Tag Archive for: #gangfree

TownTalk: Hispanic Heritage Festival Postponed To Oct. 8

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Add the second annual Hispanic Heritage Festival to the growing list of event postponements created by the threat of Hurricane Ian. But fear not, organizers have arranged for the festival to take place on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the area near the police department and library on Breckenridge Street. Melissa Elliott, Henderson City Council member and president of Gang Free, Inc. said the stage is set to provide the community with the sights, sounds and flavors of different Hispanic/Latino cultures – just a week later than planned.

“We’re grateful that everyone has agreed to participate” even though the date had to change to accommodate the predicted rainy weather.

The local Arts Council is sponsoring some of the entertainment scheduled, Elliott told John C. Rose Wednesday. There will be dancers performing traditional dances from Colombia and Mexico, she said, and numerous area restaurants will be providing food.

The event is free to the public. “We’re going to go out and have some fun,” she said, adding that it’s important to continue the momentum from last year’s festival and “celebrate everyone that lives, works and plays in our community.”

The popular electric bull will be back for anyone adventurous enough to climb aboard and then try to hang on, and there will be face-painting and other tamer activities to participate in, she added.

Mayor Eddie Ellington is scheduled to issue a city proclamation observing Sept. 15 – Oct. 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month. The festival falls right in the middle of this national observance, which satisfies Elliott’s quest for diversity and educating and empowering everyone in the community.

 

 

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The Local Skinny! Gang Free Inc. To Host Sip And Paint Vaccination Clinic

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Gang Free, Inc. is sponsoring a COVID-19 clínica de vacunación on Saturday, Mar. 19 at Satterwhite Point’s Glass House. The clinic is sponsored through a partnership with Raleigh-based Healthier Together and Spanish speakers are especially invited to come out and enjoy being outdoors for a “Sip and Paint” event.

Anyone interested in getting a COVID-19 vaccine is welcome to sign up, according to Melissa Elliott, founder of Gang Free, Inc. Call her at 252. 425. 5220 to get registered.

There are still some appointment slots open for the event, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 269 Glass House Road.

Even if you’re fully vaccinated and boosted, there are slots available to come out and paint and enjoy the beauty of the lake.

New cases are going down, Elliott told John C. Rose on Tuesday’s The Local Skinny!, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to let down our guard.

“We still have to be cognizant that this virus is still alive and still infecting individuals,” she said.
“We just want to make sure that we’re doing our part.”

Gang Free has spearheaded 70-plus vaccination clinics, and continues to distribute N-95 masks and rapid COVID tests to the community.

People with underlying health conditions are still especially vulnerable to COVID-19, and sometimes it’s those folks within marginalized populations that remain hesitant to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

“When people understand the information – once they understand why it’s important,” she said, they often change their minds. “When that virus attacks your body, it’s hard to fight back on your own,” Elliott said, referring to those with underlying health conditions.

“It IS your choice,” she emphasized, “but let me give you enough information to let you think about it.”

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TownTalk: Gang Free’s Black History Month Chief of the Year

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If you find yourself in Townsville and ask where to find Daren Small, you may get some puzzled looks or a shoulder shrug. But if you ask where “Squirrel” is, chances are you’ll be directed right to the fire station.

Daren “Squirrel” Small has been a fixture at the little fire department for more than 20 years. And although he has stepped down as chief, he said he’ll stay on – at least for a few more years.

As he put it on Tuesday’s Town Talk, it’s time to sit back and watch the scenery instead of being behind the wheel.

Small is the recipient of the “fire chief of the year” award given by Gang Free, Inc. as part of its celebration of Black History Month. Gang Free’s founder, Melissa Elliott, and community health worker Dasha Stutson spoke with John C. Rose about how and why Small and 3rd grade teacher Ebony Watkins were selected to receive the awards.

“I think that people need to have their flowers while they’re living,” Elliott said, instead of being remembered for their accomplishments after they’ve passed on. The recognition allows them to see how much their community appreciates them – and they get to participate in the celebration, too, she added.

Small said he and his wife were supposed to eat lunch at Ribeye’s in Henderson on Monday, but little did he know what awaited him.

“I’m humbled and blessed and really, really touched,” Small told Rose on Tuesday. Growing up in tiny Townsville, Small said he was always taught to give back. And that’s what he’s done through his career as a firefighter. He said he joined the county fire department in 1987, but his heart has always been with those who are volunteer firefighters.

Those volunteers have the heart to help – “it takes a special individual to do this job,” he said.

Stutson said she is especially appreciative of Small and what he means to his community.

“He’s been like a father figure to me,” she said. “He’s the sweetest man you’ll ever come across. There’s never a ‘no’ from him – it’s always an ‘I’ll try.’”

Stutson and Elliott expressed thanks for the numerous community partners and businesses that contributed gift cards that were presented to Small and to Watkins, especially Food Lion, Advance Auto, Auto Zone, NAPA and Tractor Supply.

Watkins teaches 3rd grade at E.M. Rollins Elementary School and Elliott said she creates TikTok messages each morning to help motivate and encourage her students.

Elliott said she was captivated by the fourth-year teacher’s energy and enthusiasm. So captivated, that she applied for a grant to supply the class with tablets.

“She’s doing a marvelous and phenomenal job,” Elliott said of Watkins. “We told her we were coming to bring her students tablets,” she added, and when they arrived, they also awarded her with the Gang Free “teacher of the year” award.

Her father works with the sheriff’s office and her mother is the bookkeeper at the middle school, and they both were present as the award was given. An added celebratory note is that the award was given on Watkins’s birthday, and Elliott said the young educator was overwhelmed with gratitude.

Elliott said she hopes the award serves as a thank-you to individuals for the work they’re doing in the community, but also “to let them know they are celebrated, appreciated and that the community loves them.”

 

 

The Local Skinny! Gang Free Inc. Has Masks; COVID-19 Update

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Need some N95 masks? Look no further than Gang Free Inc. Founder Melissa Elliott said she’s got plenty, with more ordered and on the way.

Elliott told WIZS News Monday that anyone in the community who would like masks can simply head out to the Gang Free, Inc. location at 940 County Home Road any weekday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Elliott said the masks come from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and are free. She also has COVID-19 at-home rapid tests available.

She estimates that her organization has distributed more than 6,000 masks and 2,000 test kits in the past couple of weeks. Recipients include area police departments and other agencies.

“If people need them, they can come and get them,” Elliott said.

Each box contains 20 N95 masks, and she gives larger groups like churches a whole case – 240 masks in all – if they need them. The test kits come two to a box, with 90 boxes in a case.

She said she didn’t want anyone in the community to have to pay for taking a COVID-19 test when her organization has them available free for the asking.

According to the most recent COVID-19 update from Granville Vance Public Health, both counties continue to be in the high community transmission rate. Vance County reported 358 new cases for 28.7 percent and Granville County reported 439 new cases for 22.5 percent positivity rate.

There have been 13,461 cases of COVID-19 in Granville County and 11,380 cases of COVID-19 in Vance County for a total of 24,841 across the health district.

In the Bureau of Federal Prisons in Butner, there were 44 Granville County inmates whose positive test results were reported to the local health department in the last week. In addition, there are currently 20 staff of the federal prison with COVID-19 (including 17 Granville County residents and 3 Vance County residents).

Granville County has documented 110 deaths as a result of COVID-19 and Vance County has a total of 111 deaths for a total of 221 deaths across the health district.

 

TownTalk: Gang Free Working To Vaccinate Families

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Gang Free Inc. in Henderson is one of 10 sites across the state selected to partner with NC Department of Health and Human Services and Healthier Together to offer a six-week-long family vaccination clinic.

Melissa Elliott, founder of Gang-Free Inc. said 56 individuals participated in the Nov. 6 kickoff event at 940 County Home Road. “We’ve been rolling ever since,” she told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk. The clinic is open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. The exception is Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25) and Friday, Nov. 26. Appointment times are available, but not necessary. Elliott said drop-ins are welcome.

The clinic is for individuals of any age, she said, adding that they have the Pfizer vaccine recently approved for children 5-11. And anyone coming to get their first vaccine before Nov,. 30 will receive a $100 gift card, she added.

Elliott said it is “totally humbling” to see her organization listed among the other state sites that are hosting the family vaccination clinics and said it is a tribute to the mission of Gang-Free to be a location that seeks to offer help to the community.

Gang-Free Inc. isn’t a large organization, she acknowledged, but said what it may lack in size, it makes up for with community spirit.

“We’ve got hearts and we care about people,” she said.

Having a clinic that is open to the whole family is a great form of outreach, she said. Often,  marginalized populations that face a scarcity of money and resources are a target for educating and informing about the vaccination. “We always educate before we vaccinate,” she said. Health educators on hand help explain the need for a vaccinated population. When Elliott hears them relate the COVID-19 vaccine to other routine and accepted vaccines that children get, she said it helps the public understand the importance of vaccination.

“I don’t see anything as a problem,” Elliott said, rather, “I’m always looking for solutions.” Helping people understand their role in helping their community is part of the group’s mission with the family vaccine clinic. “We’re going to knock all the barriers out of the way – we’re going to get them here,” Elliott emphasized.

If you need transportation, contact KARTS at 252.438.2573.

For more information about the clinic, call 252.598.0067.

Visit Myspot.nc.gov to learn more.

 

 

Town Talk: Gang Free Events Coming To Downtown Henderson

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Vance County middle schoolers have a unique opportunity this Thursday that involves food, gift cards, COVID-19 vaccinations and pumpkins. Lots of pumpkins.

Henderson-based Gang Free Inc. has partnered with Food Lion, the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, among others, to sponsor “Pumpkin, Paint and Pizza at Vance County Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 14 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Gang Free founder Melissa Elliott shared details about the upcoming event on Monday’s Town Talk with John C. Rose.

The term “food insecurity” has become a more commonly used familiar phrase recently, but Elliott said it’s less-often associated with children. With great support from Food Lion, she said the first 100 children to arrive will get $50 Food Lion gift cards.

The evening is “designed to bring middle school students and their parents out to a night of creative fun, while also promoting vaccination equity and education,” Elliott said.

Any person getting a first vaccine also will receive a $100 gift card, she noted. A $10 incentive is available for anyone who gets tested for COVID-19.

This three-pronged approach to a community event – fighting food insecurities, vaccine education and (of course) fun – is one way that Gang Free, Inc. strives to be “an answer to challenges… (W)e continue to use innovative ways to educate and empower to keep our community safe,” Elliott said in a written statement to WIZS.

The Hub Zone Tech Initiative also will be on-site to accept donated laptops that will be refurbished and re-distributed into the community.

Vance County Middle School Principal Stephanie Ayscue reached out to Elliott in search of pumpkins, but, through partnerships, the event has become so much more.

Students will have a chance to eat pizza, decorate a pumpkin and take home a gift card for future use.

Elliott said she and Principal Ayscue hope the event will increase community and parent support. “We’re here to support them,” Elliott said, adding that she wants everyone to know that no one in this community has to be hungry and no one has to go unvaccinated.

The idea of vaccination inequity often revolves around misinformation, she said. A key to combat that misinformation lies “in getting the right message into the community.”

Barriers to vaccination, in addition to misinformation, include access to transportation to get to a shot location or access to the internet to make an appointment.

A community outreach team spends a lot of time fanning out to areas known for low vaccination rates to help get the right message into the community regarding vaccinations, Elliott said.

The teams have been to the Williamsboro community, as well as Sandy Creek, and will be hitting South Henderson as well. “If we’re not out knocking on doors, we’re making phone calls,” she said.

 Whether it’s by canvassing pockets of unvaccinated areas in the county, doling out gift cards or providing pumpkins for children to paint and decorate, Gang Free, Inc. has a laser-sharp focus on making people’s lives better.

“We want to continue to be a blessing in the community,” she added.

Gang Free Inc. is sponsoring another event on Friday, Oct. 15 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in downtown Henderson, Elliott said.

The Hispanic Heritage celebration will fill up the entire block surrounding 200 Breckenridge St. with the sights, sounds and aromas from a wide range of Spanish-speaking cultures.

Dr. Alice Sallins joined Elliott on Town Talk to speak about the upcoming event.

“We have a strong Hispanic population in Vance County,” Sallins said. “We need to be supportive and to learn about their culture,” she added. With learning comes understanding, including what needs are unmet, she said.

Sallins, chairperson of the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission’s Promotions Committee, said having this event in downtown Henderson shows the community’s involvement in downtown.

It’s not just for the Latinex community, Elliott said. “We don’t want just the Hispanic people to come,” she noted. “We want everybody to come out and participate,” she said.

Visit gangfreeinc.org to learn more.

Downtown Henderson

The Local Skinny! Events In Downtown Henderson

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Various organizers have a lot planned for everyone in the area.

Friday, October 15 – From 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., it’s the Hispanic Heritage Festival at 200 Breckenridge Street. Dr. Alice Sallins, chairperson of the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission’s Promotions Committee, said, “It will be such a great honor to have the culmination activity downtown. We are trying to bring more business but at the same time community involvement downtown.” She said she thought this was one of the key pieces that had been missing. Henderson City Councilwoman Melissa Elliott, and Founder of Gang Free where the first part of the Hispanic Heritage Festival was held, said, “We don’t want just Hispanic people to come, even though it’s their heritage, we want to celebrate them, but like Dr. Sallins said, we want other people to learn about their culture and their heritage and the love.” She said the love of the Latinx community was overwhelming and others have a lot to learn. Some 500 members of the Latinx community appeared at the earlier event at Gang Free.

Friday, October 15 – It’s the Show Shine Shag and Dine evening cruise-in. Head to downtown Henderson from 6 to 9 p.m. hosted by Southern Classic Cars on Horner Street. Be sure to check out the classic cars on display in the showroom. Enjoy the DJ on site and seeing the cars and memorabilia. Open to the public. Free. No charge.

Saturday, October 16 – The Show, Shine, Shag & Dine car show featuring hundreds of 1988 and older antique and classic cars, muscle cars, trucks and more on display along Garnett Street in historic downtown Henderson. Other displays include the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame Reunion and the Corbitt Truck Show. You can also visit the Corbitt Truck Museum on Church Street. Enjoy food, vendors, and live entertainment throughout the day, including performances by Brake Tyme Band. FREE admission, open to the public.

Saturday, October 23 – The Vance County Relay for Life is sponsoring a Luminaria ceremony that is shaping up to illuminate a portion of Garnett Street with little bags of light to remember or honor lives affected by cancer. Organizers Christy Bennett, Carolyn Williams and Jeanette Brummitt are keeping it real simple. People can drive down Garnett Street to enjoy the luminaries or they can walk along the sidewalks, if they have their masks on. Bags are $10 each and can be purchased on the day of the event, but they also are available ahead of time so they can be decorated with names of loved ones before being returned and placed along with all the others. Over 700 sold so far. Luminaries sometimes need a little weight to stay in place, but Bennett and her crew have thought of that, too. They will use canned foods to anchor the paper bags, which will be donated to ACTS afterward.

Friday, October 29 – The long-observed downtown trick or treat event is planned, and Henderson Vance Downtown Development Director Tracy Madigan said, “Right now we are still on go for Friday, October 29th on Garnett Street from 4:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. The plan at the present time is for children to go door to door dressed in their costumes.

Saturday, December 4 – The downtown Henderson Christmas parade is tentatively set, according to Sallins, for December 4. She said, “The paperwork is in, but we have to wait for final approval before I put any (registration) forms out.”

Gang Free

Christmas Toy Drive at Gang Free, Inc.

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Gang Free, Inc. here in Henderson will be giving toys to over 600 children for Christmas.

At the present time, the organization still needs about 100 to 120 more toys to match with the number of youngsters already signed up.

Gang Free founder Melissa Elliott said, “Gang Free has over 600 children for Christmas. Toys For Tots provided us with 491 toys. Can you please ask people to stop by Gang Free and drop off a toy?”

Located at 940 County Home Road in Henderson and online at gangfreeinc.org, you can drop off toys Monday through Friday 9am to 6pm or call 252-598-0067 to make arrangements. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Health for the Holidays

Town Talk 12/03/20: ‘Health for the Holidays’ COVID Testing, Suicide Prevention Event

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Charlene Thompson, community health worker with Gang Free, Inc., appeared on the second segment of WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.

Thompson discussed Gang Free’s “Health for the Holidays” community event to include free COVID-19 testing, crisis intervention and suicide prevention on Saturday, December 5, 2020, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

In addition, Thompson said gift bags with masks and hand sanitizer, art supplies and food boxes will be distributed to participants.

Testing and services will be held at the City of Henderson Operations Center located at 900 S. Beckford Drive in Henderson.

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

Local News Audio

Noon News 10-21-20 Salvation Army Playground Relay For Life Corbitt Trucks Gang Free

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– Salvation Army Local Playground
– Relay for Life of Vance County, Rosa’s Team, 220 Fish Fry Fundraiser
– Corbitt Preservation Association President’s Challenge
– Gang Free Inc Needs Your Vote

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