Greensboro attorney Janet Ward Black has been selected by the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) as a recipient of the 2018 Ebbie Award.

This award was named after Ebbie Bailey, who helped founding member Allen Bailey establish the North Carolina Advocates for Justice more than 50 years ago. The Ebbie Award was created in 2003 in Bailey’s honor to “recognize service and inspired commitment to NCAJ and its mission.”

Black helped establish the Ebbie Award during her tenure as president of NCAJ, a 3,000-lawyer organization dedicated to protecting people’s rights.

Black was recognized for her service on the Executive Committee as past president and for her work inside and outside the courtroom. She is being honored as a “selfless public servant and fierce advocate for justice for those who have been injured by the wrongdoing of others.”

Black received the award on June 18, during the NCAJ Annual Convention in Wilmington.

“It is an incredible honor to come full circle and be selected as a recipient of the Ebbie Award,” says Black. “I consider it a privilege to continue to serve the NCAJ alongside my peers.”

Black, a native of Kannapolis, is the principal owner of Ward Black Law located in Greensboro. 

 

Comfort Keepers to celebrate 20th anniversary with July 18 event

SALISBURY — The Salisbury location of Comfort Keepers will celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary with live music, a barbecue lunch and more 11 a.m.-1 p.m. July 18 at Salisbury Civic Center, 315 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

A provider of in-home care for seniors and other adults, Comfort Keepers was founded in 1998, when Kristina Butler, a registered nurse in Springfield, Ohio, discovered the need for someone to help her patients with non-medical needs. She designed a solution that would allow for seniors to receive care at home – a solution that she called Comfort Keepers.

Comfort Keepers now has a network of franchises across the nation and around the world, including the Comfort Keepers location in Salisbury, owned and operated by Lori Eberly.

Eberly believes wholeheartedly in the Comfort Keepers mission: to provide clients with the highest level of quality of life that is achievable. Because their caregivers are more than happy to devote hours of their lives to help others, families can have peace-of-mind about their loved ones’ care.

“We are very proud of the growth and success of the Comfort Keepers brand over the last 20 years and our local ownership for the last 17 years,” says Eberly.

“Our hard work is truly paid off at the end of each day when we settle in at home knowing that our office has made a difference in the lives of so many. And knowing that we are part of an even larger network of caring people makes it all the more rewarding.”

The July 18 event will also celebrate thelives of seniors and their families. Reservations may be made at 704-630-0370 before July 11. Seating is limited.

For more information about Comfort Keepers of Salisbury services or the celebration, visit www.comfortkeepers.com or call 877-898-0060.

 

Carolina Farm Credit photo contest voting now open

STATESVILLE – Voting to select the top three photos for the 2019 Carolina Farm Credit Calendar is open to the public at carolinafarmcredit.com until July 31.

More than 1,200 photos were submitted by Carolina Farm Credit members, employees and friends for the contest by the May 31 deadline. The photos included children on farms, farm animals, equipment and machinery, and scenery.

The 36 finalists are displayed on the Carolina Farm Credit website. Visitors will be able to vote once a day for their favorite pictures through July 31.

Following the completion of voting, the three photos with the most votes will be awarded first, second and third place, and receive cash prizes. The additional calendar photos will be selected from the remaining finalists. This is the eighth year that the public has been able to vote for the Carolina Farm Credit photo contest finalists online.

 

Conference to focus on rural development

PINEHURST — Local economic developers and civic leaders from more than 65 counties in North Carolina will be gathering Thursday and Friday to discuss how rural communities can capitalize on the state’s economic momentum.

The conference “Energizing Rural North Carolina: The Building Blocks of Successful Economic Development,” to be held at The Carolina Hotel in Pinehurst, will explore how infrastructure, workforce, education, health and leadership shape economic outcomes in rural communities.

Gov. Roy Cooper, state Sen. Harry Brown and state Rep. Jason Saine are scheduled to speak at the conference, which is open to registered participants and invited media.

The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) is presenting the conference with the support of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the NC Rural Center, the Golden LEAF Foundation, the Institute for Emerging Issues at North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Economic Development Association.

“I see the EDPNC’s role in this event as a convener,” said Frank E. Emory Jr., chairman of the EDPNC Board of Directors, “bringing rural stakeholders together to look at these five building blocks through a lens focused sharply on their impact on economic development.”

Local economic developers from all 100 North Carolina counties were invited, with each asked to bring local influencers who can effect change in their communities. Economic developers attending are from counties ranging in size from Tyrrell (population 4,000-plus) in northeast North Carolina to Forsyth, the state’s fourth-most populous county. Westernmost counties represented include Graham, Cherokee and Clay.

The event will examine how infrastructure, workforce support, education, health outcomes and leadership can contribute to long-term economic development results including employment growth, new business establishments, higher household income and greater economic output. Participants will hear from subject-matter experts and local leaders who have had success within each of the five building blocks, then break out into roundtable discussions about assets, needs and possible strategies within their own rural communities.