News

LOCAL BRIEFS: Girl Scouts achieve Gold, golf winners, Ladies Aid Society

By Lightning Reports, Published: November 6, 2022

Blair, DeBiase earn highest Girl Scout honor

Two Girl Scouts from Hendersonville recently earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn, the Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont district announced.

Courtney Blair, a member of Girl Scout Troop 2997, made port pillow bags for patients at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida. The bags included a port pillow, candy and note card that included a link to Blair’s website that tells more about her Gold Award project, as well as houses resources for families.

Madison DeBiase, a member of Girl Scout Troop 30583, created a leadership program for the Rugby Middle School band program. She developed a series of leadership lessons for the students that included learning musical leadership skills like counting off and conducting a warmup as well as personal skills such as confidence exercises and voice projection. Through the different activities, the students are becoming leaders in their classroom.

Girls in high school are able to earn their Girl Scout Gold Award by creating sustainable change on a community or world issue. Each girl must dedicate a minimum of 80 hours to planning and carrying out her project, which must benefit the community and have lasting impact.

Golf tournament raises $40,000 for foundation

The Henderson County Education Foundation recently held its 16th annual Fall Golf Classic Tournament,  raising more than $40,000 to support and enhance the educational experience for Henderson County students and teachers.

The proceeds raised will enable the foundation to facilitate programs that support Henderson County public schools.

Fall Golf Classic Tournament first place winners, from left, were Mike Corbett, Joe Gaudino, Mark Brown and Miles Fenn. CONTRIBUTEDThe golf tournament is the foundation’s largest and one of its longest-running fundraising events. Proceeds go right back into the community, supporting the needs of the county’s most vulnerable students as well as post-secondary scholarships to graduating seniors, instructional support for arts and music education, STEM education through the Muddy Sneakers program and Discover STEM Camps and the Leader in Me program throughout the public schools.

This year’s outing, held on Oct. 17 at Champion Hills Golf Course, was presented by LS3P and Vannoy Construction, the architectural firm and general contractor for the Hendersonville High School addition and renovation. Additional tournament sponsors were AdventHealth, Baird Private Wealth Management, Bobcat of Asheville, Bold Rock, Boyd Chevrolet Buick, Campbell Shatley PLLC, Carolina Village, Chick-fil-A, Culligan of WNC, Current, Dominion Energy, Eagle Self Storage, First Citizens Bank, Full Circle Family Wellness, Hawkins Group Real Estate, Hendersonville Family Dental, Hendough Donuts, Hot Dog World, Lifetouch, Curt and Sue Marker, Mills River Family Dental, Optimum, Pardee UNC Health Care, Park National Bank, Pepsi-Cola of Asheville, Prescott Auto Reserve, Printville, Realty ONE Pivot Group, Southern Alarm & Security, Steve Dozier Group, Turf Mountain Sod, TD Bank, Weichert Realtors, Wells Fargo Advisors-Jim Wiley, WGLA Engineering PLLC and Wilsonart.

• First-place winners were Mike Corbett, Joe Gaudino, Mark Brown and Miles Fenn.
• Second-place winners were Charles Frederick, Dan Anderson, Brock Goodling, and Sheldon Hilaire, all of TD Bank.

• Third-place winners were Bobby Wilkins, Jon Wilkins, Jeff Wilkins and Jim Wilkins.
• Fourth-place winners were Lee McElrath, Vince Howell, Greg Reynolds and John Neff, all of Dominion Energy NC.
• Closest to the pin winners were: No. 2, Greg Reynolds, 1 foot, 5 inches; No. 4 Richard Betts, 6 feet, 4 inches; No. 9 Buzz Beilharz, 4 feet, 5 inches; No. 11, Derek Hawkins, two feet, 7 inches; and No. 17, Lee McElrath, one foot, 10 inches.

This year’s tournament was dedicated to the late Dr. Don Jones, the foundation director who launched the annual golf classic 16 years ago. The tournament was organized by Marcie Burlett, Tim Ertzberger, Curt Marker, Peggy Marshall, Dale Salvaggio-Bradshaw, Alan Skelton and Susan Thomas.

Ladies Aid Society raises $12,000 for charity

Pictured, from left, are Betsy Tibbs, LAS treasurer; Callie Davis, St. Gerard House; Kira Isaksen, Safelight; Honey Burrell, LAS corresponding secretary; Laurian Richards, Children & Family Resource Center; Caroline Long, St. Gerard House; Debby Staton, Flat Rock Backpack Program; Mae Boys, LAS past president; Paige Wheeler, Four Seasons Foundation; Tim Jones, Hendersonville Rescue Mission; and Susan Frame, LAS vice president. [PHOTO BY SUZANNE CAMARATA]The Ladies Aid Society of Flat Rock recently distributed a total of $12,000 to six local nonprofit organizations as part of its support for those in need in Henderson County. The nonprofits receiving the financial support were Children & Family Resource Center, Flat Rock Backpack Program, Four Seasons Foundation, Hendersonville Rescue Mission, Safelight and St. Gerard House.

The Ladies Aid Society, founded in 1880, raises funds throughout the year and distributes those funds on an annual basis. All donations are tax deductible. For more information, please contact us at lasfr1880@gmail.com.

St. John hosts Friends of Music performance

The Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness will host a Friends of Music concert featuring bass-baritone Adrian Smith at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, in the Parish Hall across from the church. Smith will be accompanied by pianist Dewitt Tipton. The public is invited to attend. Contributions will be gratefully accepted.

Hailed for his “big bronze voice,” Smith has been heard in numerous opera and concert roles.

Future concerts include flutist Kate Steinbeck on Dec. 4 and folk musicians Laura Boosinger and Josh Goforth on Feb. 19. In the early spring, storyteller Becky Stone will entertain with African American history. Later in the spring a benefit will be scheduled for the WNC Foundation Eric Anderson Weigel Memorial Fund. The concert will feature Eric’s brother, David Weigel, performing baritone selections with Tipton accompanying on the piano.

St. John in the Wilderness is at 1905 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock. For information call 828-693-9783 or visit www.stjohnflatrock.org.

TSA PreCheck mobile truck to be at AVL Oct. 31-Nov. 11

The IdentoGo TSA PreCheck mobile truck will be serving the public at Asheville Regional Airport from Monday, Oct. 31, through Monday, Nov. 11, 2022.
The mobile enrollment center will be located in the cell phone lot across the street from the terminal.
TSA PreCheck is an expedited screening program that enables identified low-risk air travelers to enjoy a smart and efficient screening experience. For TSA PreCheck travelers, there is no need to remove shoes, 3-1-1 liquids, laptops, light outerwear or belts. Today, TSA PreCheck is at more than 200 U.S. airports.
The TSA PreCheck application program allows U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to directly apply for TSA PreCheck. Once approved, travelers will receive a “Known Traveler Number,” which can be added to a traveler’s airline profile and reservations, and will have the opportunity to use TSA PreCheck lanes at select security checkpoints when flying on over 80 airlines that currently participate in TSA PreCheck.
To participate in this local enrollment event, visit flyavl.com/precheck for instructions. Pre-registration is required, as appointments are limited and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
To complete the application process, you will need to bring documentation proving identity and citizenship status. If you have a valid U.S. passport, that is all you need for ID. You will finish the process onsite by providing your fingerprints for a background check.
The application fee is $85 and can be paid by credit card, money order, company check or certified/cashier’s check. Cash and personal checks are not accepted.