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Piedmont Bible College volunteers hard at work at the Best Choice Center last week.
Volunteers
from page AT
by a handful of members
from the local chapter of
The Links, Inc.. an interna
tional service organization
for professional women of
color. The Links have served
in various capacities at the
Best Choice Center for the
last two years and were
instrumental in bringing the
Bible College volunteers to
the Center.
Linda Jackson-Barnes, a
longtime Links member who
serves as special assistant to
Mayor Allen Joines. helped
to snag the volunteers after
officials from the College
approached Joines in search
of a project for their semian
nual volunteer effort.
Volunteers from the school
also spent time last week
working in a community
garden in the West Salem
neighborhood and helping to
organize the library at
Diggs-Latham Elementary
School.
"I knew the College had
a lot of manpower, and 1
knew that there was a great
need here." explained
Jackson-Barnes, who has
worked with the mayor since
he took office in 2002. "1 am
overwhelmed (by the
response). We have such a
willing community and a
community of sharing."
Link Viable Stevenson
coordinates the volunteer
efforts of her fellow chapter
members at the Best Choice
' " I
Morgan Huffman and her boyfriend, fellow Bible College
student Zach Decker, both volunteered.
Center. The women recently
collaborated with the chil
dren at the Center to grow an
on-site garden. Several
Links regularly serve as
tutors at the Best Choice
Center, which also offers
summer programs and tem
porary education options for
students who have been sus
pended from school.
"It's been wonderful; it's
been a great experience,"
Stevenson said of working
with the youth. "I think the
kids appreciate it and the
parents appreciate it."
Bible College volunteers
helped to clean and reorgan
ize the Center's kitchen in
preparation for a Kids Cafe
feeding program leaders at
the Center hope to launch
next month. An initiative of
the Second Harvest Food
Bank, Kids Cafes provide
young people with whole
some meals at youth-focused
facilities throughout the
county.
YWCA Vice President of
Youth Services Courtney
Saunders, who leads the
Best Choice Center, said the
work that was done wfluld
greatly enhance the quality
of life for the children and
staff members.
"There's just so many
things that they're doing.
It's going to be like a refur
bished facility once they are
finished," declared
Saunders, who has worked
for the YWCA for more than
20 years. "We are just so
pleased that they are here.
I'm excited about all of it,
but I'm especially excited
for the kids."
Of all the projects that
took place, Saunders said
she was most looking for
ward to having the Center's
piano tuned. She dreams of
hosting musical programs at
the Center for the parents
and hopes to somebody cre
ate a Best Choice Center
Choir.
"It's just a blessing." she
said with a wide smile.
"We're just totally elated
about it. We're very appre
ciative."
For more information
about the Best Choice
Center, call (336) 722-0597
or visit www.ywcaws.org.
Oct. 15 Symposium
designed to benefit
?
minority contractors
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
The Goler Community Development Corp . together with
the Piedmont Triad Research Park, will host its Second
Annual Symposium ,on Oct. IS at the Piedmont Triad
Research Park.
The Symposium is designed specifically to help contrac
tors and subcontractors learn how they can participate in
both private and publically-funded projects The Symposium
will take place from 8 a m to 6 p.m. at the Research Park's
meeting facility at 115 S. Chestnut Street
The Symposium's goal is also to provide networking
fipporium
ties among
majority
and minori
ty-owned
contractors
and subcon
tractors so
that they
can partner
on bids for
public
work. More
than 100
people
??0@?
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
CORPORATION
attended the first conference lust vear. and this sear's atten
dance is expected to surpass 2(K).
Representatives from public and private entities that have
upcoming development projects and are committed to
including minority contractors and subcontractors vmII be on
hand, including ones from the N.C. Department of
Transportation. Novant Health. High Point University. N.C
A&T State University. Piedmont Triad International Airport.
Smith Reynolds Airport. Wake Forest University and the
Piedmont Triad Research Park.
One session, led by Wexford, a developer for the
Research Park, and Whiting -Turner, a general contractor,
will focus on how local companies can bid for work on 575
Patterson Avenue, an $87 million Research Park renovation
just beginning in one of the old RJ Reynolds warehouses in
the Park's Northern District.
Among the general local and regional contractors who
have formed partnerships with the help of the Goler sympo
sium are Rentenbach and Weaver Cooke Construction (both
have partnered with Matthews Enterprises. LLC: Weaver
Cooke has also partnered with the Mention Group. LLC),
and Frank L. Blum Construction Co., which has partnered
with Metropolitan Dry wall & Ceiling.
Advance registration for the conference is $75 per per
son. There is $90 fee for registration at the door. More infor
mation about registration is available at MM w.golercdc.org
or by calling 336-761 -0595 .
I 1
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