SWANNANOA – Vietnamese refugees Tuan Luu and Binh Nguyen can't stop saying thank you for the opportunities this country has afforded them. After decades of hardship, made only worse by the Recession, the two celebrated Tuesday as one 17 families now qualified for a home in Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity's newest subdivision in Swannanoa, the organization's first development in the eastern part of Buncombe County.
"Our story is very horrible," said Nguyen, 39. "We have so many things now to be thankful for." When Luu and Nguyen came to America from Vietnam in their early 20s, they had $100 in their pocket. They didn't understand U.S. currency. They couldn't operate the pay phone to tell their estranged family they had arrived. Because they didn't speak English yet, they couldn't ask anyone for help. Read more here.
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ASHEVILLE – Organizers of a police support rally said Wednesday they have canceled the event over fears it could turn violent. Former Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower said he doesn't trust groups planning a counterprotest at the same time Thursday.
"Certainly my intention whenever possible is to challenge with as much enthusiasm as I can to highlight the absurdity of some of these folks," he said. "I haven't said things like, 'Burn this b—h down.'" The stepfather of Michael Brown made that comment to protesters after a grand jury failed to indict a white police officer who killed Brown, a black 18-year-old. Area LGBTQ groups said they planned the counterprotest to affirm that black lives matter and to share stories of black transgender and cisgender women who they say are also targeted by police. "Regardless of whether pro-police rallies happen, we are committed to supporting black queer and transgender people who have been and continue to be oppressed by racism and transphobia," said an organizer who goes by the name Lichen LP. Read more here. WEAVERVILLE – Last month, cosmetology student Samantha White of Weaverville thought she was going to TD Bank to do the employees' hair for a banking convention. She left with $25,000 and a plan to help our four legged friends. She had 24 hours to spend the money.
"It was probably the most epic day ever just to be able to give back and do so many good things," said White, who was chosen for the project after taking part in a survey commissioned by TD Bank where customers were asked to identify what they would do to help their community if they had $30,000 to spend in just one day. White was one of 24 customers selected across North America for the project. Read more here. ASHEVILLE – I was terrified I was going to fail you this week: I didn't have time to volunteer. What with holiday deadlines, family visiting from Michigan, and the stress of cooking one's first turkey dinner, I had no idea where I was going to squeeze in my weekly commitment to service.
As I frantically combed through emails and interview notes from nonprofit providers looking for a quick and easy yet meaningful volunteer opportunity, I remembered something from one of the first meetings I took when I came to town — the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County offers Portable Projects. Thank God! I have still have my column (and my job). "Our Portable Projects provide community service opportunities for families and individuals that fit their busy schedules," said my new savior, Charlie Lee, volunteer programs manager for Hands On Asheville-Buncombe, the volunteer program of the United Way. Read more here. ASHEVILLE – Abortion-rights activists held vigil outside the governor's mansion in Raleigh amid statewide concern last year as North Carolina ordered an overhaul of safety regulations for abortion providers. Those protests have subsided, and what's left of demonstrators on the issue in Asheville includes three to four people who meet weekly to hold signs opposing abortion outside a planned new clinic.
It's not that passions on the issue have been set aside, but disagreement on proposed new regulations has calmed in North Carolina. In a rare movement of accord, the state's largest abortion providers and abortion-rights advocates sided with state officials earlier this week, tentatively agreeing on proposed rule changes for abortion providers. The changes up for public review come in response to a 2013 legislative directive mandating that the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services create new requirements for abortion providers. They include the right to annually inspect any licensed clinic and standards for building codes, record-keeping, nurse staffing qualifications, emergency procedures and post-operative care. Rules for certification of abortion clinics have not been updated in nearly 20 years, DHHS noted in a Nov. 14 fiscal impact analysis of the proposed regulations. Read more here. ASHEVILLE — Lisa-Gaye Hall stayed away from Black Friday, and, even though the busy mom likes to shop online, she avoided Cyber Monday, too. But just because Hall isn't buying things, doesn't mean she's not writing checks. As part of a way to instill philanthropic purpose in her children's lives, the family divided up $200 Sunday night, with each member responsible for $50 of charitable giving.
On Tuesday, Hall will donate to nine area nonprofits. She is not alone. People around the country will celebrate Giving Tuesday on Dec. 2 by supporting their favorite charitable institutions in lieu of shopping. In a time of increased need, limited resources and ongoing fundraising campaigns, many area nonprofits report the value of Giving Tuesday is more than the money raised. With small fundraising goals, several agencies see the day as a time to remind the public of their value to the community. Read more here. ASHEVILLE – The protest at Pack Square Park Thursday evening may have been smaller in number than the group which rallied in defense of Michael Brown last week, but that didn't stop participants from making their cries of injustice heard. A crowd of just over 100 people assembled near the Vance Monument in downtown Asheville to protest Wednesday's grand jury decision to end the criminal case against a white New York police officer whose chokehold led to the death of an unarmed black man.
Jurors deliberated for less than a day before deciding there was not enough evidence to go forward with charges against officer Daniel Pantaleo, 29. Pantaleo testified on Nov. 21 that he did not intend to choke Eric Garner, 43, who was being arrested for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. A medical examiner found that Garner's death was a homicide resulting from the chokehold, a move banned by the New York Police Department in 1993. The July death of Garner was captured on video and seen around the world. "I'm just happy I can do something," said Marshall resident Deb Burns of the protest in the wake of the grand jury's decision "I just can't believe it. Ferguson was one thing, but with this, it is incontrovertible. (Pantaleo) should have at least been indicted and had his day in court." Read more here. ASHEVILLE – Winter is just around the corner and Eblen Charities wants to make sure no one gets left out in the cold. The crisis charity started administering the Federal Low Income Energy Assistance Program for Buncombe County Dec. 1.
With this fund, many who seek heating assistance through the cold winter months can get additional help, Bill Murdock, executive director of the nonprofit, said last month just before the charity started distributing utility assistance to families in crisis. LIEAP is a federally funded program that provides a one-time payment to help eligible households pay their heating bills. Income qualifying families, which have someone who is 60-years-old or older, or someone living with a disability, are eligible to receive benefits through March 31. Read more here. ASHEVILLE – Marietta Jones can't contain her excitement as she describes her new home. As she moves room to room pointing to her favorite fixtures and spaces, she lets out squeaks and squeals.
Thanks to assistance from area nonprofits and a lot of hard work and saving, in late October Jones became a first-time homeowner at the age of 62. "When I got those keys, I jumped for joy," said Jones, who made her daughter take a photograph of her with her husband on the day they signed the papers for the home in Kenilworth. "It was just a good feeling to have something of my own." Read more here. BLACK MOUNTAIN – Jim Parsons is overworked and underpaid but he couldn't be happier. As co-manager of the Kiwanis Thrift Shop in Black Mountain, Parsons, 84, volunteers at the store, which supports local children's charities, 15 to 20 hours a week.
When he's not running the cash register, he's trying out his jokes on the customers or harmlessly flirting with the women who organize the inventory in the back. "People say I should be a stand-up comedian, but I always tell them my problem is standing up," said Parsons, whose cheesy one-liner jokes kept me laughing throughout the afternoon as I finished up a long week of work volunteering at the Thrift Shop last Friday. If you can't tell, Parsons is a bit of a ham. He's a great guy to volunteer with; he relentlessly tries to make you smile. "I've been here years and I still don't know the difference between slacks and capris," he said upon meeting me. Read more here. ASHEVILLE – Young parents, Rebecca and Evan Gurney concede that having a child for the first time is terrifying. But for the North Asheville couple that fact doesn't mean childbirth isn't universally an intimate, even sacred, procedure, something enhanced by the holistic approach of birth centers. The decisions parents make about birth are indicators of how they want to start a family and their lives together, Rebecca Gurney said.
For their first child, the Gurneys went to North Carolina's only nonprofit birth center in Chapel Hill, where they delivered with the assistance of a certified nurse midwife. The relaxed environment and holistic approach empowered them to feel controlled and capable in the delivery room, they said. It's the kind of setting that an Asheville group wants to see in the planned WNC Birth Center, which could open in 2016, making it the state's second nonprofit center for childbirth supervised by licensed nurse midwives. Read more here. ASHEVILLE – A local group is encouraging hunters to kill more deer this season in order to help feed the hungry. Most hunters stop at one or two deer because they don't have space to refrigerate the meat, said Billy Stewart, Crossfire Chapter coordinator for Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry.
What Farmers and Hunters is trying to do is to get them to keep hunting and donate the deer to feed the less fortunate, he said. A national nonprofit, FHFH encourages hunters to donate deer to food banks and other crisis charities. FHFH raises money to cover the meat processing expenses so that the protein-rich food can be donated and distributed free of charge. Food banks and pantries are always in need of fresh protein and processing dead game is expensive, about $50 a deer, but that shouldn't keep people from helping those in need, said Stewart, of Black Mountain. Read more here. ASHEVILLE – As many people indulged Thursday, several of the area's less fortunate feasted on food that would have otherwise been wasted. Thanks to an elaborate network of food pantries, industrial farmers, mega distributors and local groceries all brought together by MANNA Food Bank, thousands of meals that would have unnecessarily ended up in landfills instead were served up on people's holiday tables. "It's really pretty amazing," said Cindy Threlkeld, executive director of MANNA Food Bank. "It's more complex than it looks on the surface."
In 2013, MANNA, which operates on the basic premise that the people of Western North Carolina should be able to live without the barrier of hunger, distributed 12.8 million pounds of food to pantries throughout the region. It's like giving out 1,100 meals every hour of every day, the nonprofit estimates. Much of the food ends up at MANNA by mistake, unwanted by consumers or considered unmarketable by industry giants. Yet, with increased need and limited resources, area charities argue these blunders are lifesavers, providing people with much needed sustenance and comfort. Read more here. ASHEVILLE – The volunteers and staff at Meals on Wheels of Asheville and Buncombe County do so much more than the name implies. Yes, they drive around and deliver food to homebound seniors, but, more importantly, they become their clients' advocates and friends.
They bring them donations of used clothes and blankets, they give them Christmas presents, they help feed their pets, they provide excellent gossip and conversation and, at times, they have even been known to be matchmakers and lawnmowers. I learned this on Tuesday after spending my morning driving around West Ashveille with volunteer Marsha Ott. Even though schools were delayed and snow covered the roads, we spent hours navigating windy neighborhood streets bringing people hot lunches. "You come away always feeling so good about people," Ott promised. "The clients, they will warm your heart." Read more here. ASHEVILLE – William Murdock, executive director of Eblen Charities, one of the Buncombe County's most effective crisis ministries, was recognized internationally last week after being awarded the Mother Teresa Prize for Global Peace and Leadership.
The prize acknowledges Mother Teresa's philosophy that the highest level of leadership is found in public service. Through that service, the seeds of global peace are sown, said Jamie Minton, President of the Luminary Leadership Network, the Atlanta-based organization which distributed the award. "It means Eblen has a greater responsibility now not only to continue our work, but to reach more and more families," said Murdock of the recognition."This is a great honor for everyone that has anything to do with Eblen. The award belongs to all of us. It's for the people who are here for heating assistance today. It's for the ones that are in line for Christmas help, or in need of a coat or housing." Read more here. ASHEVILLE – When Kevin Tillery describes his vision, he says it's like looking through a drinking straw in a glass of milk. Everything is cloudy and small.
Tillery, who is legally blind, can only see out of the center of his right eye. He has no peripheral vision. Tillery is the human resources representative at Industries for the Blind in Asheville. Computers and gadgets fill his office. He has a program on his computer that magnifies and speaks text. His television screen blows up documents so he can read them. He also has a smaller electronic wand he can carry with him and magnify any words he might encounter. "Without these technologies, I wouldn't be able to do my job at all," said Tillery, who was diagnosed with glaucoma when he was in college and holds a master's degree in social work from Fayetteville State University. "I would not be in this role." Read more here. ASHEVILLE – Buncombe County women came together Saturday morning at the YWCA of Asheville to learn about public policies affecting equality for women and to prioritize action items. After listening to remarks by state and local officials and representatives from area advocacy and nonprofit groups, the crowd of about 50 voted access to health care and economic self-sufficiency as its top legislative priorities.Violence against women and female civic participation were also highly ranked.
Every two years before the state General Assembly's long term session, North Carolina Women United hosts the forum to set its Buncombe County Women's Agenda. State Rep. Susan Fisher and state Sen. Terry Van Duyn kicked off the event discussing why equality has yet to be achieved, charging Buncombe County residents to bring about change. Women's issues are cross cutting, they said. Fighting for women and families defies political and economic division. "We have still much, much work to do," said Fisher who spoke first to the energetic crowd, encouraging them to develop an agenda that will resonate with men, women and children across the state. Read more here. I love kids, especially the little ones. So, when the people at the Junior Achievement of Western Carolina asked me to help at a "JA in a Day" event at a local elementary school, I didn't hesitate to say yes.
When Interim Regional Director Meredith Switzer followed up a day later to tell me I would be teaching financial literacy to kindergarteners, I started to second-guess my decision. It took me until I was at least 27 years old to understand that the secret to eliminating credit card debt was simply to not use them. Read more here. ASHEVILLE – Buncombe County women came together Saturday morning at the YWCA of Asheville to learn about public policies affecting equality for women and to prioritize action items.
After listening to remarks by state and local officials and representatives from area advocacy and nonprofit groups, the crowd of about 50 voted access to health care and economic self-sufficiency as its top legislative priorities. Violence against women and female civic participation were also highly ranked. Every two years before the state General Assembly's long term session, North Carolina Women United hosts the forum to set its Buncombe County Women's Agenda. Read more here. CASHIERS – Authorities in Jackson County continued the search for a missing Atlanta teen who was camping with a group near Cashiers on Monday. After of week of mostly ground searches, a helicopter was sent out for a second time Friday morning to try and get a better aerial view of the forest.
Starting Friday evening, a 24-hour command post will be established at the Cashiers Glenville Fire Department. An operations post closer to the search location will also continue. There are no major updates other than a vest was found in the woods near the camping area where the teen was last seen, reported Major Shannon H. Queen of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. Read more here. WAYNESVILLE – Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation hit a milestone last week, saving more than 1,000 dogs and cats so far this year.
Last year, Sarge’s saved more than 1,100 animals, and 2014 looks to be even better, the organization reported in a statement to the media. “While Sarge’s has been in the news helping nurture the Parkway puppies found abandoned after birth, there are still many more animals to save,” said Steve Hewitt, board president for Sarges Animal Rescue Foundation. “Sarge’s has wonderful dogs and cats available for adoption every week.” Read more here. CANDLER – An area nonprofit organization and medical facility have teamed up to increase medical and crisis service provision to people in need in the Enka/Candler area.
Last week, Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry and Mountain Area Health Education Center opened the doors to the Ferguson Charitable Center. The building, at 1914 Smoky Park Highway, houses the new MAHEC Family Health Center at Enka/Candler and ABCCM's renovated Hominy Valley Crisis Ministry. The Ferguson Charitable Center aims to meet two major areas of need, said the Rev. Scott Rogers, executive director of ABCCM, a nonprofit organization made up of a collaborative of 277 churches, which addresses poverty, hunger, homelessness, incarceration and access to health care in Buncombe County. Read more here. ASHEVILLE – Reliant on charities and public assistance most of his life, Henry Thornton always had to put his passions on hold to survive.
His mom made him join the Army when he dropped out of high school in Brooklyn at 17. He came home an alcoholic and found himself on the streets of New York. He went to prison several times on drug charges. For 20 years, he was nearly always homeless. "I'd sit on the corner and people would at look at me like I was a piece of trash," said Thornton, 51, who now lives in West Asheville. "They didn't know who I was, and I didn't have any help." Read more here. The day my first column came out, Laura Kirby, executive director of the Haywood Street Congregation, e-mailed me before I could even find a newspaper. It was 6:36 a.m. last Sunday when the message came through my inbox: "Please come to Haywood Street!" she wrote. "We'd love to have you Wednesday."
And so, three days later I found myself, tea still in hand, making an early morning walk down Patton Avenue to Kirby's church. The farther I got from the Citizen-Times, the more my surroundings changed. Instead of bustling tourists poking their heads in shops and restaurants, there were people sleeping on the streets. One man stopped me and said, "Woooo wheee! Ain't it great to see a woman heading to work this morning. We don't got no jobs." Read more here. RALEIGH – The chief administrator of North Carolina's courts says Republican party leaders may have misled magistrates on whether they could refrain from performing same-sex marriages.
John Smith, director of the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts, detailed his concerns in a three-page letter to Senate leader Phil Berger, who along with more than two dozen Senate Republicans had asked in an Oct. 24 letter that he revise a directive ordering magistrates to perform civil weddings for gay couples or face losing their jobs. Several magistrates have quit rather than perform same-sex marriages since two federal judges last month blocked enforcement of the state's gay marriage prohibition approved by voters in 2012. The rulings came when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a case that overturned Virginia's similar ban. Read more here. |
Beth WaltonWriter, World Traveler, Mother. These are my stories. Archives
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