The November 19, 2015 meeting of the Henderson Business and Professional Women's Club was held in the classroom at Maria Parham Medical Center. Following an invocation by Donna Stearns and a generous buffet dinner, the club heard a presentation "WorkFirst in Vance County" by program coordinator Vanessa Jones. When Vanessa Jones retired from Vance Granville Community College after 30 combined years with Vance County Schools and VGCC, she accepted the position as WorkFirst Coordinator in Vance County. A partnership between Social Services, the Chamber of Commerce and Vance Granville Community College, the state funded program provides assistance and employability training for eligible parents in Vance County. Participants attend three weeks of training, have monthly group meetings, complete a Workkeys Assessment, have mock interviews, conduct job searches, set goals, engage in funded work experiences, complete job applications, learn grooming and dressing for success tips and explore decision making practices. The ultimate goal of the program in self-sufficiency and sustainability. Program completion earns a Career Readiness Certificate. The program provides monthly reports on the number of participants, classes held and employment results
A business session followed the presentation. Members were reminded that the Christmas social would be hosted by Maria Bailey at 6:00 p.m. on December 10 and to bring raffle tickets and collections for the drawing as well as items for donation to ACTS. Donation items for the Vance County Animal Shelter are to be collected at the January meeting. The meeting adjourned with the recitation of the club Collect.
The Henderson BPW holds a dinner meeting every third Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. Meetings are open to guests and new members. For January reservations, contact June Blanks at 252-438-6732. The next regular meeting will be January 21st in the Maria Parham Medical Center classroom. The scheduled speaker is Frankie Nobles, Director, Vance County Animal Shelter. The topic is "Four-Legged & Homeless: What's a Dog (or Cat) to Do?"