Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

Not Rain, Not Wind…RHI Fundraiser a Success

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The fall barbecue chicken fundraiser was Friday.

All indications are it was a complete sell out.

Served were chicken halves, potatoes, string beans, bread and dessert for $8 per plate.

Rebuilding Hope Director Randolph Wilson reached out to WIZS Friday morning for radio announcements saying, “Our fundraiser is still on and we have drive thru pickup in the warehouse out of the rain.”

By 4:45 p.m. Friday, only 30 plates remained according to Wilson.

Here at WIZS we all enjoyed our plates and many happy people reached out about how delicious it was, including on social media.

TownTalk: Lakeland Cultural Arts Center Livens up Littleton

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Littleton, situated on the Warren-Halifax county line, has long been known to those travel there to enjoy second homes or to vacation on nearby Lake Gaston. But Lakeland Cultural Arts Center, looking especially spiffy after a recent renovation, is looking to attract more people to visit, shop and enjoy this little corner of the world.

Lakeland’s Executive Director Peter Holloway and Artistic Director John DuVall agree that, while the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to have shows, it allowed for a renovation that is nothing short of spectacular. Holloway said the pandemic afforded them the opportunity to do more planning, which resulted in more of a multipurpose facility. There’s a smaller performance space in the rear of the arts center, which gets a lot of use from students at Littleton Academy, right next door.

Lakeland Cultural Arts Center first opened in 1978, but a recent gala to celebrate the completed renovation served to mark its reopening.

Littleton native Ed Fitts and wife Deb have played a significant role in revitalizing the town of 520. “They’ve injected so much life and enthusiasm into the town,” Holloway told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Thursday’s TownTalk.

The center is actually attached to the former high school, but a brand-new lobby and art gallery provides a cohesive look to the facility.

“It’s kind of mind-blowing that it’s sitting in a town like Littleton,” Holloway said of the center, which boasts a 300-seat auditorium where patrons can enjoy concerts, stage productions and even watching films.

DuVall said volunteers drive much of the work that is done, both on stage and behind the stage.

“We need volunteers every day,” Holloway agreed.

DuVall said in his role as artistic director, he seeks to offer a well-rounded season with a variety of programming. He seeks to balance the familiar with other performances that people may not be as familiar with.

“Tuesdays With Morrie” is scheduled for two performances tonight and Saturday afternoon. The play is based on Mitch Albom’s bestseller of the same name.

Then the new hit movie “Elvis” will be shown at 7 p.m. on Oct. 8. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Visit https://www.lakelandcac.org/ to see the full schedule of events or phone 252.586.3124.

“We’re working really hard to choose folks who’ve got an educational component,”

Holloway explained.

There often is a matinee performance that gives students the chance to experience the arts live, he added.

On Oct. 28, Mike Wiley will perform “Breach of Peace,” based on true accounts of the Freedom Rides in the early days of the civil rights movement.

The Neil Simon classic “Odd Couple” comes to the main stage in November and then pianist Robin Spielberg will perform in early December. Later that month, Holloway said the familiar “A Christmas Carol” will take the stage, but it will have a unique twist. With a nod to the radio plays of the 1940’s, a small group of actors will perform a radio play of the Dickens classic, complete with the Foley artist, whose job is to create the play’s sound effects.

“It’s a very endearing, fun, and exciting performance – a great way to see an old classic,” Holloway said.

 

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The Local Skinny! Clayton Homes Of Oxford Supports KidsCan! At Duke Cancer Institute

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Clayton Oxford is known as #929 in the larger corporate family that is Clayton Homes, so what better day than Sept. 29 – 9/29 – to kick off the local manufacturer’s monthlong fundraising effort called Pink October?

One long table in the breakroom at the Knotts Grove Road plant was filled Thursday with all sorts of sweets for the first of several events of Pink October. Sandra Santos, Clayton Oxford’s team member experience manager, said the bake sale would probably earn close to $400 toward a $20,000 goal. Add that to $3,700 from “Stronger Together” t-shirt sales, and they’re about a fifth of the way there. And it isn’t even October yet.

Santos said other events will be held throughout the month – hotdog lunch fundraisers, 50/50 raffles and a carnival closer to Halloween are just a few of the fun things planned.

Clayton Oxford raises money each year for Duke Cancer Institute, Santos said. The roughly 220 team members had no problem meeting last year’s goal of $15,000, and Santos predicts this year will be no different.

On hand for Thursday’s kickoff event was Kristy E. Sartin, director of external relations for Duke Supportive Care and Survivorship Center. Sartin’s program is part of the umbrella organization that is Duke Cancer Institute, which provides a range of services – at no cost – to cancer patients and their families.

Leslie Dixon, a customer care advocate for Clayton Oxford, is one such patient.

Dixon was diagnosed with melanoma in late 2020, and she said she received “amazing care” not only from her medical team but also from the folks at Duke Cancer Institute. The KidsCan! Program helped her young son process his mom’s diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.

“KidsCan! helped with counseling and tutoring for my son, who was 10 at the time of my diagnosis,” Dixon said Thursday. The support he received from KidsCan! gave him a different outlook on cancer, she said.

“KidsCan! gave him an outlet and access to therapists for counseling,” Dixon said. And, he realized “they can also help me get my math grade back up,” she added.

“KidsCan! is a great program,” Santos said, “that provides support for children and teenagers…who can share their concerns and be treated with love and respect.”

Dixon said that during her six years at Clayton Oxford, there have been a number of fellow employees who have gotten a cancer diagnosis. They all went to Duke for their treatment, so it’s easy to support programs like the Duke Cancer Institute and KidsCan! because those programs have helped their friends and fellow team members.

“We’re part of a wonderful company,” Santos said. One of their core values is Do Good. And Pink October fits perfectly with that value, she said. “We do it and we serve our community in this way. We do good because it is good for everybody.”

To learn more, visit http://www.dukecancerinstitute.org/ and click Supportive Care.

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Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Sharing Pt. 2

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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TownTalk: DMV Commissioner Goodwin Discusses REAL ID

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The REAL ID looks like any other state-issued driver license, but that gold star emblem in the upper corner is what makes it different from a regular driver license. Beginning in May of next year, having a license in your wallet with a REAL ID enhancement could save you time at the airport or if you need to gain access to a military base, federal courthouse or federal prison, according to N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Wayne Goodwin.

Goodwin spoke with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s TownTalk to discuss details of the REAL ID.

The REAL ID is a way “to verify cardholders’ identities and lawful presence in the United States,” Goodwin explained.

There are specific supporting documents that individuals must provide to initially obtain a REAL ID, but drivers or others who already are in the DMV system may find the process less complicated than someone applying for the first time, he added.

Applicants must apply in person at their local DMV office; the initial process cannot be completed online because the documents must be scanned and stored in the DMV system.

Following is a list of documents needed to apply for a REAL ID:

  • One document that states your full name, proving identity and date of birth;
  • One document that states your full name and full Social Security Number to confirm SSN;
  • Two documents that contain your current physical address to prove residency;
  • Non-U.S. citizens must provide one document that states their full name proving legal presence/lawful status;
  • If applicable, one or more documents that verify any name changes

Although May 3, 2023 has been designated as the date that enforcement of the 2005 REAL ID Act will begin, Goodwin said “it’s not really a deadline, per se, but that’s when federal authorities will begin enforcing it.” He added those with REAL IDs can “visit efficiently” facilities such as nuclear power plants, military bases, federal courthouses and federal prisons.

Domestic airline travelers can show a current passport along with their driver license in lieu of carrying a REAL ID; Goodwin said it is not necessary to have the special ID to vote or to apply for, or receive, any federal benefits.

“It’s a special type of identification issued by each state that is a product of our need as a country to protect ourselves from a national security standpoint after 9/11,”  Goodwin explained.

Goodwin recently completed the process of obtaining his own REAL ID, and said any of the 117 DMV agencies across the state can help individuals do the same.

Visit https://www.ncdot.gov/ to learn more about NC REAL ID, the necessary documents and the process for obtaining a REAL ID.

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VGCC Logo

VGCC Hosts Oct. 20 Conference To “Imagine The Future Of Work”

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Vance-Granville Community College is hosting a daylong conference in October designed to help the region’s employers and business leaders to learn more about important workforce issues and how to create innovative programs to offset the challenges employers and employees face.

The “Business/Industry Connect 2022: Imagine the Future of Work” is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Civic Center on the college’s main campus in Vance County. The event is free, includes lunch, but registration is required. To register, visit BIC2022.eventbrite.com.

VGCC officials hope that the event can help businesses attract talent, understand the neuroscience behind successful hiring, institute highly motivating onboarding programs and develop a company culture that energizes coworkers, unlocks their potential and leads to higher retention rates. Many organizations are finding it difficult to find and keep skilled workers, according to a press statement from Jerry Edmonds, III, VGCC’s vice president of Workforce & Community Engagement.

Two special guests will help facilitate the conference: Phil Dixon and Bryan W. Mattimore.

Dixon graduated from Warwick University with a degree in Computer Science. His career in the Information Technology field included a stint with Apple before launching his own consulting firm. In 2010, he earned a master’s degree in Consulting and Coaching for Change in England at a program run jointly by HEC Paris and Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. He found his life’s passion in studying neuroscience and the brain.

Today a resident of Oxford – in Granville County – Dixon has published several articles and books about the brain, and is a frequent and international speaker on the topic of brain-based leadership.

Mattimore is cofounder and “Chief Idea Guy” of the Growth Engine Company, based in Connecticut. In his business consulting career, Mattimore has given more than100 keynote addresses, facilitated over a thousand brainstorming sessions, and managed 200 successful innovation projects, leading to over three billion dollars in new sales annually for one-third of the Fortune 100 companies. He is also a Senior Fellow with The Conference Board, an innovation and marketing instructor for Caltech in their Executive Education Department, and the author of several books. His new book, “Islands of Invention, How to Create Extraordinary Innovation Centers,” co-authored with McKinsey consultant Claus Raasted, is set to be published later this year.

“We look forward to this opportunity for the local business and economic development community to gather, learn and collaborate on ways to not only find new team members, but also to develop and engage the employees they already have,” said VGCC Grants Administrator Ken Wilson, who is coordinating the conference. “VGCC and our partners in education and workforce development are here to help local organizations successfully hire and train their talent.”

For more information, contact Ken Wilson at wilsonk@vgcc.edu.

 

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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Home And Garden Show

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— On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • Vegetables to plant now Chinese cabbage, Garlic, bulb onions, spinach
  • Don’t apply lime to your lawn out of habit or routine.
  • Any vegetables growing now still needs 1 inch of rain or irrigation
  • Scout for fire ants and treat active mounds.
  • If renovating your lawn make sure you pack the seed into the soil. Good seed to soil contact is a must for good seed germination.
  • Plant trees and shrubs.
  • Soil Test season is now! 1 week analysis time
  • Plant strawberries, if you can find them.
  • Visit local nurseries to plan for your fall landscape projects.

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