KIMBERLY BELLAMY
The Community Enrichment Organization has some new leadership and new opportunities for students to fund their college education.
Delores Faison of Speed has been appointed as CEO's new chair of their Board of Directors after three years of being involved on the board.
Faison succeeds Othar Woodard, who has been involved in the Board of Directors for the past five to six years, and chair of the board for the past three years.
Additional leadership will be sought from John Wooten who is a new board member and has been elected as the fundraising chair.
"Our Board of Directors is the vision for the organization and provides governance and oversees our operations," said Doris Stith, executive director of CEO.
The organization offers several resources to the community including an after school pregnancy prevention program called Making Proud Choices for grades 6-8; a teen parent support group; HIV education; unity breakfast programs for senior citizens, and the Men-In-Motion program focused on building stronger family relationships through male leadership.
Faison who teaches Business Law I and II at Edgecombe Community College hopes that her involvement with the board will help strengthen their ability to make informed legal decisions.
"I'm an attorney by profession, and I can lend them my legal expertise," Faison said.
She also would like to make the public aware of the things CEO offers.
"There needs to be an organization to help children after school and make the community aware of the resources available to them, and that's what CEO does," she said.
As fundraising chair, Wooten has already started one initiative that will support two of CEO's programs. Wooten made a personal donation of $1,000 to start a scholarship for the Men-In-Motion and teen parent support groups.
"CEO is doing a lot of things, but the ones in particular are the programs with the teen mothers, and Men-In-Motion," he said.
"I've seen so many teen mothers being ignored by their own families. CEO is encouraging them to go on and finish high school and many are going on to college. I thought that was a good thing to get behind."
Stith said the fundraising component of CEO is a vital part of their organization that she believes Wooten will be able to improve.
"That's an area we needed to do more work with and with his leadership we're going to see more success," she said.
