ABOUT: After 18 months of training dogs to become service dogs, a “leash” ceremony where the dogs will go to new owners will take place as part of an “At Both Ends of the Leash” (ABEL) Program at Warren Correctional Institution. The program, a partnership with nonprofit Eyes Ears Nose & Paws (EENP) of Carrboro, allows offenders to train service dogs, working with EENP to develop the training regimen. The program’s end goal is to place the dog in the home of an EENP client with assistance needs.
The ceremony will celebrate the accomplishments and skills of not only these amazing animals but their offender trainers as well. Demonstrations will show the dogs’ skills in life activities geared to assisting their new owners. Speakers will include EENP Program Director Deb Cunningham, as well as officials and dog trainers from Warren Correctional Institution.
Visitors will be subject to a search of personal items and a pat/frisk search prior to entering the facility’s visitation area.
Cellphones are prohibited.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wizsfbresize_0001s_0089_NC-Dept-of-Public-Safety.png.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2019-05-29 16:51:562019-05-29 16:51:56Warren Correctional Institution to Hold Leash Ceremony for Service Dogs
Warren County 4-H’s annual Father/Daughter & Mother/Son Dance will be held Friday, June 7, 2019, at the Warren County Armory Civic Center from 7 – 9 p.m.
$20 per couple ($5 per additional child). One FREE photo per couple! Refreshments will be available while they last!
For more information, contact Warren County’s North Carolina Cooperative Extension Center at (252) 257-3640 or visit www.warren.ces.ncsu.edu.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/4-H-Dance.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2019-05-28 16:51:312019-05-28 16:51:31Warren Co. 4-H to Hold Annual Father/Daughter & Mother/Son Dance
In honor of May’s designation as Mental Health Awareness Month, you are invited to participate in Warren County’s upcoming “Listening Session” on Wednesday, May 29, 2019. This session will be held at the Warren County Armory Civic Center from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
Join the community conversation and share your ideas and experiences on how to improve care for Warren County residents and their family members who may be experiencing mental health and substance misuse crises. Refreshments will be served.
Please call (252) 220-4640 to participate in the listening session or to schedule a private interview.
This session is sponsored by the Warren County Health Department and Cardinal Innovations Healthcare.
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Warren County and the Town of Warrenton will host the 2nd Annual Public Arts Day on Saturday, June 1, 2019. Events for children and adults will be held at various locations throughout the county.
Events include:
Heritage Quilters STAY WOKE Quilt Show from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at 105 South Front St. in Warrenton. STAY WOKE is a quilt exhibition featuring works by the Heritage Quilters Giving Circle, Inc. that depict social issues.
Working Landscapes “Warren County Farm Portraits” from 12 until 2 p.m. at the Warren County Memorial Library. See magnificent pieces of artwork that depict farms and farmers from across Warren County. With funding from the North Carolina Arts Council and from the Warren County Arts Council, Working Landscapes has brought together four artists – two local and two from outside of the county – to highlight the diversity that can be found in Warren County soil.
This will be a come-and-go event with an introduction and Q&A with the artists at 1 p.m. Light appetizers and drinks will be catered by Honey’s Kitchen Catering.
Warren County’s Canvas Painting in the Park from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. and from 1 until 3 p.m.at the Warren County Recreational Complex. Cost is $5 per painted easel. Open to ages 5 and up. Ages 5-7 must be accompanied by a parent or adult.
Painting class for adults and children will be taught by Victoria Privette. Snacks will be provided. There will also be a limited number of Eastern Bluebird houses available to paint and take home at no additional cost (while supplies last).
Register online (click here) by Wednesday, May 29, 2019. Only 15 easel spaces available per time slot, so register now!
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Fifteen cadets graduated from the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program at Vance-Granville Community College in a ceremony held May 14 in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus. After passing the state certification exam, all are authorized to work in any law enforcement agency in North Carolina.
Above: On front row, from left: graduates Kevin Allen, Taylor Inscoe, Zachary Long and the college’s interim director of Law Enforcement Training/BLET, Glen Boyd; on second row, from left: graduates Maggie Cabiness, Jonathan Kearney, Jeremy Moore, Zachary Workman and Seth Hodge; and on back row, from left: graduates Gina Chappell, Daniel Allen, Michael Bader, Andrew Spitzer, Jake Coleman, Sabrina Hoyle and Emma Britt. (VGCC Photo)
Honored as members of VGCC’s 108th BLET class were: Emma Carey Britt and Andrew Ronald Spitzer, both of Butner Public Safety; Jeremy Dale Moore and Zachary Lance Workman, both of the Granville County Sheriff’s Office; Jake Matthew Coleman and Sabrina Edward Hoyle, both of the Henderson Police Department; Seth Thomas Hodge of the N.C. Division of Parks & Recreation; Daniel Marquis Allen, Michael James Bader and Gina Christine Chappell, all of the Oxford Police Department; Kevin Ward Allen, Taylor Nicole Inscoe and Zachary Thomas Long, all of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office; Maggie Rena Cabiness and Jonathan Shawn Kearney, both of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.
The class was exceptional in at least two major ways. First, all 15 cadets who began the program successfully graduated, marking a rare 100-percent completion rate for the rigorous 16 weeks of training. Second, each member of the class was employed by a law enforcement agency by the day of their graduation.
Speaking as leader of the class, Cadet Seth Hodge thanked all the graduates’ family members and friends in attendance for their support. He added that the class had learned a great deal about teamwork. “We as a group of strangers decided on this path together, and we were tasked to complete our first major hurdle in our careers together,” Hodge said. Learning to trust one another, he said the team had then become a family. “And no matter where our lives take us from here, no matter the badge or uniform we wear, I want you to always remember just what we are: family,” he added.
VGCC Campus Police Chief Sean Newton, representing the program’s many instructors, was chosen by the cadets as the keynote speaker for their graduation. He congratulated the cadets on the completion of “a long, hard journey.”
Newton reminded the new law enforcement professionals that they would be taking an “oath of honor” to uphold and protect the Constitution, their community and their agency.
“The first thing you will uphold is the Constitution,” Newton said. “You’re taking an oath to protect the rights of all people of our state and country: the victims of crimes, the general public, and those accused of crimes. In my opinion, there is no greater responsibility than this.”
Second, they will pledge to uphold their community. “I cannot stress enough how important it is to embrace and include the community in your law enforcement efforts,” Newton said. “We’ve seen a reported breakdown between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Some of it is unfortunately true, while some may be exaggerated by social media or certain biases. Regardless of the reason, we must, as members of the law enforcement community, constantly strive to better these relationships.”
Finally, he said, graduates will swear an oath to the agencies they serve. “I would like to add all law enforcement officers in general to that category,” Newton said. “Always remember, you won’t be the only officer judged by your actions; every other officer in the country will be, too. No other profession is scrutinized as much as law enforcement, and rightfully so.”
The police chief called on graduates to think carefully about the words in their oath and remember them as they start their careers. “How you embrace these words will determine how successful your career will be,” Newton said.
Glen Boyd, interim director of Law Enforcement programs and BLET at VGCC, presented awards to several students. Kevin Allen took home the Academic Achievement Award for having the top grade average in the written tests each cadet must pass. Seth Hodge earned the Physical Fitness Award for scoring highest in the various fitness tests the cadets undergo during physical training. Michael Bader won the “Top Gun” Award for having the highest accuracy score in firearms qualification.
For more information on the BLET program, contact Glen Boyd at boydg@vgcc.edu.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/VGCC-BLET-Grads-2019.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2019-05-20 16:58:582019-05-20 16:58:58VGCC Graduates 15 Cadets in 108th Basic Law Enforcement Training Class
Graduates of the Adult Basic Skills programs at Vance-Granville Community College received inspirational messages along with their diplomas during commencement exercises on May 2. The students being honored in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County were among those who have completed either the Adult High School Diploma program or the High School Equivalency program in the past year.
The principal commencement speaker for the ceremony was Rev. Dannie T. Williams, chief of human resources with the Franklin County Schools. “I am one of you,” Williams told the graduates because he completed the GED high school equivalency program himself. The 16th of 18 children, the Franklin County native recalled, “I left the high school arena because I had to go to work to provide for my family.”
Rev. Dannie T. Williams, chief of human resources with Franklin County Schools, served as principal commencement speaker at Vance-Granville Community College’s Basic Skills commencement ceremony on May 2, 2019. (Photo courtesy VGCC)
He added, “There were many who told me that a GED wouldn’t carry you anywhere, that a GED was a dead end. Wrong! This is the beginning for you; it was only the beginning for me.”
Williams advised graduates to be lifelong learners. “Don’t be satisfied with this graduation. Go further and keep moving forward. Take up the clep prep. The world is waiting for what you have to offer,” he told the students. “Education will take you places you never dreamed of.” Recalling that, ironically, his high school counselor did not advise him to go to college, Williams went on to complete multiple college degrees, to work in education and serve on the county school board. Most recently, he has completed all required coursework for his doctoral degree (Ed.D.) and is currently working on his dissertation.
He called upon graduates to “be true to yourselves….love yourselves….recognize, appreciate and develop your unique talents.” He also asked them to pass on encouragement. “Be somebody’s coach,” Williams said. “As you have reached this milestone in your life, reach back to somebody else and say, ‘I’ve done it, you can do it, too.’ Coach them into being in the next graduating class at Vance-Granville Community College.”
Speaking on behalf of the graduating students was Rev. Roberta Egerton of Louisburg. She completed her High School Equivalency earlier this year after attending classes on VGCC’s Franklin County Campus.
“I have been striving for this goal for 30 years, but my family came first and then I became a foster mother,” Egerton told the audience. “Afterward, I had setbacks and sickness but I overcame, and by overcoming, I stand before you today as a proud woman of 76 years old. No matter what life may bring your way, I want you to know that you can overcome any obstacle, because I stand here as a living witness today, saying ‘never give up,’ but continue in your education.”
She is now enrolled in the Nurse Aide program at the college and plans to eventually obtain an Associate’s Degree in Nursing.
“There is nothing impossible if you want to reach your goal,” she advised her fellow graduates. “You have to maintain, to stay focused and be committed. Apply the wisdom and knowledge that you have been taught at VGCC.”
As an extra incentive for graduates to begin their collegiate studies, each received a certificate worth free tuition and fees for one semester of courses in curriculum programs or continuing education courses at VGCC, absorbing costs not covered by federal financial aid.
ADULT HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA GRADUATES
Keyara Shanell Moncur of Apex;
Carly Jean Minor of Butner;
Tre’Sean Quintez Clark of Chapel Hill;
Mishak Rodriguez Brown, Jr., Tinajha Al’more Davis, Cheyenne S. Days, Davionne Omneatte Dunlap, Donte L. January, Jainay Cishara Richardson, Imani Jabre Staton, Deja Nicole Stokes and Deshawna Shanyah Welcome, all of Charlotte;
Israel Tramell Melvin of Clinton;
Elijah Bowling of Creedmoor;
Kyana Yeshema Humbert and Taneesha Nicole Kirk, both of Fayetteville;
David Nathaniel Dunn, Joseph Thomas Dunn and Ryan C. Morris, all of Franklinton;
Tyequan KyAngelo Davenport of Greensboro;
Dysheka V. Baker of Greenville;
Amber Lynn Abbott, Zermaine Bianca Alston , Jasmine Jeanae Johnson, Alexis Simone Miller, Kaitlyn Ann Parrish, Alicia Monae Pointer and Quaneisha Wortham, all of Henderson;
Ladajah Rashaye Mebane of High Point;
Ty’shon D. Stokes of Hollister;
Aliyah Shonte Cabbagestalk and Amaru M. Golden, both of Hope Mills;
Arkeivious Lavar Alston of Kittrell;
Kera Cherisse Brindle of Lexington;
Trinity Janae Frazier and Karla Rebollar, both of Louisburg;
Paytyn Justice Abbott, Takiera Money Mayo and Jessica Pearson, all of Macon;
Daeaz Jacoby Holloway-Baine of Matthews;
Christian Miguel Avalos, Ivori Samon Christian and Lakeisha Monshe’ Henderson, all of Norlina;
Erin L. Banks, Bailee Michelle Barker, Jazmine Samone Brame, Jacob Lee Edmonson, Michael Austin Skiff and Darian Jaiole Yates, all of Oxford;
Erine Eliel Reed and Samuel Brian Teague, both of Raleigh;
Marcedia Rosand Warren of Roanoke Rapids;
D’Lang Williams of Salisbury;
Taj Andrew Young of Sophia;
Tayla Rae Bowen of Stem;
Joshua Lee Nelson of Thomasville;
Micah Dillon Breeden and Yerania Reyes Novas, both of Wake Forest;
Paige Cheyanne Brown, Tianna Laynia Burt, Enijah Marquel Henderson, Shea’ Moneak Jones, Alicia Lafonda Lewis, Adraya Michelle Lewis Love, Zachary Allyn Sampson, Abigail Loren Short, Anna Townes and Alexis Miracle Young, all of Warrenton;
Jarek Damonte Burwell and Sarah Elizabeth Dale, both of Youngsville;
Michael Lamont Williams of Zebulon.
HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY GRADUATES
Autumn Brea Finch – Gilliam of Castalia;
Tony Dale Arnold, Malisa Jensen, Willard Abram Lewis and Hunter Cameron Sparrow, all of Creedmoor;
Araceli Palacios of Durham;
Karena Allen, Kristofer Erak Bryant, Jeremy Croskey and Alyssia Lyn Pugsley, all of Franklinton;
Johnnie Ray Berry, Jr., Desmond Antwann Davis, Rondarious Malick Keith, James Allen Neal, Donnie Ray Travis and Nathan Wills, all of Henderson;
Shakayla Tatiyana Burnett of Kittrell;
Araceli Alejo-Benítez, Linda Lee Crudup, Roberta Flagg Egerton and Kira L. Tant, all of Louisburg;
Lucas Logan Matthews and Kaleigh Yvonne Overby, both of Norlina;
Drew A. Johnson and Cesar Lorenzo Vazquez, both of Oxford;
Jessica Marie King and Joel Wayne Poe, both of Stem;
Mariah Lashelle Alston, Alhaarith Ibn-Faruq Abdul Haqq and Kempton Louise Robertson, all of Warrenton;
Emily Rose Gaeta and Andrew Hillman, both of Youngsville;
Founded in 1964, CWS is a private non-profit organization located at 602 S. Garnett Street in downtown Henderson. Formerly known as Raleigh Vocational Center, Inc., the organization changed its name to Community Workforce Solutions in 2007.
“The building doesn’t look the way it did back then, but a lot of people like to come by and tour the place. Some say they worked there 50 years ago and want to see the building,” said Waverly.
In 2004, three years prior to its name change, the organization assumed operation of INCO.
“For over 50 years, Community Workforce Solutions has been serving the community by providing training and placement services to adults with disabilities and other barriers to employment,” Waverly said.
By partnering with community organizations and employers in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties, Waverly said CWS assumes the dual role of supporting the individual and the business that hires them.
“When you hire the individual, you hire us as well. We support them with whatever they need to get the job done. It’s a win-win for the employer because they are getting a quality employee and a support staff.”
Waverly estimated that the organization currently partners with 50-60 local businesses and has 60-70 former employees on an active, long-term list that is monitored twice monthly by a long-term coach.
While employee pay begins at minimum wage, Waverly reported that several workers now receive $12 – $15 an hour, with all paychecks going directly to the individual.
To assist with the payment of wages and the training mechanism, CWS operates a thrift store, also at the 602 S. Garnett St. address.
“We offer clothes ranging from .75 cents to $7, household items and more, and we always need donations,” said Waverly. “We will help you unload it and give you a tax form if needed.”
Brunch and Learn Event
CWS is sponsoring a “Brunch & Learn” event this Friday, May 17, 2019, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at their Garnett St. location.
According to Waverly, the purpose of the event is to educate attendees on the services CWS offers and to connect employers with community partners. All local employers are encouraged to attend.
For more information on the brunch event, contact Rahesha Medina at (252) 572-8322 or rmedina@nc-cws.org.
To listen to the Town Talk interview with Sandra Waverly in its entirety, click here.
As part of Warrenton’s free outdoor movie series, “Creed II” starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone will be shown in Warrenton’s Historic Courthouse Square, 109 S. Main St., on Saturday, May 25, 2019. The movie will begin at dusk (approximately 8:30 p.m.).
Admission is free; popcorn and various other refreshments will be on sale.
Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy an evening of family fun.
For additional information, or to view upcoming outdoor movies and Warrenton events, please visit the Warrenton Festival Facebook page by clicking here.
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Vance-Granville Community College recognized 37 students who graduated this spring from the Associate Degree Nursing program with a pinning ceremony in the college’s Civic Center on May 8.
Among those honored with distinctive nursing pins at the ceremonies were nine who graduated through the LPN to ADN Transition Program, which helps Licensed Practical Nurses to continue their education and then become Registered Nurses. Those graduates were: Lakeisha Scott of Bullock; Catherine Bullock of Butner; Lilian Schleifer of Cary; Christine Atieno of Durham; Frances Beddingfield, Joseane Buckley, Teresa Coley and Wanda Davis, all of Oxford; and Leslie Judd of Raleigh.
Above: members of the 2019 Associate Degree Nursing class at Vance-Granville Community College who received their nursing pins on May 8 included, on front row, from left: Ashton Hobgood, Lakeisha Scott, Rachel Munson, Chelsea Ray; Frances Beddingfield, Emily Padgett and Katie Lee; second row, from left: Michelle Madison, Abigayle Edwards, Rhonda Williamson, Catherine Bullock, Hellen Mbuya, Wanda Davis and Melissa Ramos; third row, from left: Joseane Buckley, Keyona Bullock, Ashley Flynn, Vanna Farrar, Teresa Coley, Tuesday Mathews, Jessica Honhart and Maritza Vazquez; fourth row, from left: Leslie Judd, Phylicia Wimbush, Allison Stell, Shanae Rhoades, Takera Green, Angela Talam and Caitlin Pernell; back row, from left: Kaylin Gibson, Moses Onchonga, Tyler Thorp, Ashley Sawyer, James Temple, Brandon Smith and Christine Atieno; not pictured: Lilian Schleifer. (VGCC Photo)
The graduates who took courses in the traditional five-semester sequence included: Tuesday Mathews of Angier; James Temple and Rhonda Williamson, both of Bullock; Emily Padgett of Butner; Kaylin Gibson of Creedmoor; Takera Green and Moses Onchonga, both of Durham; Vanna Farrar and Ashley Sawyer, both of Franklinton; Katie Lee, Allison Stell, Tyler Thorp and Phylicia Wimbush, all of Henderson;
Keyona Bullock, Jessica Honhart, Rachel Munson, Caitlin Pernell and Chelsea Ray, all of Louisburg;
Ashton Hobgood, Hellen Mbuya and Shanae Rhoades, all of Oxford; Abigayle Edwards, Angela Talam and Maritza Vazquez, all of Raleigh; Michelle Madison of Selma; Ashley Flynn and Brandon Smith, both of Wake Forest; and Melissa Ramos of Warrenton.
Welcoming remarks for the ceremony were offered by Dr. Rachel Desmarais, VGCC President; Dr. Anna Seaman, Associate Degree Nursing Program Head; and Ashton Hobgood, president of the graduating class of 2019.
Academic honors were presented to graduates who completed the program with at least a 3.5 grade point average: Angela Talam, and Tyler Thorp, who was recognized for having the highest GPA in the class.
Cords were presented to students who participated as members of the National Student Nurses Association, which sponsors community service projects and professional development. These students included Bullock, Coley, Davis, Farrar, Flynn, Gibson, Hobgood, Honhart, Mathews, Munson, Padgett, Pernell, Ray, Rhoades, Sawyer, Smith, Stell, Talam and Thorp.
Instructor Brande McIlroy described the significance of the nursing pin. The unique green and gold pin identifies each nurse as a VGCC graduate and indicates that the graduate has the training and competence to serve as a professional nurse. During the ceremony, graduates were pinned by Dr. Anna Seaman and received lamps from instructor Patsy Pegram. Meanwhile, Nursing Department Chair Erica Jastrow read their biographies.
After all graduates had received pins, the lights in the Civic Center were lowered, and instructor Crystal Senter led students in reciting the “Nursing Pledge” by lamplight.
On Saturday, May 18, 2019, at 6 p.m., Granville County native R F Timberlake will call bids and will auction off two, first edition art prints of Kerr Lake at a fundraiser for the Grassy Creek Community Building.
Myrtle Reams, the coordinator for the fundraiser said, “Frank Timberlake will deliver a double whammy to help out his native Grassy Creek! First, he agreed to be the auctioneer for our fundraising event. Second, and we could hardly believe it, Frank, who I went through school with, agreed to donate two of his Kerr Lake prints that are from a new collection that’s never been seen. He’s putting the new collection of prints together this spring and summer.”
On Saturday, May 18, 2019, at 6 p.m., Granville County native R F Timberlake will call bids and will auction off two, first edition art prints of Kerr Lake at a fundraiser for the Grassy Creek Community Building. (Photo courtesy R F Timberlake and Shutter Art Gallery)
Timberlake, who rarely calls bids anymore, and then only for charities, won the 1990 North Carolina Rookie Auctioneering Championship. The former radio broadcaster turned ad agency executive hails from Stovall and Grassy Creek and operates an almost thirty-year-old advertising and PR firm that is renowned for client success and winning national awards and recognition.
In 2016, after attempting to learn to paint realism and even with advice and help from a famous cousin artist, Timberlake introduced his patented creation of a slightly different art form, PhoArt®. The term PhoArt® tells the story of the process: taking a photograph in the raw and then turning up some or all of its aspects, and finally running it through proprietary software which Timberlake helped finesse.
“It will be great to spend a few days at home, see a lot of old friends, watch their reactions to some of my new artwork, and then at the auction, to actually pick their pockets for a good cause,” remarked the jovial artist and entrepreneur. The retail value of the two Kerr Lake prints is over $300.
The auction, touted to have something of interest for everyone, will start at the Grassy Creek Community Building at 6 p.m. Hot dogs, BBQ sandwiches, snacks, desserts and soft drinks will be on sale. Assisting Timberlake with auctioneering will be Harry Jones and Marty Ayscue.
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