PITTSBORO — Chatham County’s domestic violence support and advocacy program, Chatham Family Violence Prevention Services, seeks volunteers to provide specific support services for survivors of domestic violence.
Director of Court Programs Renita Foxx is working with Kit Stanley, manager of Chatham Family Violence Prevention Services, to recruit volunteers who can assist with the following:
• Crisis Line Advocates provide telephone crisis assistance and resources to victims and survivors;
• Sexual Assault Response Advocates will respond to and provide advocacy for survivors of sexual assault at our local hospitals.
• Court Companions/Navigators to offer support and assistance to victims during court hearings; and
• DV/SA Educators will work within the community to raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault.
Volunteers must complete an application form, agree to a background check and complete training before being enrolled in the program.
Foxx said that the number of service hours for volunteers will vary depending on each person’s availability.
Anyone interested in this volunteer opportunity should call 919-542-1792 or send email to cfvps@chathamnc.org.
Chatham Community Library hosting film series, author
PITTSBORO — Chatham Community Library is celebrating Women’s History Month with a three-part film series beginning on March 7. The films will be viewed from 6-8 p.m. in the Holmes Meeting Room at the Chatham Community Library in Pittsboro.
Films in the series include:
• March 7: RBG (2018). At the age of 85, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a lengthy legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. But the unique personal journey of her rise to the nation’s highest court has been largely unknown, even to some of her biggest fans — until now. RBG explores Ginsburg’s life and career. Directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West, RBG was a nominee for the 2019 Academy Award’s Best Documentary Feature category.
• March 14: Chisholm ‘72: Unbought & Unbossed (2004). This outstanding documentary chronicles Brooklyn-based Congresswoman Shirley’s Chisholm’s 1972 presidential bid. Chisholm ‘72 was a nominee for Best Documentary at the 2006 Black Reel Awards. Directed by Shola Lynch.
• March 21: The Legend: The Bessie Coleman Story (2018). This feature documentary details the life and career of Bessie Coleman, the first woman of African-American descent and the first of Native American descent, to hold a pilot license. Coleman staged the first public flight by an African American woman in America on Labor Day, September 3, 1922. She became a popular flier at aerial shows, though she refused to perform before segregated audiences in the South. Speaking at schools and churches, she encouraged blacks’ interest in aviation. Written and directed by Gardner Doolittle.
These events are free and open to the public. For additional information please call the Library at 919-545-8084.
In addition, the library will host an author event with Iris Yang beginning at 2 p.m. on March 16 in the Holmes Meeting Room. Iris Yang, Ph.D. (Qing Yang) was born and raised in China. She has loved reading and writing since she was a child, but in China creative writing was a dangerous career. As famous writers and translators, her grandmother and her aunt were wrongfully accused as counter-revolutionary Rightists, so Iris had to choose a safer path—studying science.
After graduating from Wuhan University and passing a series of exams, she was accepted by the prestigious CUSBEA (China-United States Biochemistry Examination and Application program). At age 23, with poor English, little knowledge of the country, and 500 borrowed dollars, she came to the United States as a graduate student at the University of Rochester.
Later, she received a Ph.D. in molecular biology, trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and worked at the University of North Carolina. Although she has published a number of scientific papers, she has a passion for creative writing, and her short stories have won contests and have been published in anthologies. Her debut novel, Wings of a Flying Tiger, was published in June, 2018, and its sequel, Will of a Tiger, was published in January, 2019.
Currently, Iris is working on a story based on her grandmother, who was the first Chinese woman to receive a master’s degree in Edinburgh in the UK. Iris now lives between Sedona, AZ and Chapel Hill, NC. Besides writing, she loves hiking, dancing, photography and travel, and she holds a private pilot license.
This event is free and open to the public.
Red Cross: Severe shortage of type O blood
HBO, Red Cross partner to offer sweepstakes, T-shirts to donors and Game of Thrones fans
The American Red Cross has a severe shortage of type O blood and urges type O donors – as well as eligible blood and platelet donors of all blood types – to give now to ensure lifesaving patient care isn’t impacted this winter.
Type O blood is the most in-demand blood type, helping patients facing life-threatening conditions and emergencies every day. Type O negative blood can be transfused to patients with any blood type and is what emergency room personnel reach for when there’s no time to determine a patient’s blood type. Type O positive blood is also especially needed because it is the most transfused blood type and can be given to Rh-positive patients of any blood type.
Right now, the Red Cross has less than a three-day supply of most blood types, and blood products are being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in. Recent snowstorms and severe weather in many parts of the country have forced hundreds of blood drive cancellations, causing more than 20,000 blood and platelet donations to go uncollected.
Individuals of all blood types – especially type O – are asked to make an appointment to donate blood or platelets by downloading the free American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
HBO and Red Cross invite Game of Thrones fans to Bleed #ForTheThrone
To celebrate the final season of Game of Thrones, HBO and the Red Cross have partnered to ask fans and blood donors to Bleed #ForTheThrone this March. This is the largest blood donation promotional effort by an entertainment company in Red Cross history – with six days of coordinated giving March 7-12 from fans and blood donors at blood drives in 43 states across the U.S., including an immersive blood drive experience at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.
As part of the partnership, fans who come to donate blood or platelets with the Red Cross now through March 17 will automatically be entered for a chance to win one of five trips to the season 8 world premiere of Game of Thrones. The trip includes travel for two, up to two nights hotel accommodations and a $250 gift card for expenses. Terms and conditions apply and are available at RedCrossBlood.org/HBOGameofThrones.*
Additionally, those who come to donate March 7-12 will also receive exclusive Game of Thrones swag including a T-shirt, stickers to unlock a unique Snapchat filter and other items, while supplies last.
Upcoming blood donation opportunities Feb. 25-March 31:
Bear Creek: 12:30 p.m. on March 6 at Chatham Central High School at 14950 NC Highway 902 West
Pittsboro: 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on March 12 at Galloway Ridge Hugh Chapin Auditorium at 3000 Galloway Ridge
Siler City: noon until 4:30 p.m. on March 15 at Chatham County Hospital at 475 Progress Blvd.; 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on March 27 at Jordan Matthews High School at 910 E Cardinal St.
— CN+R Staff reports
North Carolina to eliminate duplicate driving records
RALEIGH—The N.C Division of Motor Vehicles will start using new technology to protect people from identity fraud by making sure people have a driver license in only one state at a time.
Beginning Feb. 25, NCDMV will start using the State-to-State Verification Service to confirm a person’s identity and driving history from other states. The service, which is outlined in the federal REAL ID Act, requires a person to have only one driver license or ID card in one state at a time.
With State-to-State, NCDMV can determine if applicants already hold a driver license or ID card in another state and verify important driving information such as suspended licenses. After a North Carolina driver license or ID card is issued, any out-of-state issuances will be canceled. If an applicant does not want to cancel the out-of-state issuance, they will not be issued a North Carolina driver license or ID card.
All existing North Carolina driver license and ID card issuances will be checked for duplicate issuances in the 21 states already participating in the program. More states are expected to join the program through 2022. NCDMV estimates more than 210,000 North Carolina customers have duplicate issuances in other states.
NCDMV will reconcile duplicate issuances with each state using the service to determine which issuance will be canceled. The state with the most recent issuance will hold the valid license or ID card.
To update the NCDMV system for State-to-State implementation, all driver license offices will be closed on Saturday. Online driver services will be unavailable 7 a.m. Saturday until 3 p.m. Sunday.
State-to-State is administered by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. For more information on State-to-State, visit the AAMVA website.
Free well water testing available in Chatham County
UNC-Chapel Hill and Virginia Tech are offering free well water testing to any resident or business using a private well for indoor and outdoor use in Chatham County or nearby areas. The samples will be analyzed for metals such as lead, arsenic, and chromium. Confidential water quality results will be mailed to residents’ homes. Study results will help develop a better understanding of private well water quality in your community.
Test kits will be distributed at locations and dates specified below. Any resident or business using a private well is eligible to participate. There are a limited number of kits, so they will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Detailed sampling instructions will be provided.
If you have questions about participating, please contact Andrew George at andrewg@unc.edu or 919-966-7839 or Kelsey Pieper at kpieper@vt.edu or 518-928-0177.
Wesley Samuels Annex
Next to Liberty Chapel Church, 1915 Old US 1 Hwy, Moncure. Pick up sampling kits from 3:30-8:30 p.m. on March 5; drop off sampling kits from 6-9 a.m. on March 6.
Central Carolina Community College
Conference Room 2 (Building 42), 764 West Street, Pittsboro. Pick up sampling kits from 3:30-8:30 p.m. on March 5; drop off sampling kits from 6-9 a.m. on March 6.
— CN+R Staff reports