Spirit of Independence
Halifax County Government Second Quarter 2021
Working Together Works
Three Halifax County Employees Named 2021 African American Heroes
Pictured (l-r) are County Manager Tony N. Brown, Rose B. Lewis (Council on Aging), and Johnny Taylor (Health Department), who were all recognized for their service during Halifax Community College’s 14th Annual Saluting Local African American Heroes award ceremony on February 25.
Three of our Halifax County employees were recognized by Halifax Community College (HCC) as local African American heroes during the 14th Annual Saluting Local African American Heroes award ceremony held virtually on February 25. County Manager Tony N. Brown, Aging Program Coordinator Rose Lewis (Human Resources), and General Utility Worker Johnny Taylor (Health Department) were honored for their service to the community, along with four other recipients.
The Saluting Local African American Heroes award ceremony began 14 years ago, recognizing local African American firsts and unsung African American Heroes in the community. Today, this program is Halifax Community College’s most popular event next to graduation. HCC has given over 80 African American Hero awards, 10 Student Hero awards, and one Youth Hero award. The heroes honored have made outstanding contributions to the Roanoke Valley that all of our citizens enjoy. We want to honor them with the Local African American Hero award and pay tribute to their dedication and service. There was an application process for nominations of local African American Heroes. After the nomination process closed,
nominations were reviewed by a committee of HCC staff, and the selected honorees were recommended to the president as awardees. The president gave the final approval of honorees. Heroes are chosen based on their commitment and contributions to the community, unselfish devotion to others, initiative, innovation, leadership, and willingness to share time and wisdom through community service.
County Manager Tony N. Brown attended a ceremony celebrating the arrival of the Harriet Tubman statue, “The Journey to Freedom,” at Historic Halifax on March 5 and read a resolution from the Halifax County Commissioners honoring
The Department of Social Services honors
the following employees:
January Employee of the Month - Sharon Powell
New Employees!
Upcoming Events
Friday,
April 2
Good Friday
HOLIDAY
Sunday,
April 4
Easter
Thursday,
April 8
County Blood Drive
Thursday,
April 22
Earth Day
Sunday,
May 9
Mother’s Day
Monday,
May 31
Memorial Day
HOLIDAY
Monday,
June 14
Flag Day
Sunday,
June 20
Father’s Day
Monday,
June 21
Join us in congratulating the following
employees on their retirements!
Rose B. Alston (DSS) - 30 years of service
Charles Joyner (EMS) - Paramedic
Zackery Connell (Sheriff) - Office Associate, Intern Jeanette Gilleo (Health) - Public Health Nurse III Joseph D’Arco (EMS) - Paramedic
Oliva McLaughlin (E-911) - Telecommunicator I Alexis Umphlett (EMS) - Paramedic
Magen Hodges (DSS) - Custodian I
Allision Rineer (EMS) - Telecommunicator I, Part-time Nicole McClain-Fisher (DSS) - Child Support Agent II Kaitlin Barkley (DSS) - Social Worker II
Christy Wilkins (DSS) - Social Worker IAT
Tammy Webb (DSS) - Income Maintenance Caseworker II Renea Johnson (DSS) - Income Maintenance Caseworker II Katrina Donahey (DSS) - Processing Assistant IV
Larnesha Graham (DSS) - Income Maintenance Caseworker II Jackie Ponton (DSS) - Income Maintenance Caseworker II Lisa Hammack (Health) - Public Health Nurse I, Part-time Wanda Catt (Health) - Medical Lab Tach II, Part-time Cora Gordon (EMS) - EMT, Part-time
Francisco Munoz (Sheriff) - Deputy I Leon Allen (Planning) - Planner I, Part-time Brittany Davis (EMS) - Paramedic
Alan Robinson Jr. (Public Utilities) - Water Utility Technician Sequan Goddard (Public Utilities) - Water Utility Technician
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim
Michele Richardson was a fan favorite of the book club at Littleton Library. It tells the story of Cussy Mary Carter, a blue woman in the hills of Kentucky. Having a hereditary blood disorder causing her skin to be a shade of blue, she is the last of her family line. In the early 1900’s in the hills of Kentucky, it was somewhat easy to be removed from society, and her father was very protective of her because of her skin, but Cussy Mary wasn’t one to live tucked away. Through Roose-velt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, she became a traveling librarian, taking books and magazines to the people who lived in far-reaching hills and hollows.
As one of the only means of getting materials for learning and entertainment to the hill community, Cussy Mary takes her job seriously and is proud of what she’s able to provide. She befriends many of the patrons on her routes, and children would often meet her as she approached their home, often shouting, “book lady’s comin’!” in their excitement. There are several who she comes to realize need to just see a person, and it’s the visit of the book lady they look forward to rather than the delivery of the books.
While she makes friends with many people through her work, she still faces prejudices and rejection because of her skin color. She handles it all with grace and dignity and finds that, though some look down on her, most in her community respect her for her character and her gifts to the community. It is a worthy read, one that will enlighten and teach, as well as entertain. While some of the content may be difficult to read at times, it is the story of a strong and resilient woman, one who made history as one of the first pack horse librarians in our country.
Turning the Page: Recommended Reading
Finance Shows the Love!
Our wonderful Finance Department adopted a group of elder DSS clients at
Christmas and enjoyed it so much that they decided to do a little something for
the other holidays throughout the year. Pictured are the goody bags they put together for Valentines Day. Now they
We wish our employees a very Happy Birthday!
April
May
June
MATTHEW DUNCAN 1 ASHLEY EVANS 1 RODNEY WIGGINS 1 MACKNZIE WOOD 2 BARBARA HUX 3 VERNON VESTER 3 LUKE CHOPLIN 4 TONY RICHARDSON 4 ETHAN ROUNTREE 7 JOYCE BATTLE 9 WANDA PATRICK 10 ARI HAWKINS 11 RANDOLPH KEETON 11 WARNER FERGUSON 13 TINA FLYTHE 14 SIERRA THOMAS 14 JEFFERY COWAN 15 JESSICA SHEARIN 15 ALEXANDER HOLT 15 GAYNELLE BYRD 17 CRYSTAL EXUM 17 CAROLL NEWBERN 18 GARY STANFIELD 18 ANGEL SYKES 19 DANNY CARPENTER 20 STEVEN CASEY 20 ALYSSA MOSELEY 20 JOSHUA LANGLEY 21 REBECCA MARSHALL 22 TANYA WILSON 22 MCCULLON WIGGINS 23 LAURA JOYNER 24 CALLIE AYERS 25 CARYN ELLIS 25 ROGER JENKINS 25 JOANNE PARROTT 25 TRENTON SMITH 25 LATOYA MITCHELL 25 JERRY SHOEMAKER 26 LAUREN OLIVER 27 DOUGLAS PILGREEN 27 KATHY WOODRUFF 27 TAMMIE BENNETT 28 JOHN SKINNER 28 BRENDA EDMONDS 1 RICHARD BROWN 2 ANGELA GREEN 2 TIFFANY HARRIS 2 CHONDER KIMBEL 2 LINDA ARRINGTON 3 ELIZABETH BYRUM 3 JEANETTE GILLEO 3 SHONTEL OWENS DICKENS 3 ASHLEY BASNIGHT 4 CYNTHIA WILLIAMS 4 BEVERLY DAVIS 5 ANGELA NEWELL 5 TEKESHA TURNER 5 KENTRELL HANNON 6 LATISHA BATTLE 7 ASHLEY BELLAMY 7 TERESA MOZINGO 7 CHEYENNA FRANCIS 8 ELLA GARRIS 8 KIMBERLY GRAY 8 TAYLOR MOLLICONE 8 RACHEL MOORE 8 ROY BALL 10 MARTHA DUNLOW 10 JAMES PHELPS 10 JOTHERINE RICHARDSON 13 JEREMY BULLUCK 14 DENISE NORMAN 14 ERVIN GRIFFIN 15 BRAXTON HARRIS 16 JOHNNY TAYLOR 17 DWIGHT MCKINNEY 18 STEVEN MANNING 20 KATHY RICHARDSON 20 ROBERT ROSE 20 SHELBY PITTMAN 21 LUCY SHEARIN 22 ANDREA WIGGINS 23 JOHN GARRIS 24 BENJAMIN SPENCE 24 LATOYA DAVIS 25 LATOYA HICKS 25 CHERYL CROSS 27 GEORGE EVANS 1 LINDA UNDERDUE 1 JESSICA BLACKWELL 2 ARRIEL MALLORY 2 DORIS TAYLOR 2 LESLIE GOODMAN 3 DEREK HARDIN 3 TIANA SQUIRE 3 ETHAN GASKINS 4 UNIQUINIKA DRAKE 5 JASON JOHNSON 5 CAROLYN VICK 5 JAMES RAWLS 6 JESSICA WATSON-BROWN 7 PATTI DICKENS 7 NICOLE FISHER-MCCLAIN 8 WILLIAM CARROLL 9 GENEQUA HARRIS 9 THOMAS QUALLS 9 CRYSTAL BODEN 10 JESSIE COBB 10 KELLY WRENN 10 KISHA FORBES 12 DANIEL BYBEE 13 JOHN EVANS 16 MICHELLE VESTER 17 KWAMAINE CROWELL 19 MARQUETTA CLARK 20 KENDRA JONES 20 FRANCES KING 20 SHANNON MILES 21 PATRICIA POWELL 21 CHRISTINA RICHARDSON 21 CARLTON TRIPP 21 DILLON ARONOLD 25 ESSENCE BRADLEY 25 J MANNING 25 CAROLYN FIELDS 30 MONICA REESE 30 PATRICK AYCOCK 31 EVA BOONE 31 GENISIS MARTIN 31 AMANDA SCOTT 31BIRTHDAYS, continued from Page 4
LAKEISHA BUTCHER 26 RICKY HARVEY 26 PEGGY HARDING 28 BARBARA PERDUE 30
Do you need an ID
badge or key card?
HRM is here to help!
Access Key Card and Photo ID Badge Replacement Cost:
Photo ID badge - $10.00 Lost, Stolen, Damaged Cards
(less than 5 years) - $6.00
Cards at NO CHARGE:
Everyday wear & tear (over 5 years)
Any name change or title change
Key Cards/Photo ID Badges Hours by Appointment:
Monday 1:30-4:30 pm Tuesday 9 am-12 pm Wednesday 1:30-4:30 pm Thursday 9 am-12 pm
Call or email Patti to schedule an appointment—
252-583-1688 dickensp@halifaxnc.com.
The first Friday of every February is Wear Red for Heart Health Day. This day is designed to increase women’s heart health awareness and serve as a lifestyle change to improve the lives of women globally. Get regular physical activity to help you maintain a healthy weight and lower your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. By living a healthy lifestyle, you can help keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels normal and lower your risk for heart disease and heart attack. Learn more by visiting cdc.gov/heartdisease/prevention.
Halifax County Government www.halifaxnc.com
Department Spotlight: Board of Elections
Kristin Scott was hired as the Elections Deputy Director in 2007 and appointed to serve as the Elections Director in 2009. During her time, she has worked a total of 27 elections in Halifax County.
Candis Simmons was hired in 2020 as the Elections Specialist. Prior to her hire date, Ms. Simmons volunteered with the Board of Elections and served as Office Assistant from 2014-2017.
Christine Tellier was hired in 2020 as the Office Assistant.
The Halifax County Board of Elections office oversees the election process in Halifax County. They process voter registration applications, audit campaign finance reports, proof ballots, assist candidates with filing for office, and train precinct officials, among other duties outlined by general statutes.
Mrs. Scott and her staff will attend political party meetings and other events to inform voters of election laws and any changes.
Currently, voters are not required to provide photo ID when presenting to vote due to a pending lawsuit.
There are 19 voting locations in Halifax. Voters can look up their voting location by using the voter lookup tool or election-related information at www.halifaxnc.com/243/Board-of-Elections. If you or anyone would like to work as a precinct official on Election Day, please contact the Board of Elections Office at 252-583-4391 for more details.
Department Spotlight: Cooperative Extension
The primary mission of Halifax County Cooperative Extension is to help strengthen our families and our communities in the county. Since this pandemic began, our staff and agents have worked extra hard to ensure that mission is upheld, particularly by providing outreach and educational opportunities to our youth. Operation Restart has ensured a stable learning environment for fifteen youth with poor quality or no broadband access by providing facilitated in-person learning. Led by a wonderful volunteer tutor, this program ensures their virtual school requirements are met and their education is staying on track. The program’s students also assist with food distributions at area food banks to help them better realize the meaning of community service.
Our EFNEP program has also continued to reach students in the Halifax County Schools and Roanoke Rapids Graded School District through virtual learning. Healthy eating and physical activity programs are being taught virtually each week for different ages and schools.
Face-to-face 4-H programs are beginning again, and we are currently seeking youth interested in bettering their presentation skills by participating in County and District Activity Days. Registration is now open for overnight 4-H summer camp at Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H Educational Center June 27-July 2, 2021, and there are eight summer day camps at the Rural Life Center that are accepting applications. The poultry project will also begin in May and will culminate at our Harvest Days Festival with our 4th annual show on October 9th.
Pictured (from top to bottom) are Elections Director Kristin Scott, Elections Specialist Candis Simmons, and Office Assistant Christine Tellier.
