Tag Archive for: #dukeenergy

VGCC receives $200,000 grant from Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas to connect students with apprenticeship opportunities

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— press release and picture provided by VGCC

VGCC receives $200,000 grant from Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas to connect students with apprenticeship opportunities

HENDERSON, N.C. – Vance-Granville Community College today announced a $200,000 investment from Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas. The funds will be used to connect students with hands-on training and career development opportunities.

The investment, from the Duke Energy Foundation, will support the “Vanguard Apprenticeship Collaborative,” a VGCC initiative designed to cultivate highly skilled workers for partnering companies in a number of industries. Grant funds will provide scholarships to adult students who are accepted into registered apprenticeship programs. Funds will also be used to purchase some equipment used for technical training and other supplies.

“Apprenticeships are key to meeting the workforce needs of our region’s industries while also supporting students’ academic and career success, and this new grant will allow Vance-Granville to continue to grow this exciting initiative,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC. “On behalf of our current and future apprentices and our local employers, we sincerely appreciate the strong support of our partners at Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas.”

From left, VGCC Vice President of Institutional Research & Technology Dr. Ken Lewis, TechHire grant project manager Kenneth Wilson and (at far right) President Dr. Stelfanie Williams accept a symbolic check representing the new grant from Duke Energy District Manager Tanya Evans (third from left). (VGCC photo)

“We are proud to partner with Vance-Granville Community College to connect students with apprenticeship and workforce training opportunities,” said Tanya Evans, Duke Energy district manager. “These students will gain valuable hands-on experience while directly helping meet the needs of the region’s industries.”

This grant is part of Duke Energy’s $35 million investment in North Carolina’s Community Colleges’ focus on technical education and support of business and industry. Individual community colleges could apply for funds through the North Carolina Community Foundation and the Foundation for the Carolinas. Applications were reviewed by a committee of representatives from Duke Energy, NC Community College System and NC Department of Commerce.

About Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College, one of the 58 institutions of the North Carolina Community College System, is the local source for higher education and training in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties, north of the Research Triangle. Established in 1969, VGCC today serves students at four campuses (one in each county of the service area) and online. The college offers more than 40 curriculum programs, as well as occupational certifications, continuing education, adult education, customized training for employers and the first two years of a four-year degree. For more information, visit www.vgcc.edu.

About Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to address the needs of the communities where its customers live and work. The foundation provides more than $30 million annually in charitable gifts. The foundation’s education focus spans kindergarten to career, particularly science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), early childhood literacy and workforce development. It also supports the environment and community impact initiatives, including arts and culture.

Duke Energy employees and retirees actively contribute to their communities as volunteers and leaders at a wide variety of nonprofit organizations. Duke Energy is committed to building on its legacy of community service. For more information, visit https://www.duke-energy.com/foundation.

Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

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(Both VGCC and Duke Energy are advertising clients of WIZS.  This is a news release.  This is not a paid advertisement.)

New members join VGCC endowment board

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The Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund Board of Directors recently welcomed four new members. They include Tanya Evans of Timberlake, Ronnie Goswick of Franklinton, Katharine Macon Horner of Durham and Marshall Tanner of Oxford.

“We are delighted to welcome these leaders to our Endowment board, and we appreciate their commitment to supporting our students and our mission,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC.

The board of directors oversees the Endowment Fund Corporation, a nonprofit organization established in 1976 to seek and receive scholarship funds and other contributions for the college.

Evans is a district manager in Duke Energy’s government and community relations department. She is responsible for external relations, issue management, community involvement and corporate contributions for the company’s northeast region, which covers Caswell, Person, Granville, Vance, Warren, Franklin, Edgecombe, Nash, Wilson and Halifax counties. Duke Energy has established numerous scholarships for VGCC students and awarded several grants to the college over the years. Evans has a degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Goswick is the director of business and economic development at Carolina Sunrock, based in Raleigh. The company is a longtime supporter of the college and has endowed a VGCC scholarship in its name. Goswick served for 25 years in local government with Franklin County and the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments as an economic development director. He is also a former Franklin County commissioner and member of the Town of Franklinton Board of Commissioners. Goswick is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in business.

Horner is a Henderson native who graduated from Atlantic Christian College (today known as Barton College) with a degree in health and physical education and from Wilson County Technical Institute (today known as Wilson Community College) with an associate degree in nursing. She retired after a lengthy, varied career in health care, having spent many years working as a nurse at Duke Medical Center. Horner has endowed two scholarships at VGCC in memory of her parents and grandparents.

Tanner spent his career in the manufacturing sector, retiring in 2010 as a vice president of Bridgestone Bandag, another company that has supported the VGCC Endowment Fund for many years and endowed a scholarship in its name. He managed plants for that company in Iowa and Georgia before finally moving to its Oxford location. Tanner earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial management at Georgia Tech. Active in his community, he received the John Penn Citizen of the Year Award in 2003 from the Granville County Chamber of Commerce.

The four new additions join current Endowment Fund board members Robert L. Hubbard (the vice-chair), Julius Banzet III, Sarah Baskerville, Rep. James W. Crawford, Jr., Dr. Ben F. Currin, Clay Frazier, L. Opie Frazier, Jr., Rev. Dr. Richard M. Henderson, Darryl Moss, T.S. Royster, Jr., Donald C. Seifert, Sr., Josh Towne and Todd Wemyss. As president of VGCC, Dr. Stelfanie Williams chairs the board.

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–

Duke Energy Cautions Customers to be Alert of Persistent Scam

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Don’t allow yourself to fall prey to a scam.  And don’t be more vulnerable now just because of snow.  Read the information below, which will help you avoid being taking advantage of.  This information is confirmed by Duke Energy District Manager Tanya Evans.

Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce Statement:

The Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce has been notified by some of our members of a scam involving persons falsely identifying themselves as Duke Energy representatives. A caller, claiming to be a Duke Energy service technician, tells the customer that a work order has been issued to immediately disconnect service. The caller states that a disruption of service can be avoided if an immediate payment is made. The scammer provides a telephone number for the customer to call to make the payment. The customer’s call is answered as Duke Energy by a very legitimately-sounding but fake IVR system. Duke Energy emphasizes that their customers are never contacted and asked to make a payment by telephone and provides the notice below to their customers. Please share this information with your friends, families, and business associates.

Duke Energy Statement:

Duke Energy customers in five states are continually being targeted by scam artists claiming to represent the company. Phone, doorstep and email scammers claiming to be a utility company are nothing new – it happens to all utility companies throughout the U.S. and Canada. However, complaints about this particular scam have really increased over the last several months.

Scammers are calling residents and impersonating utility company staff, claiming to be collecting on late bills. They may falsify their caller ID information to make it appear as though the call is coming from Duke Energy or provide a number to call which, when answered, appears to be a Duke Energy contact.

Because we do occasionally contact our customers by phone, it can be difficult to tell a scammer from a real Duke Energy employee. Here are some tips:

 

  • If a caller specifically asks you to pay by prepaid debit card, this is a red flag. Prepaid debit cards are like cash and the transactions cannot be reversed.
  • Remember, you do not have to sign anything or give personal information to anyone calling you on the phone, sending you an email or showing up at your door.
  • If you feel pressured for immediate payment or personal information, hang up the phone and call us at the number on your utility bill. This will ensure you are speaking to a real Duke Energy representative.

 

The only way to protect yourself is to be vigilant, stay informed and guard your personal information.  If you feel something’s not quite right about the situation, contact the police immediately and report the call if you feel it was an impostor.

For more information about avoiding utility scams, visit our web site at https://www.duke-energy.com/customer-service/report-fraud-and-scams

*The preceding content was sent to WIZS News via email from the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce.

Granville Chamber to Host 75th Annual Banquet

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The Granville County Chamber’s Annual Banquet has been scheduled for Monday evening, January 30th, 6:30 pm in Vance-Granville Community College’s Main Campus Civic Center.

The evening will once again include the presentation of the Chamber’s most prestigious award, the John Penn Citizen of the Year Award, recognizing outstanding community service.  The Chamber’s Board of Directors is requesting that member businesses who are/will celebrate a significant business anniversary in 2017 notify the Chamber to be recognized – 5, 10, + years.

In celebration of 75 years, a very special program has been planned that is patriotic and indicative of the 1940’s when our Chamber was founded.  “Letters from Home – The Patriot” stars Erinn Diaz, America’s Bombshell Patriot.  This is “an exhilarating, energized, patriotic show that will have you singing, dancing, laughing, elbowing the person next to you and just bringing back amazing memories and definitely creating new ones.  Erinn Diaz’ ageless tape dancing, timeless singing and goofy interaction with the audience members will have you ‘hootin’ and a hollerin’ for a long time.’

Banquet sponsors are:  Duke Energy/Presenting Sponsor; BB&T, CertainTeed, Granville Health System, The School of Graphic Arts Print and Design Center and Vanness Chevrolet.

A buffet dinner will be provided. Tickets are $40 each.  Corporate tables of 8, with reserved seating, are available for $300.00.  Corporate tables of 10, reserved seating, are available for $380.00.  Tickets/reservations are required prior to the event.  Checks or credit card payments are accepted by contacting one of the Chamber’s offices –  919.693.6125/Wanda, wanda@granville-chamber.com or 919.528.4994/Toni Anne, tawheeler@granville-chamber.com.

 

Duke Energy helps Eaton-Johnson Students have fun

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The National Theatre for Children, sponsored by Duke Energy, provided two actors to perform several sketches for students at Eaton-Johnson Middle School on October 6.

The sketches or skits were entitled “Save the World” and focused on energy conservation covering a wide range of topics including using low energy light bulbs, energy efficient shower nozzles, being conservative with water usage and turning off lights when you leave a room.

Students laughed at the antics of the two male actors as they quickly changed costumes and became different characters during the sketches. Several Eaton-Johnson students volunteered to help in the sketches. The actors mostly portrayed middle school aged students who were learning about how to conserve energy both at school and home.

Eaton-Johnson Middle School is part of the Duke Energy program to help save 10 million kilowatt-hours of energy this school year. Schools in five different states are involved in the conservation effort. Parents and students at Eaton-Johnson have already received information on how to request a free Energy Kit. For each 100 Energy Kits ordered at the school, Duke Energy will provide a $250 prize to the school. The school with the most kit requests by December 31 will win $2,500.

Items in each Energy Kit are LED light bulbs, an LED night light, an energy efficient shower head, faucet aerators, switch/outlet gasket insulators and more.

Parents, students and school staff members can visit myenergykit.org to track energy conservation at the school and the number of kits ordered.