projects that support the following outcomes: farmers assisted, jobs created and retained, acreage impacted, new crops planted, funding leverage and new education opportunities.

The trust fund commission was created in 2000 to assist current and former tobacco farmers, former quota holders, persons engaged in tobacco-related businesses, individuals displaced from tobacco-related employment, and tobacco product component businesses in North Carolina that have been affected by the adverse effects of the Master Settlement Agreement.

Golden LEAF Scholarship, Internship Opportunities

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-information courtesy of the Golden LEAF Foundation

The Golden LEAF Colleges and Universities Scholarship application window is now open for the 2023-2024 academic year. Applications are available at CFNC.org. A total of 215 awards will be offered to first-time recipients from qualifying rural and economically distressed counties. Applications are due March 1, 2023.

The awards are valued at $14,000 ($3,500 per year for up to four years) for North Carolina high school students attending a participating North Carolina college or university. North Carolina community college transfer students can receive $3,500 per year for up to three years.

“The Golden LEAF Scholarship Program is an important component of the Foundation’s workforce preparedness strategy,” said Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer Scott T. Hamilton. “Our goal is for Golden LEAF Scholars to gain the talent, knowledge and skills necessary to help North Carolina’s rural communities thrive by returning home to live, work and raise families.”

To be eligible, students must be a graduating North Carolina high school senior or a currently enrolled North Carolina community college transfer student, enrolling full-time in the fall at a participating North Carolina public or private college or university. Recipients are selected based upon multiple factors including an intent to return to a rural North Carolina county after graduation. Applicants must also fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and demonstrate financial need as determined by the application process; have a cumulative GPA of no less than 2.5; and be a resident of a rural, economically distressed North Carolina county. Click here for the full list of eligible counties.

For more than 20 years, the Golden LEAF Scholarship Program has provided more than 6,000 scholarships to help rural students attend the state’s colleges and universities.

The Golden LEAF Scholarship Program is administered by the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority and funded by the Golden LEAF Foundation. A complete list of program requirements, participating campuses and qualifying counties can be viewed at CFNC.org. Call 1-800-700-1775 or send an email to information@ncseaa.edu, for more information.

Learn more about the scholarship at https://scholars.goldenleaf.org/.

 

Scholarship recipients may also apply for the Golden LEAF Rural Internship Initiative. The Rural Internship Initiative provides Golden LEAF Scholars with professional work experience related to their career field in a rural North Carolina community. The application window closes Jan. 31.

The Golden LEAF Foundation provides funding to pay interns $15/hour for up to 400 hours of work. Internships take place over 8-10 weeks, between June and August.

Tobacco Trust Fund Grant Cycle Open Now

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The North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission is accepting applications for the 2023 grant cycle. The key objectives for 2023 are supporting the agricultural industry, impacting rural communities and stimulating economic development. Funds will be awarded in the fall of 2023 for selected innovative projects, according to Jeff Camden NCTTFC program officer.

“North Carolinians are great at innovation and creating jobs. We produce outstanding agriculture products and market them to the world. Providing funds for projects in current or former tobacco-dependent regions that enhance these efforts is our 2023 priorities,” said William H. “Bill” Teague, NCTTFC chairman. Applications will be accepted online for innovative projects within North Carolina. Selected projects should expect to start in November of 2023.

 

The NCTTFC was established in 2000 by the N.C. General Assembly to help members of the tobacco community including farmers, tobacco workers and related businesses. Its original funding was established through tobacco industry annual payments as a result of the Master Settlement Agreement. Funding is now appropriated to the NCTTFC which then reviews, selects and disperses the funds to grant projects.

 

Past NCTTFC projects includes fair and farmers market improvements, cost-share grant programs for farmers, commodity marketing, researching alternative crops and support of agricultural education programs.

Qualifying organizations can access the online application here: www.tobaccotrustfund.org.

For more information, contact Jeff Camden at 919.733.2160 Ext 1. The deadline to submit application is Friday March 3, 2023.

Warren County Parks and Rec. Dept. Offers Winter Art Class Jan. 21

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Join the Warren County Parks and Recreation’s “Winter Art Time” program at John Graham Gym on Saturday, Jan. 21 and take home your own artwork. This free program provides all supplies needed to paint a pre-printed winter art canvas and is a perfect activity for beginning painters and any others interested in putting paint to canvas.

The 9 a.m. class is open to adults only, but the 10:30 a.m. class is open to youth and adults.

Space is limited and registrations are being taken through Wednesday, Jan. 11.

Participants may register online at  www.warrencountync.com/345/Parks-Recreation or they can stop by the parks and rec office in Warrenton between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The office is located at located at 113 Wilcox Street. Call 252.257.2272 for more information.

The parks and recreation staff welcomes volunteers for this and other programs. Please submit a volunteer application and background check online at www.warrencountync.com/345/Parks-Recreation.