Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

TownTalk: FVW Opportunity Focused On Supporting Individuals, Communities To Be Their Best

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Franklin Vance Warren Opportunity provides a multitude of programs throughout its service area that gets right to the heart of its mission of supporting people and helping them make their lives better.

For Dr. Abdul Rasheed, CEO and senior advisor to the FVWOpp board of directors, that’s what it’s all about. Rasheed said a community must leverage its assets in order to excel. “The first thing that we have to do is invest in our assets,” he said on Tuesday’s TownTalk. “Our Number 1 asset is people.”

Rasheed and Roy Brown, FVWOpp’s Media and Communications coordinator, talked about an upcoming podcast and live conversation called “Where Our DOGs At?” whose target audience includes males in the community.

DOG stands for “Dads on Guard,” Rasheed explained, and he said FVW is launching the live conversation and podcast to help men of all ages identify positive norms and principles, creating a “moral compass” to help guide men in their own lives and then translating that to their own families and the larger community.

Several local leaders are scheduled to take part in the program, including Eric Sanchez, founder of Henderson Collegiate, Jamon Glover, Incredible Years Program Coordinator at Vance County Cooperative Extension and Anthony Ragland, owner of Southern Charm event venue in downtown Henderson.

“All of these young men are excellent role models that even an old dog like myself can learn from,” Rasheed said. He and Brown will also participate in the conversations, rounding out the complement of young fathers and community leaders.

FVWOpp will be making announcements on its social media platforms soon about how to participate in the program.

With a $10,000 grant from Triangle North Healthcare Foundation, Rasheed said FVWOpp is going to be able to strengthen its capacity to reach into the community by building positive pathways that allow individuals to survive and thrive.

The theme of the first podcast is safety and gun violence. “We do have a problem here in our area,” Rasheed said. “I think our police are doing the best job they can with the resources they have available to them. We have to rally and support law enforcement in our community,” he said.

Offering young people ways to access workforce development, certificate programs, paths to graduation and mental health resources help young men look to something other than criminal activity, guns and violence.

When Brown was in the Navy, he got to travel extensively and lived in U.S. cities where he saw Black professionals – doctors, lawyers, business people – being successful in places that supported them.

“When I came back home, I thought, ‘why can’t we do that here?’” Brown said. Programs like the Community Services Block Grant that helps individuals pursue certificate programs that help them get better jobs is just one program that FVWOpp works with.

The Section 8 program is another way to support renters secure housing with private property owners by providing a rental subsidy.

A weatherization program helps mostly senior adults and people with disabilities better insulate their homes to keep them warmer in winter and cooler in summer.

These programs, among others offered by FVWOpp help people in the community establish a better quality of life. Helping individuals helps neighborhoods, too, which ripples out into the larger community, Rasheed said.

Partnerships with city and county reap benefits, too. The area’s largest Headstart location is at the former Eaton Johnson campus, with upwards of 100 children getting high-quality instruction in 5-star state certified classrooms.

This Thursday, Oct. 2, at 11 a.m., FVWOpp will welcome Assistant Secretary for Rural Economic Development at the N.C. Dept. of Commerce Reginald Speight to Henderson. This arm of the state government is focused on strengthening rural communities across the state.

Rasheed invites the community to attend this event as a way to establish relationships for positive growth and development for the area.

Visit www.fvwopp.com to learn about all the programs the center offers.

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VGCC Foundation’s ‘Fill The Pantry’ Craft Fair Set For Friday, Oct. 10 At Civic Center

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— Information courtesy of Vance-Granville Community College Foundation

The Vance-Granville Community College Foundation is planning its third annual Fill the Pantry Craft Fair on Friday, Oct. 10 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the College’s Civic Center in Henderson.   The event supports the VGCC food pantry, which provides essential resources to students in need.  This indoor craft fair is open to the public.

Cost of admission will be three (3) canned goods, nonperishable food items, or paper goods at the door.

Join in for a day of shopping, community, food, raffles and giving back. Local vendors will offer a variety of handmade goods—perfect for early holiday shopping—while helping to stock the pantry shelves.  In addition, grab a bite to eat from Bun on the Run or enjoy a coffee and/or treat from The Double Shot.

“With the holiday season quickly approaching, this show is a fantastic way to celebrate our local crafters while also supporting the community,” said Angela Douglas, VGCC Food Pantry Assistant. “We are excited to host this family-friendly event and help our students at the same time.”

Sheri Jones, VGCC Foundation associate director, said, “We are supported by donations from The Food Bank of North Central NC as well as one of the local Food Lion stores.  We also do a weekly donation pick-up from Strong Arm Baking Company in Oxford and have employees who make monetary donations and product donations.  Since we are able to do our event indoors, we have moved it to Friday afternoon and early evening this year so that it doesn’t compete with numerous other events – most outdoors – that take place on Saturdays in October.”

The VGCC Foundation is still accepting craft vendors to participate in this indoor community event, but spaces are limited. Craft vendors who would like to participate should complete the online Craft Show Interest Form. Vendor fees will be $25 for a 10 x 10 space plus a donated item to be used for raffles. For more information, please contact the Vance-Granville Community College Food Pantry at 252-738-3323 or douglasa@vgcc.edu.

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Cooperative Extension with Micah Sharpe: All Things 4-H – Makayla Macon Spotlight

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Micah Sharpe, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

Makayla Macon, a student at Vance County Middle School, talks with 4-H Agent Micah Sharpe to speak about her experiences and the activities that she has done at 4-H.

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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The Local Skinny! County Contract Extension With Rescue Squad Ends Sept. 30

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The 90-day contract extension between the county and the Vance County Lifesaving and Rescue Squad Inc. officially ends tomorrow – Sept. 30.

According to Rescue Squad Chief Doyle Carpunky, the rescue squad’s offer to continue responding to calls at no cost to the county has been declined, but it is unclear whether the rescue squad will continue to be dispatched.

So what’s going to happen if the rescue squad gets dispatched on Oct. 1? Carpunky said he hasn’t had clarification from the county but told WIZS this morning that “we’re going to respond to the citizens of our community like we’ve always done.”

Requests from the rescue squad board president and the county fire association to meet with county staff and the county’s Public Safety Committee have been declined.

In an email to Rescue Squad Board President Bill Rainey, Vance County Manager C. Renee Perry stated that the rescue squad would be dispatched upon requests from volunteer fire departments or other partnering agencies. “We appreciate the Rescue Squad’s continuing operations in the County and the County’s 911 center has no problem dispatching upon request,” Perry stated in the email.

Perry told WIZS earlier Monday that the county commissioners will consider an updated operations plan at its November meeting and that the rescue squad will be dispatched upon request only, “not automatically since we don’t have a contract in place.”

Carpunky said the county is rewriting the mutual plan with no input from fire departments or from the rescue squad.

In response to an email from Rescue Squad President Bill Rainey requesting that the rescue squad continue to be dispatched to calls at no cost to the county, Perry listed several reasons why the county is not willing to accept that offer. The email, which Carpunky shared with WIZS, reads as follows:

I have received your request for a contract with no funding and automatic dispatch and I have the below concerns and these are reasons why we will not move forward with the request.

  • The County provides no funding, so it has lost the significant tool for oversight. Financial contributions has historically given the County leverage to require financial reporting, audits, and performance measures. Without that, the County has less authority to ensure consistent and reliable service.
  • Even if no money changes hands, the County would still be a party to the contract. If the Rescue Squad fails to meet service standards or if lawsuits arise from operations, the County could still be drawn into legal disputes without having had the ability to ensure adequate funding for insurance, staffing, or training.
  • Automatic dispatch assumes the Rescue Squad always has available personnel and equipment. If they fail to respond or are understaffed, it creates service gaps and delays for citizens in need.
  • Other agencies (fire departments, EMS, etc.) may already be dispatched and capable of handling the same types of calls. Sending the Rescue Squad automatically could cause overcrowding on scenes, inefficient use of resources, and confusion in command structure.
  • If the Rescue Squad is automatically dispatched under the County’s authority, the County may share responsibility for any failures in response, training deficiencies, or accidents on scene — even though the County isn’t funding or controlling their operations.
  • Automatic dispatch implies reliance and the County cannot ensure the Rescue Squad has proper staffing, equipment, insurance, or compliance with state standards.

Staff will move forward with reviewing the current mutual aid agreement as well as ensuring that the Rescue Squad is dispatched upon request from other VFD or other partnering agencies. We appreciate the Rescue Squad’s continuing operations in the County and the County’s 911 center has no problem dispatching upon request.”

Perry said she had advised commissioners on the information contained in the email and said concerns should be shared with Assistant County Manager Jeremy Jones.

According to minutes from a Sept. 18 special called meeting of the Vance Fire Association, “Assistant Chief Rainey stated Vance Rescue was willing to contract directly with each department, and they had a contract which was distributed to all departments present to look over and would be mailed to the departments not present. As of 10/01/2025 Vance Rescue will be a volunteer department.

“It was stated the County would not be sending a contract and 911 will not be automatically dispatching Rescue after 09/30/2025. Concerns were expressed about filling this void by individual departments.”

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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Fire-Resistant Landscaping

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Wayne Rowland, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

Fire resistant landscaping can protect your home from wildfires.

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: Kernel Craze Sponsoring Holiday Art Challenge

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Budding artists in Vance County have a unique opportunity to have their artwork appear on Kernel Craze holiday popcorn tins and spread some pride and passion for their community in the process.

Stephen Wolf, Kernel Craze founder, said the Holiday Art Challenge is open to K-12 students who live or go to school in Vance County. Participants must register by Oct. 1 and submit artwork no later than Oct. 16. Visit www.kernelcraze.com to register.

The artwork should include a few specific aspects, Wolf explained. It should have a winter theme and incorporate the  city of Henderson and Kernel Craze in some way. In addition, the artwork must fit within an 11 x 17 inch document, using the landscape orientation.

The top winner will get $100 and the top two winners’ creations will appear on the 2025 holiday tins that hold the different popped corn creations.

All the entries will be featured in a Showcase on Thursday, Oct. 23. Most likely the showcase and judging will take place at McGregor Hall, but Wolf said details haven’t been finalized.

This is the first year for the contest, and Wolf said he hopes it will spark some interest among young people in the area.

“Henderson is my home, it’s where I grew up,” he said. “I think that our youth here need more opportunities to do something positive…do something that encourages the pride and passion of the community.”

And there’s a little bit of pride that goes along with having original artwork featured on the tins, too. “When one of our popcorn tins is purchased, your art is also coming with it,” he said.

Find all the details for the Holiday Art Challenge at www.kernelcraze.com.

Contact Wolf at stephen@kernelcraze.com to learn more.

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