Over at Bo Gray’s blog Doug Grimes, aka Yarddawg, writes about an effort to bring back tobacco auctions in Forsyth County. It’s fascinating, as is the video that Doug shares as well:
Revival of the Tobacco Auction
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Tag Archives: winston-salem
Children’s Home and WSFCS School Collaboration
Given the people spearheading this effort, George Bryan and Ted Burcaw, I'd say the new school being opened at The Children's Home stands a really good chance of working. I was able to spend a bit of time with George during my organization's project at TCH and I've met Ted, who is the brother of a good friend of mine, on a few occasions. Let's just say that both guys bring some serious wattage to the endeavor and that, in addition to this being a good idea in general, will go a long way towards helping the school succeed.
From the article:
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and The Children's Home are entering into a partnership that will enable students to benefit not only from extra attention from teachers and mental-health professionals but also from being on a 212-acre campus on Reynolda Road that has a functioning farm.
"We will be able to do things for kids that nobody else has been able to do," said Principal Ted Burcaw…
Officials don't know yet how many students will go to Kingswood when it opens for the 2010-11 school year. The school is intended to serve no more than 150 students. It will have seven teachers provided by the school system, and each class will also have a mental-health professional from staff at the Children's Home.
"These folks already have experience with the types of children we're talking about," Bryan said.
Outside of class, students will have the opportunity to work with the Children's Home's psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists. And, when appropriate, parents will be invited in for family counseling.
Update (July 13, 2010): A commenter asked how to get her elementary school-aged grandkids enrolled at the school. I passed the question along to Theo Helm at WSFCS and here's his reply:
Jon — The school will serve students in grades 6-12 next year, so it's too early for Ms. Hall to register her children. Generally speaking, it will serve students who have more involved mental health needs. Most students will either be referred there (through the IEP, or Individualized Education Plan, process that serves exceptional children or through a mental health referral) or assigned there (through the discipline process). It will also serve children who live at the group home at The Children's Home. Although there will be some parental choice, students will still generally need to be those who need more involved services.
Art-o-Mat
Found via Esbee is this incredibly cool project that converted an old cigarette vending machine into an art vending machine.
Benefit Second Harvest and Take In a Ballgame. Also, Is Winston Better Than Greensboro?
The Triad Apartment Association (my employer) is hosting a food drive to benefit Second Harvest and one aspect of it is that we're having a competition between the Winston-Salem Dash and the Greensboro Grasshoppers to see which team/city can raise the most food for one game. The Dash game is next Monday (July 12) and the Grasshopper game is next Wednesday (July 14). We have slightly different arrangements for each game but the basics are that we're encouraging folks to bring food or financial donations and then stick around to enjoy the ballgame. Here are the details:
Winston-Salem Dash, July 12
Bring food or financial donations to our table by the entrance and you'll get a voucher for a free Dash baseball cap. Your donations will be counted towards the Winston-Salem total.
Greensboro Grasshoppers, July 14
You can bring food and financial donations to our table, and on top of that if you buy your ticket to the game from us $2 of the ticket will go to Second Harvest. There will also be prize giveaways throughout the evening. Your donations will be counted towards the Greensboro total.
Last year our Food Drive raised almost 210,000 cans of food and we're determined to beat that this year. I hope to see many of you on either Monday or Wednesday!
Final note: I'd like to personally thank Mayor Joines, Mayor Knight, WXII, The Dash and The Grasshoppers for partnering with us and Second Harvest to help feed the hungry in the Triad. Here's the commercial we all collaborated on the promote the event:
Local Rumor Mill: YWCA to Close?
Esbee's been hearing whispers that the YWCA in Winston-Salem may be closing. She and her first commenter are mourning the potential loss of the heated pool.
Ready for the Raining of Frogs
I do believe the end of the world is nigh since Esbee has affiliated herself with a project that has a Facebook group. She's looked down her nose at Facebook and Twitter for as long as they've existed so I can only believe that someone sneaked this into the mix behind her back.
BTW, Local Dish Winston-Salem features contributions from the uber-coolest ladies online in the Twin Cities.
Whitaker Park and Wake Forest
My parents both worked for RJR while they were students at Wake Forest. When I saw the news that Reynolds is closing down its Whitaker Park operation I emailed both of them to see if they'd heard the news (they hadn't) and to see if they'd actually worked at that particular facility. Ends up that they had. Mom told me that the first summer they worked for RJR they were downtown, but the second summer they were at Whitaker. Dad said he remembered working at the "state of the art" facility as well. Mom mentioned that it was divided into six units, four for Salems and two for Camels, and that she worked in Unit 1 and Dad worked in Unit 3. Dad thought the shift ran from 4 p.m. to midnight.
Dad also wrote, "Wake could use it for some type of recreation facility. Because of its location you would think that would be prime real estate and would make a sizable tax deductable gift, that is if they have any profits to shelter." Seems that he and Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce head honcho Gayle Anderson are on the same page.
I Wonder If It Was Cathartic?
I read the front page article in the Winston-Salem Journal about the public airing of grievances by UNCSA's outgoing conductor at his final concert and thought, "I wonder if it felt as good to vent his spleen as he expected it to?" Who hasn't daydreamed about letting loose like that at their boss/teacher/nitwit co-worker in a big public venue?
Back in the mid-90s I worked for a company that could best be described as a soul sucking black hole run by amoral jackals. I fantasized about calling my bosses on the carpet at a large company function and listing their various misdeeds in excruciating detail. Alas I just quit and went to a better job, but to this day I wonder what it would have felt like to let it rip.
BTW, check out all comments on the article about the conductor's rant. Based on the number you'd think the article was about an illegal immigrant representing the ACLU in a protest against sectarian prayer at the county commissioners' meeting.
Smitty Writes About Whoopi
Found this at Smitty's Notes and thought it very worthwhile to share:
It's not too often an idea so simple and worthwhile takes a life of its own. In the past few weeks, I've watched something local on Facebook do just that. Many of you may know or seen the elderly homeless woman who rides a pink girl's bike around town. She can be normally found around the Stratford Rd and Peters Creek Parkway area. Often, many refer to her as "Whoopi" because she favors actress Whoopi Goldberg with her looks and long dreadlocks. The lady is Ester Deaver. She is 70 years old, homeless and survived on the streets of Winston-Salem for over thirty years. However, she is known all over town. Deaver has touched many hearts of people who live here or have passed through over the years.
A group of Facebook members have taken an interest in Deaver and created a "Where's Whoopi" group page. The purpose is to keep track of her around town. Since being started last month, the page has quickly grown to close to 6,000 fans. Yvonne Rorrer, a lifelong Winston-Salem citizen, is the group page owner who has taken an interest in befriending Ms. Deaver, and helping with her well being. So much, she has been able to have donated some medical care and made sure Deaver has made it to appointments. Much has come of this friendship that Deaver has asked for one thing. To get her "bus" back. Apparently, Deaver use to own a yellow conversion van years ago. It was "decommissioned" by the city for various reasons which is why she is riding her pink bicycle. Rorrer has set up the Ester Smiles Foundation to help Deaver get a used "bus" that will help transport her get around town and have a safe place to lay her head. They hope to have it for her 71st birthday on June 9, 2010. The goal is to raise $10,000. The Foundation has applied for 501 (c) (3) status and over $1,500 already been donated. Monies raised will go toward the van, it's future upkeep and supporting the homeless senior citizen community in Winston-Salem.
You can get more info at Smitty's place, and/or visit the following Facebook pages:
Very Berry at The Children’s Home
The Journal's Michael Hastings writes today about the strawberry patch at The Children's Home in Winston-Salem, and I'd like to personally vouch for the greatness of those berries. Last Saturday I was at The Children's Home to help give a presentation to The Children's Home Alumni Association about the Labor of Love project the organization I work for did back in February. The folks at The Children's Home fed us some of the first berries picked from the patch and I can tell you they blow away any of the store bought strawberries I've had this year. Seriously, you need to head over to TCH and get yourself some.
Befuddled 