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Inside
ICLE
THU
JL 1111
THURSDAY, April 29, 2021
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C
Volume 47, Number 28
W-S native helps rescue two children
from rip current at Kure Beach
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
On Sunday, April 18,
Winston-Salem native An
tonio Burns, who is a well-
known photographer and
videographer, was enjoy
ing a nice, relaxing day at
Kure Beach when screams
from the water caught his
attention.
“The screams just
didn’t sound like a playful
scream,” Burns said.
Two children were
caught in the rip current
and struggling to get out.
When he realized what was
happening, Burns and Jes
sica Embry, another beach-
goer that day, jumped into
action and saved the two
girls. Tragically, Embry
died.
A rip current is a
strong, localized, and nar
row current of water that
moves directly away from
the shore, cutting through
the line of breaking waves
like a river running out to
sea. When describing the
rip current that day, Burns
said it was a “two-way
pull,” pulling him under
the water and even farther
from shore.
Before entering the wa
ter, Burns said he and Em
bry, who he had never met
before, only exchanged a
few words. “She said, ‘You
get this girl and I’ll get that
girl’ and I said OK,” he
said.
Burns said he only re
members coming up for
air three times and that the
last time he saw Embry,
she was holding one of the
girls above the water, al
though she was completely
engulfed. “I distinctly re
member seeing Miss Em
bry holding this little girl
in the air and all you could
see was her arms,” Burns
said.
After battling the cur
rent and with help from a
few other rescuers, Burns,
Embry and the two girls
made it shore. On the
shore, Burns loss con
sciousness. He said the last
thing he remembers seeing
is paramedics trying to re
vive Embry, but she died at
the scene.
Burns was rushed to
the New Hanover Hospi
tal, where he was placed
on a ventilator and stayed
for four days. It has been
reported that the two girls
who were rescued are do
ing fine. Burns credits Em
bry for leading the rescue
mission.
Embry, who was an or
chestra teacher at Eugene
Ashley High School in
Wilmington, helped start a
group called United Sound,
which paired special needs
students with those in her
orchestra class. Through
that partnership, the stu
dents were able to get
hands-on experience with
instruments and learn how
to play music.
“Long live Miss Em
bry! That lady was the
leader of the operation ...
she was Batman, I was just
Robin,” Burns continued.
“I just wish it would’ve
played out different be
cause that was a great
lady; just from doing my
homework on her, that was
a phenomenal lady.”
When discussing that
day with The Chronicle
earlier this week, Burns
said he never had any sec
ond thoughts about going
in to save the girls and if
he had to do it again, he
would, because if it was
his daughter out there, he
would want someone to do
the same thing he did.
“I went into that water
thinking I have a daugh
ter, I have a niece, I have
a little sister ... what if
the tables were turned and
they’re in that situation
and I can’t help them?”
Burns asked. “Yes, I would
want someone to help me,
so I’m just blessed to have
that spirit and that energy.”
Moving forward,
Burns said he would like to
help educate local families
on rip currents and water
safety. He said with sum
mer just around the corner,
it’s critical that we do our
homework
“Please do your home
work on these beaches and
water safety. If you’re not
an experienced swimmer,
go with someone who is,”
Burns said. “We have to
take it upon ourselves to
educate ourselves on water
safety.”
Forsyth County Sunday School Union wraps up food distribution program
BY TEVIN STINSON
THECHRONICLE
Last week the Forsyth
County Sunday School
Union (FCSSU) wrapped
up a partnership with the
Famers to Family Food
Program that provided
hundreds of boxes of food
for families in need.
The Farmers to Fam
ily Food Program was
launched in April 2020 as
an effort to leverage sur
plus produce, dairy and
protein to support local
farmers, food distributors,
and families impacted by
the pandemic. Minister
Velma McCloud, coordi
nator of the Forsyth Coun
ty Sunday School Union,
said when she received the
call from a distributor with
the program in S.C., she
leapt at the opportunity.
“I just count it as a
blessing to be able to pro-
vide during this time of
need and it’s God’s way of
showing us his grace and
mercy,” McCloud said.
“We live in an area where
people are food deficient,
www.wschronicle.com
t
Photo by Tevin Stinson
For the past 12 weeks the Forsyth County Sunday School Union has distributed
boxes of food to more than two dozen churches in the area.
so the fact that we’ve been
able to bless people for 12
weeks is a blessing.”
The boxes of food
S'
contained two proteins or
meats, milk, fruit, potatoes,
and vegetables. On distri
bution days, more than two
dozen local churches rent
ed Uhauls, brought pick-
up trucks, trailers and even
church vans to pick up the
boxes of food. Each pallet
distributed to the churches
included more than 40
boxes of food. Volunteers
from Galilee Missionary
Baptist Church made sure
the pick-up process ran
smoothly.
Rev. Chad Armstrong,
director of ministries at
Galilee, said since they
had already worked with
the Farmers to Family
Food Program in the past,
they already knew they
had the infrastructure to
help with distribution, so
the partnership between
the Forsyth County Sun
day School Union was a
no-brainer.
“We had the infrastruc
ture and the volunteer sup
port staff to collaborate
See Food on A4