Tag Archive for: #fgvsmartstart

Ducky Derby 2020

Town Talk 08/17/20: Rubber Ducks to Float Down Garnett St. in 11th Annual Ducky Derby

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

Garry Daeke, outreach coordinator for Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start, Inc., appeared on WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.

Daeke was pleased to announce that the 11th Annual FGV Ducky Derby Race will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2020, in downtown Henderson, albeit with several changes in place due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

At 11 a.m. that morning, Garnett Street will be filled with a river of rubber ducks as FGV Smart Start holds its largest fundraiser of the year. With $10,000 raised at last year’s race, Daeke said proceeds from the annual event provide services for local families with children age five and younger. (Click here for article and video from last year’s event.)

All sponsors will be recognized on Ducky Derby posters, radio advertisements, newspaper articles and the FGV Smart Start website and Facebook page.

This year, with the uncertainty surrounding event-planning, Daeke explained that no individual tickets for rubber ducks will be sold. Instead, Smart Start will be securing sponsors to support this event.

Sponsorship levels are:
Super Duck – $500
Feathered Friend – $250
Quacker Backer – $100

Approximately 2,000 ducks will “race” this year, and each will represent a child enrolled in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program. Founded by singer and entertainer Dolly Parton’s Dollywood Foundation, the Imagination Library partners with Smart Start programs to offer youth one free book a month – via mail – from birth through age five.

With 3,800 children currently registered for the Imagination Library through FGV Smart Start, Daeke said 2,000 names will be randomly selected for the available ducks. Children who are enrolled in the program in the next few weeks will also have a chance to be entered into the race.

Applications for the Imagination Library can be found at local pediatric offices, childcare centers, the Granville Vance Public Health Department, Maria Parham Health, libraries and the FGV Smart Start office.

The “lucky duck” [child] who wins the Ducky Derby will receive the grand prize of free Chick-fil-A for a year.

While individual ducks will not be available for purchase, Daeke said the public is still welcome to join the fun in-person. Social distancing and masks will be required for all participants.

“We wanted to have something for the public; so many things aren’t going to happen this fall. We decided we wanted something that we can still have and – possibly – people could come out and see,” stated Daeke.

For those not able to attend in-person, Daeke said the event will be featured live on the FGV Smart Start Facebook page. A drone fly-over is also being planned in conjunction with the City of Henderson to provide a bird’s-eye view of the activities.

While a deviation from past years, Daeke said the 2020 Ducky Derby “will be a little different but still a lot of fun.”

If interested in becoming a sponsor, to enroll your child in the Imagination Library or with questions, please call FGV Smart Start at (252) 433-9110.

To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Smart Start

FGV Smart Start Awarded Grant to Aid Vance Co. Adolescent Parenting Program

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-Information courtesy the June 2020 FGV Smart Start Newsletter

Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start has been awarded $1,000 to aid the Adolescent Parenting Program (APP) from the Vance County Unrestricted Endowment, a component fund of the North Carolina Community Foundation. APP provides intensive, family-centered services to pregnant and parenting adolescents in Vance County.

The Vance County Community Foundation is a growing family of philanthropic funds, a source of grants for local causes and a partner for donors. VCCF was founded in 1997 and is led by a local volunteer advisory board that helps build community assets through the creation of permanent endowments, makes grants and leverages leadership – all for the benefit of Vance County.

The VCCF board advises the Vance County Community Fund, the unrestricted community grantmaking fund, to support local needs. This competitive grant program is held annually.

Funds from the Foundation will be used for the 25 teen parents who are participating in the program to purchase school supplies for the upcoming school year.

The goals of the APP are for participants to not have a repeat pregnancy, to stay active in school until graduation, and for graduates to enroll in post-secondary education.

Parton’s Imagination Library Presents ‘Goodnight With Dolly’ Book Readings

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Information courtesy the Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start March 2020 Newsletter

Dolly Parton is doing her part in entertaining children amid the novel coronavirus. The country singer recently launched a weekly series in which she reads a children’s book to an online audience at bedtime, selecting books from her popular Imagination Library project.

The nonprofit says the goal for Goodnight With Dolly is to provide “a welcome distraction during a time of unrest and also inspire a love of reading and books.”

The first book that was read by Parton in the 10-week series presented by Dollywood, Abramorama and The Dollywood Foundation was Watty Piper’s “The Little Engine That Could.”

The other books to be read include “There’s a Hole in the Log on the Bottom of the Lake” by Loren Long; “Llama Llama Red Pajama” by Anna Dewdney; “I Am a Rainbow” by Parton; “Pass It On” by Sophy Henn; “Stand Tall Molly Lou Mellon” by Patty Lovell; “Violet the Pilot” by Steve Breen; “Max & The TagAlong Moon” by Floyd Cooper; “Last Stop on Market Street” by Matt de la Peña; and “Coat of Many Colors” by Parton.

The singer’s weekly readings will be posted on her Imagination Library’s YouTube channel, as well as across her Dolly Parton, World Choice Investments and Dollywood channels.

While known as a legend in country music, Parton is also recognized by children as “the Book Lady” after starting her Imagination Library in 1995 in Tennessee. The international book-gifting program launched to a national level in 2000, having delivered more than 130 million free books to children. The organization has shipped books to families in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and the Republic of Ireland.

Children ages birth to five are eligible for the program and, once registered, will receive free books in the mail monthly. The books are developmentally appropriate for children at the age of sign up and change each month as the child grows.

Parents or guardians can enroll children via the Imagination Library website at https://imaginationlibrary.com/check-availability/

More information about Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start and its role in promoting the Imagination Library program locally can be found at www.fgvpartnership.org or on the F-G-V Facebook page.

Town Talk 12/19/19: Daeke Talks City Growth, ‘New Energy’ of Council

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Garry Daeke, Henderson City Council member and Franklin-Granville-Vance Development Coordinator, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.

Daeke discussed the recent swearing-in of newly elected City Council officials and said he is encouraged by the “slow but steady progress” he has seen with the City, especially over the past year.

Recent collaborations between the City, County, Henderson-Vance Economic Development Commission and Downtown Development Commission have led, in part, to new businesses opening in both the downtown and Dabney Drive areas of Henderson, the approval of construction plans on an outdoor pavilion to be located near McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center and inquiries from outside businesses interested in Henderson, Daeke reported.

“There’s a lot going on with the City; we are going through some exciting times with growth right now,” said Daeke. There’s a new energy and new things happening that I feel really good about.”

To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

FGV Smart Start’s 10th Annual Ducky Derby Sees ‘Record Turnout’ Crowd

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

With over 2,250 tickets/ducks sold, the Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start’s 10th Annual Ducky Derby fundraiser in downtown Henderson, held Saturday, Sept. 21, was a sellout event.

“We had a record turnout, approximately 500 people this year,” said F-G-V Development Coordinator Garry Daeke. “The race was lined with people all the way to the finish line! With Baby Shark and Paw Patrol performing, along with the appearance of the Chick-fil-A cow and great weather, children had a great time.”

Children and parents alike eagerly cheered on the ducks as they raced down the Garnett Street “river” towards the Orange Street finish line.

Winners of the race included:

1st Place – $1000, Davina Inman, Granville County

2nd Place – Chick-fil-A for a Year, Tracy Boyd, Henderson

3rd Place – $250 Gas Card, Mary Williams, Louisburg

Last Duck – $100, Ellen Lindsey

As an additional prize this year, F-G-V offered one lucky duck a month free of childcare (up to $1,000 value) available to any ticket buyer who had a child in childcare. Domenick Hicks-Smith, from St. Paul’s Presbyterian Childcare in Louisburg won the prize.

All proceeds from the Ducky Derby are used to fund Smart Start programs.

Reminder: FGV Ducky Derby to ‘Flood’ Garnett St. This Saturday

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start will hold its annual Ducky Derby Festival and rubber duck race, a fundraiser for the local Smart Start program, this Saturday, September 21, 2019, in downtown Henderson. The festival begins at 12 p.m. on Breckenridge Street between Perry Memorial Library and the Henderson Police Department.

This year’s activities include a bounce house and slide, face painting, corn hole, ring toss, balloon animals and performances by the Baby Shark and Paw Patrol characters.

Vendors will be on hand serving hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, sausage dogs, fish sandwiches, corn on the cob, funnel cakes, ice cream and snow cones.

Entertainment will include a DJ, singing performances from several daycare programs, music from Henderson Collegiate, Mary Potter Elementary School band and choir and the drumline from Granville Central High School.

The YMCA will lead line dancing and Zumba in the street and children will have the opportunity to man a real firehose with the assistance of the Henderson Fire Department.

Each child that attends the event will receive a free book, courtesy of Smart Start. Parents will also have the opportunity to enroll any child age birth to 5 in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program that sends a book each month to children at their home.

Safe Kids will also be present and will set up childcare safety seat inspections.

At 2 p.m., the entertainment switches to Garnett Street, where the rubber duck race will take place. Up to 2,000 rubber ducks will be poured into the Garnett Street “river” by a Greystone Concrete cement mixer.

The first duck to cross the finish line at Orange Street wins $1,000, second place $500 and third place finish is $250. Even the last duck to cross the finish line wins $100. There will be an additional drawing with one lucky winner receiving free “Chick-fil-A for a year,” a set of 52 meal tickets. Winners of the prizes do not have to be present to win.

In Henderson, tickets are on sale at EZ Car Care, Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce and State Employees Credit Union. All Smart Start staff and board members also have tickets, please call (252) 433-9110.

Tickets will also be on sale the day of the race. Ducks are $5 each, a “Quack Pack” of 6 tickets is $25 and a “Flock” of 25 tickets is available for $100.

FGV Smart Start to Hold 10th Annual Ducky Derby

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy FGV Smart Start

Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start will hold its annual Ducky Derby Festival and rubber duck race, a fundraiser for the local Smart Start program, on Saturday, September 21, 2019, in downtown Henderson, NC.

At noon, the festival begins on Breckenridge Street between the library and police station. This years’ activities include a bounce house and slide, as well as face painting and balloon animals for the children. Other activities are corn hole and ring toss. Vendors will be on hand serving hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, sausage dogs, fish sandwiches, corn on the cob, funnel cakes, ice cream, and snow cones.

Entertainment will include a DJ, singing performances from several daycare programs, and music from Henderson Collegiate, Mary Potter Elementary School band and choir, as well as the drumline from Granville Central High School.

The YMCA will lead line dancing and Zumba in the street. Children can man a real firehose with the assistance of the Henderson Fire Department, and Smart Start will be giving each child at the event a free book, as well as the opportunity for the parent to enroll any child age 0 to 5 in the Imagination Library, a program that sends a book each month to the child at their home.

Safe Kids will also be present and will set up childcare safety seat inspections for those parents with children still in car seats. Local nonprofits will have booths with information for families and children as well.

At 2 p.m., the entertainment switches to Garnett Street, where the rubber duck race will take place. Up to 2,000 rubber ducks will be poured into the Garnett Street “river” by a cement mixer provided by Greystone Concrete. The first duck to cross the finish line at Orange Street wins $1,000, second place $500, third place finish is $250, and the last duck to cross the finish line wins $100.

There will be an additional drawing at the end of the race for Chick-fil-A for a year. Winners of the cash prizes do not have to be present to win; however, the winner of the ‘Chick-fil-A for a Year’ prize must be present to claim the 52 meal tickets.

In Henderson, tickets are on sale at EZ Car Care, Dots Hallmark, Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce and the State Employees Credit Union. All Smart Start staff and board members also have tickets, please call (252) 433-9110.

Tickets will also be on sale the day of the race until 1 p.m. Ducks are $5 each, a Quack Pack of 6 tickets is $25, and a Flock of 25 tickets is $100.

Get Slimed for a Good Cause at FGV Smart Start’s ‘Slime Walk’

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-Information and flyer courtesy Christan Paylor, Professional Development Coordinator, FGV Smart Start

Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start will hold a “Slime Walk” on Saturday, April 6, 2019, at Franklinton High School – 910 Cedar Creek Rd. in Franklinton, NC.

Event registration begins at 9:30 a.m.; walk takes place from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

The pre-registration deadline has passed, but registration will be allowed the day of the walk.

Bring out a group, walk for children and have fun!

For more information, please contact FGV Smart Start at (252) 433-9110, ext. 224.

 

FGV Smart Start Announces Winners of Ducky Derby Drawing

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Garry Daeke, development coordinator for Franklin-Granville-Vance (FGV) Smart Start, was on Monday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to announce the winners of the 9th Annual Ducky Derby Fundraiser.

The Ducky Derby race, originally scheduled for September 15, 2018, was canceled due to expected inclement weather from Hurricane Florence. Instead, a drawing for prizes was held on Friday, September 21 at the FGV Smart Start office. Those that could not attend in person were able to view the drawing live on FGV’s Facebook page.

According to Daeke, this marks the first year in the organization’s nine years of holding the event that the outdoor rubber ducky race had to be canceled. “This is the first year that we haven’t been able to do it,” Daeke said. “We’ve always had in our contest – it’s in the rules – that if we aren’t able to have our race determined by the ducks that we’d have a random drawing the next week.”

Contest winners include First Place – $1,000, Gayla Currin of Creedmoor; Second Place – $500, Dorothy Branch of Youngsville; Third Place – $250, Edna Jarrett of Lawrenceville, VA; and Fourth Place – $100, Brian Scott of Raleigh.

Charlotte Evans of Oxford won the prize of 52 free meals courtesy Chick-fil-A.

As far as putting a damper on overall money raised, Daeke said Smart Start still did pretty well despite the canceled race. “We’re going to do pretty well; haven’t seen final numbers yet. I think we’ll do as well as we generally do, somewhere in the six to seven thousand dollar range. That money all goes back into our programs for young children.”

While approximately 250 – 300 fewer tickets were sold this year due to the loss of day-of ticket sales, the cost savings from the canceled race helped cover the difference.

Though pleased with the overall outcome, Daeke said Smart Start staff were a little disappointed not to watch the ducks flood downtown Henderson this year. “We’re pretty happy with how things went, although we were sad not to get out and run the duck race because it’s a highlight for all of us too!”

F-G-V Smart Start Seeking Sponsors for 9th Annual Ducky Derby Fundraiser

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-Information courtesy Sandra Wilkerson, Director of Admin and Events, Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce

Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start, Inc. will hold its 9th annual Ducky Derby fundraiser in downtown Henderson on Saturday, September 15 at 2 p.m.

Garnett Street will be filled with a river of rubber ducks and a fun time for everyone. Tickets will be sold to purchase ducks and the chance to win the Grand Prize – $1,000; 2nd Prize – $500; 3rd Prize – $250. Even the last duck wins a $100 prize!

There will also be a drawing at the end of the race for Chick-fil-A for a year (must be present to win this prize).

FGV Smart Start needs sponsors to assist with the cost of our event. Sponsorship levels are: Super Duck – $500; Top Duck – $250; Feathered Friend – $100; Quacker Backer – $50.

All sponsors for this year’s event will be recognized on Ducky Derby posters throughout the three-county area, radio advertisements, newspaper articles, the FGV Smart Start website and Facebook page and the Smart Ducky Derby website. We hope that you will consider being a sponsor for our newest event. Together, we are “Building Brighter Futures for Children.”

For information about being a sponsor, please call Garry Daeke at 252-433-9110, extension 227.

(This is not a paid advertisement)