The Kerr-Tar Council of Governments provides assistance to a cross-section of the community, and part of Beth Davis’s job as regional engagement specialist is to share information about what the agency can do for residents in the counties it serves
The local COG serves five counties – Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren and Person – and Davis said Wednesday that there are programs and services that benefit individuals, municipalities as well as businesses.
“We are always very busy,” Davis told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk. There are 16 COGs in the state which received $10 million to help with American Rescue Plan, and another $6 million in disaster, recovery, resilience and mitigation monies to assist in local pandemic recovery efforts.
The Kerr-Tar COG is doing things to make the community a better place to live, Davis said. And that’s something that she enjoys spreading the word about.
“We have a lot of great services and programs for folks in our counties. We’re not a secret,” she said, adding that there are a lot of services that are of great help to the community. “How can you not get excited about that?”
Individuals can get help from Kerr-Tar through a variety of programs – from getting help creating a job resume to taking part in a walking program for people with arthritis to improve physical health.
The NCWorks agency is a part of the local COG, Davis said, which helps to connect employers with qualified candidates. In addition to workforce staff in the Kerr-Tar office, there are three career centers where people looking for help with finding a job. The Oxford location is at Hilltop on Hwy 158, the Henderson location is on Beckford Drive and the Warren location is on the campus of VGCC in Warrenton.
Traditionally, January is a “big time of year when people are looking for a change. It’s a good time to contact the workforce development office” for help in finding a job, she said.
Individuals also can get guidance about resources for seniors through the Area Agency on Aging. The agency is looking to hire an aging specialist, she said, but resources include family caregiver support and an ombudsman to help family members who have complaints about facilities.
Municipalities can get help with grant-writing and the Kerr-Tar planning and economic development arm facilitates a wide range of issues, from providing diversity, equity and inclusion training to spotlighting the use of electric vehicles and other alternate transportation such as bicycle and pedestrian plans.
Visit www.kerrtarworks.org to find out more and to view the monthly newsletter that lists many of the opportunites and upcoming events in the COG service area. There’s also a very active and up-to-date Facebook page that contains details of events.
For those who prefer telephones to computers or social media. Davis said a simple call to the office at 252.436.2040 can get you connected to services and information.