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75 cents W I NSTON-SALEM GREENSBORO HlGH POINT Vol. XXVII No. 19
is*
; 'feru^ CHRONICL
7m? Choice for African American News (r/??
from
Making a Splash
Winston Lake Family Y to teach minority kids joy of swimming
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
Summer's months away, but
officials at the Winston Lake Fam
ily YMCA already have pool safe
ty Y>n their minds.
Officials were notified recently
that the Y received a $25,000 grant
from the Winston-Salem Founda
tion to launch several swimming
programs for underprivileged
youngsters between the ages of 7
and 17.
The grant will allow about 250
kids to enroll in the program. The
Y js already recruiting its first class
of youngsters. The housing
authority and recreation center
W W k ww Ty-w
directors have been contacted
about the program and are expect
ed to recommend young people for
the program.
The grant will cover the cost of
the program for the youngsters as
well as swimming gear and uni
forms. The grant will also cover
salaries for two instructors. The V
will provide transportation for the
participants.
Maurice Horsey, executive vice
president of the VMCA of
Greater Winston-Salem, said the
Y applied for the grant for several
reasons.
First, the organization wanted
to do something to address the
city's lifeguard shortage. Local Y
branches and city pools have had a
rough time finding teens to man
pools.
The Y also hopes the program
will help bring new blood to its
award-winning swim team. But.
most important. Horsey said, the
Y wants to teach water survival
skills to a segment of the popula
tion that is more likely to be found
on a basketball court or a soccer
field than in a swimming pool.
Last summer four of the five
children who drowned in Forsyth
County were Hispanic. The Y will
make a special push to recruit His
panics for the program.
"The drownings last year show
See Winston Lake on A4
Photo by Kevin Walker
Maurice Horsey; from left, Page Gregson and Thornton Eaton stand in front of the newly-refurbished pool
at the Winston Lake Family YMCA. The pool will soon be used to train more than 200 children.
L|IX7Fti?^ I
FAm*J*r ?
?? 4 FMW V
I1AWS moves step
closer to fixing
Seating problems
&V.T. KEVIN WALKER
ite CHRONICLE
' - The Housing Authority of
Winston-Salem Board of Com
missioners will not wait to receive
a state-issued engineering seal for
the work that needs to be done to
fix heating problems in hundreds
of town houses in three public
housing communities.
The commissioners voted to
table a resolution Tuesday that
would have selected a contractor
to make the improvements. J. Reid
Lawrence, the executive director
of HAWS, said he hopes work can
began within five to 10 days after
HAWS receives the seal. Lawrence
said c(btaining the seal was sug
gested by city officials to ensure
the quality of the work that's to be
done.
Residents began to complain
that newly installed heating units
did not properly heat apartments.
HAWS maintenance officials dis
covered that the units were
installed without "dampers," a
device that helps to distribute heat
.evenly throughout a structure.
?*lHAWS has purchased oil
? battling radiator heaters for resi
IdefUs to use until the heating
Iptablem can be fixed. A mainte
nance supervisor claimed at the
?Opting that HAWS had pur
IcBased virtually all such heaters in
Triad and that officials had to
?jo to Raleigh to purchase addi
'tional heaters.
; " The chair of board voiced
frustration at the media during the
meeting. HAWS has not been
given credit for acting quickly to
See HAWS on At 0
Adoptive
parents,
kids to tell
their stories
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
The Forsyth County Depart
ment of Social Services is develop
ing a new weapon to help it in its
yearly battle to shrink adoption
waiting lists.
The agency has hired a compa
ny that specializes in adoption
marketing to develop an ad cam
paign featuring a few of the hun
dreds of local children that wait to
be adopted each year.
Campaign for Kids, an
Asheville-based marketing com
pany. will develop posters, news
paper ads. church bulletins,
brochures and a short video aimed
at getting more adults interested in
adopting.
"We have given a voice to some
of the kids that have gone through
the system," said Diane Delafield,
a soon-to-be adoptive mother
who owns a marketing agency.
Delafield spent much of last
Saturday interviewing children for
literature that will be used in the
ad campaign. Children were also
photographed.
The idea. Delafield said, is to
let those who know what the sys
tem is like, share their experiences
with others. Adoptive parents and
children who have already been
adopted will also be featured in
promotions.
Delafield has done similar
campaigns in counties throughout
the state. The results have been
positive, she said. In the last coun
ty, an advertising blitz resulted in a
noticeable increase in adoption
activity.
Dawn Perdue, program coor
dinator for DSS's Families for
Kids, said the ad campaign, which
should be up and running in a few
months, is the first of its kind in,3
Forsyth County.
DSS has more than 300 in its
custody at any given time, said
Perdue, who is an adoptive moth
er herself. She hopes the campaign
will give families more informa
tion on adoption.
"We are hoping to reach fami
lies who may have been consider
So Adoption on A9
Photo by Kevin Walker
Local adopted children look at animals on the campus of The Chil
dren's Home. They will take part in a local adoption advertising
campaign.
Supporters: Blacks will
prosper under Easley
BY ANGELA BURRUS
THE TR1ANOLE TR1BI M
RALEIGH - As Gov. Mike
Easley sets up a stronger and
more inclusive government in
North Carolina, some are cer
tain blacks will have more than a
level playing field.
With President-elect George
Bush's reign approaching and
several talks of a possible reces
sion in the midst, many black
citizens are concerned about
their place in the political arena.
When asked how would
blacks specifically benefit from
his leadership, Easley evaded the
question, other than recognizing
existing disparities in the state
that he defines as "two North
Carolinas."
"We can no longer afford to
have two North Carolinas," he
said. "We need one where all our
citizens prosper."
But members of his transi-"
tional team said his sensitivity
for black citizens goes without
saying, as he has recently
appointed blacks to key posi
tions. including Reuben Young
as deputy legal counsel. Sondra
Davis as director of boards and
commissions, and former state ?
senator Rev. C.R. Edwards as
senior adviser to the governor.
"I feel comfortable that
blacks will benefit from his
administration," Edwards said.
"Some of the problems we face
like economics and education
will receive the kind of influence
and input that would make for a
healthy North Carolina.
"The limited financial
resources that are predicted.
African Americans may not .
receive their due share but they'll
receive a good share of jt."
Transitional team member
Gwen Swimpson said Easley's
support for black prosperity is
also apparent in the issues that
he is pushing during his term.
Easley stressed pushing an
agenda that includes reducing
class sizes.
particularly
in grades
kinder
garten
through
third grade,
as well as
promoting
an econom
ic plan that
will give all tailey
citizens
prosperity.
"For the first time in years,
we are facing a serious budget
shortfall." he said. "Estimates of
the shortfall are as high as S400
million.
"Rural economic develop
ment is a serious challenge. We
must bring companies to North
Carolina that will bring high
paying jobs. We cannot do that
successfully if we do not have a
properly trained work force.
That leads to the challenge we
are facing in education."
"One of the biggest problems
is the 'two North Carolinas.'"
Swimpson added. "And that is
where you have the poor, rural
C , AO
Marshall Bass establishes $50,000 endowment
BY PAUL COLLINS
THE CHRONICLE
Philanthropist Marshall Bass
has established a $50,000 endow
ment for grants to help pay tuition
at Best Choice Center, after a deci
sion by the center's board of direc
tors to increase tuition.
Bass is on the board of direc
tors at Best Choice Center, a well
respected, nonprofit after-school
and "summer program for students
5 to 15 years old. Children in the
program get individualized help
with their school work and study
math and reading concepts at
advanced grade levels.
Bass said, "Recently we had to
raise the tuition from $25 to $50
per month. Best Choice Center is
primarily oriented toward families
needing care for their children as
well as prevention of drug intake.
In light of the fact we had to raise
our tuition, I had to establish
about a $50,000 Best Choice Cen
ter Endowment at the Winston
Salem Foundation.
"Those funds will be used for
grants for payment of tuition
specifically limited to families with
. two or more children. The reason
?that I limited it to families with
two or more children is the cost
may be a little more prohibitive to
those families than an individual
family having one child.
"The fund is going to pay 50
percent of the tuition for (a) one
year period.. .The staff at the cen
ter will make recommendations as
to who will receive these grants to
the personnel committee of the
board of directors. The personnel
committee will ayt accordingly on
these recommendations.
"This year, 2001. my best judg
ment is that ... we're going to give
from eight to 10 scholarship grants
or tuition grants to those families
selected by the personnel commit
tee."
Bass is and has been involved
in many philanthropic and civic
activities.
For example, he said, "I am
chairman of the Marshall B Bass
Children's Fund. This is a fund
which was established in 1997 with
a purpose of providing training in
organizational management for
the staff and board of organiza
tions that serve children. We have a
board of 17 key people in Forsyth
County who make decisions as to
who will receive grants from the
fund.
"The organizations that have
received it thus far are the YWCA.
Best Choice Center and children's
program at the Department of
Social Services. We make at least
one grant each year. That's one
objective of the fund. The second
objective is that board members
participate and recruit a cadre of
experts in our community t?
strengthen the organizational
management of children's organi
zations...The third and final
objective is to establish seminars in
various management disciplines
and invite persons in executive and
board capacity from organizations
that serve children. We're in the
process of putting together a semi
nar for the year 2001 in which we
will invite 20-25 organizations,
board members and key ' staff
members based on the tneeds in
those organizations."
In the area of education. Bass
has established several educational
programs at colleges and universi
ties. most notably at Winston
Salem State University. "We have
a program there to provide schol
arships at Winston-Salem State for
life science, business and psycholo^
See Bass on A9
IKile Photo
Marshall Bass
stands with
t h e n - B C C
director
Dorothy Gra
ham-Wheeler
outside of the
nationally
acclaimed Best
Choice Center.
Bass has been
a longtime
supporter of
the center.
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