Blog

While some folks are making lists of gifts they’d like to receive this holiday season, I am proud to say that the employees of the Department of Administration are focusing their attention on helping people they may never meet:  schoolchildren who receive BackPack Buddies provisions from the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, a nonprofit agency that that provides nutritious weekend meals.

Administration COO Anne Bander and I asked our employees to support this worthy program during the holiday season, and donations of canned goods, milk and juice boxes and other shelf-stable foods are being collected in designated barrels located in the Secretary’s Office as well as the rear entrance of the Administration Building. We invite other colleagues who work here, and those who visit, to join us by donating appropriate food items by December 15.

Countless studies show that children who regularly consume a nutritionally-balanced diet are healthier and more successful in school. These weekend meals, which come with kid-friendly snacks, benefit at-risk youth and lessen stress on the family budget caused by the economic downturn.

Please join us in this effort, or lend your support to another group that seeks to serve the less fortunate in our community. There is no greater gift this time of year than knowing you have done your share to help those who need it most.

Juleigh Sitton, the Director of the Governor’s Western Office, was recently recognized for her work helping adults with disabilities get jobs.

She started last year with a trip to Andrews to tour Industrial Opportunities Inc. (IOI). IOI is a manufacturing company that provides contract sewing as well as a large number of finished products for customers ranging from national store chains and health care organizations to the U.S. Dept of Defense and many other organizations. IOI is also a non-profit organization serving adults with disabilities from Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties. Their Elastics Products Division provides employment to adults with severe disabilities as well as to support staff and production workers.

Earlier this year, she spent time in Waynesville at Haywood Vocational Opportunities, Inc. They are a manufacturing facility that provides hundreds of quality jobs for diverse populations in the area.

And last month, she met Scott Daugherty, North Carolina's Small Business Commissioner in Brevard where they toured Transylvania Vocation Services (TVS). TVS provides manufacturing and vocational services to workers with challenging disabilities.

According to Noel Watts, Executive Director of the Marketing Association of Rehabilitation Centers, "Juleigh has been an advocate and partner in our efforts to create jobs in Western North Carolina for people with and without disabilities."

Thanks to Juleigh for the important work she is doing in to create jobs in Western North Carolina.

If you watch certain broadcast networks or read the tabloids, you might think the only thing today’s youth care about is wearing the right clothes and partying their way to celebrity fame and fortune.

The 89 youth who gathered for last weekend’s State Youth Council Service Learning Conference know how to act their age and have fun – but they also know how to channel their energy into activities that benefit their communities.

Representatives from 10 councils across the state gathered in Durham for the annual event, which is coordinated by the Youth Advocacy & Involvement Office. It was launched with words of welcome and thanks by Durham Mayor Bill Bell and other city officials and leaders of youth organizations.

This year’s Service Learning project was held at CAARE Inc., a non-profit community-based provider of supportive services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their affected families. The State Youth Council donated 600-plus socks to CAARE Inc.

Students also sorted non-perishable food donated to the Backpack Buddy program. The program provides “kid friendly” foods to schoolchildren from low-income families on weekends when they don’t receive free or reduced-price school lunches and school breakfasts. Members also assisted with painting a victim’s shelter and prepared an area for a fall garden.

All that hard work earned the group well-deserved seats for the “Eagle/Aggie” Football Classic, held at the O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium on the campus of N.C. Central University.   During the game, NCCU Chancellor Dr. Charlie Nelms recognized the State Youth Council and thanked its members for their contributions.

As we continue to move through peak hurricane season, it is reassuring to know that the Governor’s Emergency Information Bilingual Hotline is prepared. More than 95 volunteer state employees, along with a cadre of community bilingual volunteers, have been trained as operators to provide critical, perhaps life-saving, information to callers. Using web-based technology, they are prepared to provide real-time information such as which shelters are open, what their current capacity is and if they are pet-friendly; which bridges or roads are closed; and which counties have issued evacuation orders. Operators will also provide information about housing assistance and the recovery process, as well as what donated goods are needed by survivors and if volunteers are needed.

Since Hurricane Floyd in 1999, volunteer hotline phone operators have answered tens of thousands of calls from people across our state that needed emergency information. Some of the volunteers trained for this year’s hurricane season have been hotline operators for 10 hurricane seasons! North Carolinians are fortunate to have these caring volunteers who serve as the friendly voices at the hotline – helping other people when they need it most.

Are you prepared for the hurricane season? Please visit www.readync.org (English) and www.listonc.org (Spanish) to learn how.

I just couldn’t wait. The statewide drive to collect non-perishable food for the N.C. Association of Feeding America Food Banks doesn’t officially begin until Friday, but I was pleased to be among the first to deliver goods this morning to the collection boxes located here in the Administration Building.

Gov. Perdue has asked all state employees to support their neighbors by participating in this effort, which is part of the National Day of Service to commemorate the 9/11 terror attacks. Collection boxes are located in many offices in the Downtown State Government Complex and will remain in place through 12 noon Monday, Sept. 13.

Donating a bag of groceries may seem like a small thing to do, but together we can make a significant contribution and help put healthy food on the tables of needy North Carolina families.

One of the ways North Carolina is honoring 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance is a statewide food drive on Friday, Sept. 10, through Sunday, Sept. 12.

The food drive is part of the partnership that Gov. Bev Perdue announced between Volunteer NC and the NC Association of Feeding America Food Banks to help end hunger and honor this special day.

State employees play a vital role in this effort. The Governor is calling on all state employees to participate by donating non-perishable food, monetary donations, and volunteering your time.  With the potential for more than 90,000 state employees to participate, we can really make a difference toward ending hunger.

As a state employee, you receive 24 hours of paid community service leave.  We urge you to take advantage of this benefit by joining fellow North Carolinians in this national service effort.

On September 7, look for food barrels in your state agencies to start donating food.  The last day to donate food will be Monday, September 13 before noon.

For additional information to find your local food bank please visit www.911dayofservice.nc.gov.

North Carolinians have long been noted for community service and volunteerism. The younger generation is no exception. Gen Y state employees (those born between 1982 and 1995) tell us they are committed to community service and want to use their time to make a difference in their communities. These young state employees consider volunteerism an integral part of our growth as a state and a nation.

The Office of State Personnel has published the recommendations of Gen Y in The Special Emphasis Project: Young Employees Project Report.

Gen Y employees view their community service leave as a valuable benefit.  As such, one of their recommendations is to conduct a pilot project to clarify and market Community Service Leave to state employees. Three state agencies will participate in a pilot project to raise awareness of the benefits of community service leave.

Recently, several members of the Young Employees Project took their recommendation to heart and used their community service leave to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.

To learn more about how community service leave helps state employees make a contribution to their communities, click here (PDF).

Andre Little and Alexander Cadogan, members of OSP’s Special Emphasis Project, Young Employee’s Initiative, join employees at the Department of Revenue  in service to Habitat for Humanity.

The Governor’s Eastern Office was pleased to host this week the third in a series of Community Days for North Carolina’s non-profit sector around the State. 

This particular forum was held through the generous auspices of the Roanoke River Lighthouse and Maritime Museum in the Town of Plymouth, and the Governor’s Office partnered with the N.C. Center for Nonprofits to make for a very successful event.

Thirty individuals, including representatives of a wide variety of non-profits from several counties of the northeast, were part of the event.  Participants discussed the critical issues facing their organizations, communities and service areas, while learning about the Governor’s agenda and how it relates more specifically to their activities.  They were also given the opportunity to learn about the Eastern Office and how it might be of help.

The networking provided by the forum allowed everyone to make new connections and in some cases learn about the Center for the first time.  The day concluded with a series of proposed action items for follow-up by the Center and the Governor’s Office.

The Governor’s Office would like to thank Plymouth Mayor Brian Roth, the Center, and all the participants for making this day very productive and enjoyable.  We look forward to similar days around the State during the remainder of 2010.

There was drama on the high seas yesterday in Morehead City, where three employees in the Division of Environmental Health, N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, rescued two capsized boaters.

It occurred mid-morning when the sailboat, carrying two boaters, capsized because of strong currents and winds near the Marine Fisheries dock. The boaters were hanging onto their boat that was pinned between dock pillars.

At the same time, staff from the Shellfish Sanitation and Recreational Water Quality Section happened to be on the other side of the dock returning from pulling daily water and shellfish samples. A television station was interviewing staff and captured the rescue on tape.

The staff – Paul Moore, Timmy Moore, and Phil Piner – recognized that the boaters were in trouble and used their quick wits to maneuver their boat to pull the boaters to safety. I am proud and thankful that our staff so willingly went to the aid of the boaters and that potential tragedy was avoided.

There are many unsung heroes at DENR, but the actions of our staff today in Morehead City were caught on tape. If you wish to view the tape and a news story about the rescue, please visit http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/97076919.html.

The Governor’s Piedmont Office was pleased to host this week the second in a series of Community Days for North Carolina’s non-profit sector around the State.  I was joined by Marion Sullivan, Director of Intergovernmental and External Affairs for the Governor’s Office in Raleigh. 

This particular forum was held through the generous auspices of the Davidson County Community College’s Davie Campus in the Town of Mocksville, and the Governor’s Office partnered with the N.C. Center for Nonprofits and HandsOn Northwest North Carolina to make for a very successful event.

Nineteen individuals, including representatives of a wide variety of non-profits from several counties of the northwest Piedmont, were part of the event.  Participants discussed the critical issues facing their organizations, communities and service areas, while learning about the Governor’s agenda and how it relates more specifically to their activities.  They were also given the opportunity to learn about the Piedmont Office and how it might be of help. 

The networking provided by the forum allowed everyone to make new connections and in some cases learn about the Center for Nonprofits or HandsOn for the first time.  The day concluded with a series of proposed action items for follow-up by the Center, HandsOn Northwest and the Governor’s Office.

The Governor’s Office would like to thank Davidson County Community College, the Center, HandsOn and all the participants for making this day very productive and enjoyable.  We look forward to similar days around the State during the remainder of 2010.