TARBORO —
“It Starts With U,” a local foundation, is hosting a public forum on the “ban the box” initiative from 6:30-8:30 p.m. today in the auditorium of the Edgecombe County Administrative Building, 201 St. Andrew St.
“Banning the box” refers to eliminating the “box” on job applications asking an applicant if they have been convicted of a crime.
“When a person goes to apply for a job, we want everybody to have a fair chance. Banning the box does that. Banning the box doesn’t allow the box to speak for them,” said Kim Harrell, chair of “It Starts With U,” an Edgecombe County-based foundation started in 2008 by Carol Allen White, Edgecombe County Clerk of Court.
“We provide services for adults who were previously incarcerated or have an unfavorable background,” said White.
Banning the box gives job seekers with a criminal background a chance to get to the job interview, where they have an opportunity to explain their background and qualifications, Harrell said. If the applicant does not receive the job after the interview, it is simply because they were simply “not the right fit” for the job, said Harrell.
Daryl V. Atkinson of the Southern Coalition for Justice and founding member of the North Carolina Second Chance Alliance will be the guest speaker at the forum.
“Atkinson is a former offender who is an attorney now. He’s seeing it from both sides,” White said.
Jacqueline Cooper, program director for “It Starts With U,” said the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency, is on board with hiring ex-offenders.
“You can’t just not hire somebody point blank because they have a criminal background,” she said.
White said the foundation encourages former offenders to become “productive citizens” and gives them a “road map” for re-entering society and tools to change their behaviors and set them up for success, White said.
“We’re kind of there to motivate them and coach them along the way,” Cooper said. “We prepare them so they’re ready to work. “
For more information, call the foundation at 641-1832.
Community
Banning the box forum to be held tonight
- Community
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Edgecombe Garden Club honors members
The Edgecombe Garden Club met May 1 for their noon luncheon at the Fountains of the Albemarle. After President Pauline Nicolosi greeted everyone, Sandra Joyner, Devotion Chairman, read “Torch” which was about our tongues torching good or evil.
Hostess Barbara Getzug described her specially designed flower arrangement of mock orange, snowball, purple columbine, and many varieties of roses. President Pauline, Hostesses Gloria Wall and Louise Fleming did the table arrangements. They contained wiegelia, azalea, ivy, mock orange, and ligustrum. -
DAR AWARDS
GOOD CITIZEN WINNERS with school names (left to right): Amanda Larson, Northern Nash; Meredith Glover, Southern Nash; Cameron Dengler, Rocky Mount Academy; and William Joyner “Brad,” SouthWest Edgecombe
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DAR AWARDS
GOOD CITIZENSHIP WINNERS with school names (left to right): Emanuel Jones, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic; Daniel Tavon Thorne, Englewood Elementary, Chryshanta Johnson, Williford Elementary; Elizabeth Tebo, Spring Hope Elementary; Regent Dottie Barrett. Not present: Lorah Beth Currin, Faith Christian, and Susana Contreras-Blanco, Princeville Elementary
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Tarboro Woman’s Club presented awards
The May meeting of the Tarboro Woman’s Club held at the Albemarle on Wednesday was a celebration of the club’s 60 years of service to this community. The speaker at the meeting was Carolyn Owens, special events coordinator for Edenton Tourism, and her topic was The Edenton Tea Party. It seems a variety of myths have colored the facts about the Edenton ladies’ protest against their husband’s boycott of tea following King George III’s new tax on tea imports in 1775.
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Gamma Lambda Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma initiates four new members at spring banquet
On April 18, 2013, Gamma Lambda Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma held their final meeting for this year, which included their spring banquet. During the meeting, the chapter initiated four new members. New members included Kelly Anderson, Jennifer Derby, Kimberlie Lewis, and Dreama Pressly. New member Teresa Harrell was not able to attend; she will be initiated at their first fall meeting.
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Dixon new manager of volunteer services
Vidant Edgecombe Hospital is pleased to welcome Amy Dixon as the new Manager of Volunteer Services.
Originally from Edgecombe County, Dixon graduated from Hobgood Academy and moved on to Peace College and East Carolina University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Marketing in 2003. Prior to coming to Vidant Edgecombe Hospital, she served as Director of Admissions at the Fountains at the Albemarle in Tarboro for seven years. -
Stocks Elementary School celebrates Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Week
In celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Week, Stocks Elementary School hosted several guest speakers and exciting activities during the first week of May.
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HOBGOOD SCIENCE FAIR
Hobgood Academy's fifth and sixth grade science classes recently presented their science projects. The sixth grade class projects were to be concentrated on space. Andrew Carlisle, whose project was the 1969 Apollo 11 manned mission to the moon, took top honors. His project depicted the moon landing and his poster gave information about this milestone in the history of our country.
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Quiz Bowl champions
The South Edgecombe Middle Quiz Bowl Team are the 2013 Edgecombe County Public Schools Quiz Bowl champions. Picture from front to back, left to right are Dylan Hyman, Frankie Edwards and Chris Modlin, Matthew Jones, Cameron Gomez, Yancey Coltrane, David Edwards, Leaton White, David Parisher, Katlyn Webb, Jack Coltrane and JD Reid.
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NC Symphony coming to Tarboro June 6
“At the Movies” will be the theme when the North Carolina Symphony comes to Tarboro on Thursday, June 6. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. on the Town Common. The free performance is sponsored by Keihin Carolina System Technology, Tarboro Savings Bank and Ronald G. Ellis, Jr. and is part of the symphony’s “Concerts in Your Community” series.
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