Vaccinations important
f^ge2
4-H centennial
Rage 3
Sports updates
Rages 6,7
October 16, 2002
Vol. 71, No. 43 Hortford, North CaroHna 27944
The
P4/C3***********5-DIGIT 27944
PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIB]
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD, NC 27944-130
^CEIVE
OCT 1 6 200Z
■VIANS
Weekly
35 cents
Guardians ad Litem are voices for children
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Children who are abused
or neglected have many
needs. And those who vol
unteer in the Guardian ad
Litem program answer one
of those needs. The volun
teers provide a voice for the
child in court.
Guardians ad Litem are
not social workers or foster
parents. Instead, they are
gatherers of information
from a number of agencies
and individuals involved
with an abused or neglect
ed child. Once guardians
have spoken with social
workers, family members,
teachers and others
involved with the child,
they write a report for the
judge who will hear the
case, recommending what
they believe is in the child’s
best interest.
Natalie Bero is a volun
teer in Perquimans County.
She spents an average of
Natalie Bero volunteers as a voice for abused and
neglected children through the Guardian ad Litem
program.
two-three hours each week
on a case, interviewing
those involved and looking
objectively at the facts to
determine whether the
family can be reunited or
whether the child should be
removed from the home
permanently.
“It takes a lot of commit
ment, it takes a lot of time,
but if you can get that one
child into a stable environ
ment ... then you’re reward
ed,” Bero said. “And I think
I have been (rewarded)
many, many times.”
While Bero said the pre
ferred outcome would be to
provide the chM and par
ents services to allow them
to overcome the circum
stances that brought them
into contact with the court
system, then reunite them,
that is not always possible.
Sometimes the parents are
just not able to provide a
safe environment for chil
dren, and for those chil
dren, permanent place
ment in a positive environ
ment may be best.
“It can be depressing,
but hopefully you have the
child get to point where he
or she can go into a stable
environment and have the
childhood that he or she
deserves,” Bero said.
Bero has been assigned
to one of her present cases
for about three years,
although many cases are
resolved within a matter of
months.
After 32 years working
with the juvenile court sys
tem in Virginia, Bero said
she was not ready to give
up her love of working with
children when she retired
and moved to Hertford. She
has been able to continue to
help families through her
Guardian ad Litem volun-
teerism.
Veola Spivey is the dis
trict administrator of the
Guardian program, which
is administered through
the Administrative Office
of the Courts.
She said at present, there
are five cases in
Perquimans involving nine
children being handled
through the Guardian pro
gram. The average case
takes from one month to
one year to resolve, she
said.
Spivey said when the
Department of Social
Services fUes a petition on
behalf of an abused or
neglected child, or one who
is in a high-risk, unsafe
environment, a Guardian
ad Litem is assigned to
work with the attorney to
help determine what is in
the best interest of the
child.
While Spivey said,’
Guardians always hope;
that the family’s situation;
can be made safe for the;
child, 60 percent of the chh^^
dren who are assigned ■ st
Guardian do not return
home. $
There is always a need
for Guardians to advocate
for children who need sup-]
port. Training is planned:
for Oct. 24 and 31 and Nou^
7, 14 and 21. Those who;
would like information on
the training or the program
should caU Spivey at 331-'
4755.
The life of a child could
depend on a volunteer. ^
Politickin’ at the Plantation
Republican Greg
Dority visited
Perquimans last week,
stopping to meet with
supporters at
Albemarle Plantation.
The candidate for the
U.S. House of
Representatives will
face Democrat Frank
Ballance in
November's general
election. Political
observers say the
North Carolina races
could be key to the
balance of power in
Washington, D.C.
PHOTO BY ALICE BREWIN
Schools get $32K technology grants
Funds to
expand public
access to
computers,
internet
Perquimans County
Schools’ continuing effort
to expand technology to the
community wUl get a boost
from $32,000 in grant fund
ing from the Rural Internet
Access Authority
. Perquimans County
Schools Technology
Director Victor Eure was
recently notified of the
funding.
The Rural Internet
Access Authority (RIAA)
was created in August 2000
with members being
appointed by the general
Assembly and the
Governor. Some of the on
going goals of the Rural
Internet Access Authority
and the e-NC initiative are
to provide high-speed
Internet access at competi
tive prices to North
Carolinians and to signifi
cantly increase the number
of individuals, businesses
and organizations who own
computers and computer
devices and who subscribe
to the Internet.
Eure was appointed to
spearhead the e-
Communities effort in
Perquimans County. In
December 2001,
Perquimans received a
$10,000 e-communities
planning grant for Phase I
of the program. The grant
was used to develop a steer
ing committee and solicit
input and participation
from community represen
tatives to prioritize the
technology needs for
Perquimans County. The
two highest needs identi
fied by the steering com
mittee were public access
and training.
During the initial plan
ning process, the develop
ment of local web content
was also noted as a critical
component essential in
helping with economic
development in
Perquimans County. As a
result of the initial phase of
the e-Communities effort,
both the local county gov
ernment and schools were
able to develop user-friend
ly interactive websites that
can be viewed at
www.co.perquimans.nc.us
and www.pcs.kl2.nc.us.
A Public Access Grant of
$12,000 recently received
wlU. be used to address the
concern of lack of public
access areas to the
Internet. A survey conduct
ed by East Carolina
University indicates that
over one third of county
residents do not have
access to the Internet at
home. Funds will be used
to purchase computers and
help provide technical
assistance for the county
library, and continue the
work of the Community
Technology Learning
Center at Perquimans High
School.
“The population that we
hope to target with the
additional public access
site is those citizens of
Perquimans County who do
not own home computers
or have high speed Internet
access at home or in their
business,” said Eure.
When citizens in
Perquimans County were
surveyed, results indicated
that 96 percent of the
respondents would take
classes to learn how to use
computers and the Internet
more effectively if classes
were available at no charge.
Keeping this in mind, Eure
applied for and received the
Digital/Internet Literacy
Training Grant.
Perquimans County
Schools was one of only
two public school systems
that received the $20,000
funding which will be used
to continue technology
training during evening
hours and on weekends at
the local high school, an
initiative which began last
year through a Community
Technology Learning
Center grant.
Eure said that the
receipt of these grants is
timely. It will aUow contin
uation of a technology
training program which
began last year that was
very successful for the
school, community and
business people. In addi
tion, it will assist in provid
ing technology training for
teacher assistants and
other non-certified staff to
comply with the new feder
al legislation, No Child Left
Behind.
Library celebrates
65th anniversary
The Friends of
Perquimans County
Library will hold a Silver
Tea as a fundraising event
on Monday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m.
The Tea, open to all, will be
held in the library and will
feature instrumental
music, delicious home
made refreshments, a draw
ing for door prizes, and a
time to socialize and cele
brate the 65th birthday of
Perquimans County
Library.
Perquimans County
Library first opened its
doors on June 25, 1937 as
the Hertford Public
Library. A project of the
Women’s Welfare Club of
Hertford, the funds needed
to establish the library and
to pay for other civic pro
jects of the Club were
raised by “serving dinners,
sponsoring plays, silver
teas, flower shows and fire-
sales,” according to a news
paper report of the, day
The library was reorga
nized inl942 and the name
was changed to
Perquimans County
Library. The budding that
presently houses the
library has been expanded
on two occasions and was
originally a school lunch
room. A section of the
building next door, the
Perquimans Senior Citizen
Center, was the original
home of the library,
although that budding, too,
was much smader at the
time and was known as the
Community House.
When members of the
Friends were planning
ways to recognize the mde-
stone of 65 years df provid
ing library service to the
citizens of Perquimans
County, they realized that
having an old-fashioned
fundraiser would be in
keeping with the history of
the library. So, it was
decided to revive a practice
of old and hold a Sdver
Tea.
The Friends are working
to raise money to purchase
a new microfilm reader-
printer for the North
Carolina Room. The new
machine will replace the
ancient microfilm reader
that has aided so many
genealogists-' and other
researchers over the years.
The new reader-printer has
a hefty price tag - approxi
mately $10,000!
Used book sales, a raffle,
and other activities have
moved the Friends along
the road to the needed
funds, but there is still a
long way to go. It is hoped
that all who attend the
Silver Tea will contribute
not only silver coins but
also green bills and checks
to this worthwhile effort.
Those who will be
unable to attend the Silver
Tea on Monday evening
may make contributions
throughout the week when
visiting the library by plac
ing their donations in the
glass container so marked..
Or they may mail a check to
Perquimans County
Library at 110 West
Academy Street, Hertford
NC 27944. All donations are
tax deductible.
For more information
about the library or about
the Friends of Perquimans
County Library, call 252-
426-5319 or email
Perquimans@pettigrewli-
braries.org
Weather
Thursday
High: 72
Low: 50
Mostly Sunny
Friday
High:68
Low: 46
Partly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 67
Low: 45
Partly Cloudy
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