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Group donates cars to 4 N.C. veterans

Margaret Mo/ffett Banks/News & Record margaret.banks@news-record.com 

GREENSBORO — Four men — all U.S. Army veterans, all honorably discharged, all needing help adjusting to civilian life — received four special gifts early on Memorial Day.

Cars.Not new ones, mind you. And certainly not fancy ones. But they are safe, reliable and, best of all, free.The cars came from Wheels4Hope, a nonprofit that matches donated vehicles with needy drivers.The program makes these matches frequently; organizers gave away 30 in Greensboro last year and an additional 149 in Raleigh, where the program started.There was something different about Monday’s presentations, though.Maybe it was the holiday, first intended to honor fallen service people but more commonly used to thank members of the military past and present.Maybe it was watching four grown men choke back tears as they checked out their new rides.Or maybe it was hearing how they bottomed out — emotionally, financially, physically — only to raise themselves up like the soldiers they once were.“It was a lot of hard working getting here,” said Michael Boyd of High Point as he ran his fingers over his black Mazda 6 sedan — 14 years old but blessed with low mileage.Boyd is an addict in recovery and a success story from Open Door Ministry, High Point’s center for the homeless.With the ministry’s help, he sobered up, received training as a cook, found a job, graduated from a halfway house and moved into his own apartment.The car was the missing piece, Boyd said. He no longer will hop bus after early morning bus to his job at New York Butcher Shop on North Elm Street in Greensboro.“I’m humbled,” he said, tears filling his eyes.That was the common theme: using the gift to make getting to work a little easier.Michael Yokeley, an eight-year Army veteran, received a 2000 Honda Odyssey minivan. He and his wife will use it to haul their three red-headed kids around town.Anthony Norman got a 17-year-old Ford F-150, which he’ll promptly top with a camper shell. His last truck broke down when he was stationed in Hawaii. It didn’t make the trip back.Then there was Oscar Davis, whose serious health problems left him homeless after he was discharged in 1985.With the help of the Servant Center, a Greensboro nonprofit that serves the homeless, particularly veterans, he fixed his body and his mind. He found a job working for Asplundh, the tree company that works with Duke Energy trimming and cleaning.Like Boyd, Davis had a series of goals: A job. A place to live. A driver’s license. And a car.Now, he has a 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue, white and a little dinged — but the most beautiful car he has ever seen.Davis said: “I’ll use it to get back and forth to work so I don’t have to ride the bus ...”“... Or have your wife take you to work at, like, 4:30 in the morning,” chimed Marilyn Davis.He nodded and laughed, then turned more serious.“It means I can take care of my family,” he said, looking at his wife.

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6 imagesROB BROWN/News & Record

Veterans Oscar Davis, of Greensboro (right) and Anthony Norman, of Raleigh check out the truck Norman received from Wheels4Hope in a ceremony Monday at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Lake Brandt Road in Greensboro.

Learn more

For information on donating or receiving a car through Wheels4Hope, call (336) 355-9130 or visit www.wheels4hope.org.

Author

Margaret Banks

How to woo younger homebuyers

By Michael Estrin of Bankrate.com

The millennial generation is becoming an increasingly important part of the housing market. According to a 2013 National Association of Realtors study that looked at generational housing trends, millennials (or, Generation Y), those born between 1980 and 2000, are the second biggest segment of the buyer market, behind only Generation X, which covers those born between 1965 and 1979.
For more information call 336-299-3100

Together, these two generations represent today's young buyers, and broadly speaking, they tend to fall into one of two categories, says Margie Gundersheim, a real estate agent with Keller Williams in Newton, Mass.

"They're young professionals who prefer a turnkey home that needs little or no work," says Gundersheim. "(Or they're) creative/romantic buyers who want to invest sweat equity and money over time, and put their personal stamp on the property and add value for the future."

But while those two groups may seem like they want entirely different things from a home, many agents say that younger buyers of all stripes have a lot of the same "must-have" features on their lists.

For more information visit out website

Updated kitchen and bath

We all want to buy a home with new kitchen and bath fixtures, but new fixtures are especially important for today's young, budget-conscious buyers, says Jack Curtis, a real estate agent in Dublin, Ohio.

"The primary reason younger buyers seek updated kitchens and baths is because they have limited budgets," Curtis says. "Most of their savings will go toward the down payment and furnishings. Kitchens and bathrooms are also the most expensive parts of a home to update, and young homeowners cannot afford to sink a lot of money into those areas."

While updated kitchens and bathrooms may bring in a younger crowd, remodeling costs should give a seller pause. After all, if those updates aren't in a young buyer's budget, they probably aren't in a seller's budget either. Unlike a new roof or plumbing, bathroom and kitchen fixtures are also a matter of taste, so not every buyer will like what you pick, according to Curtis.

Big kitchen, open floor plan
Neighborhoods that are up and coming

A generation ago, formal dining rooms may have been on every buyer's wish list. But today there really isn't much appeal to the formal dining room, according to Lou Cardillo of The Lou Cardillo Team in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.

"The kitchen has become the hangout room along with the family room," says Cardillo. "An open space that can easily transition from kitchen to TV room is high on the list of the perfect home for young buyers. In essence, the kitchen is the new living room."

Along similar lines, Curtis says today's young buyers are also more attracted to an open floor plan, rather than a layout that compartmentalizes the home. Again, the reason has a lot to do with how younger homeowners entertain.

Home office

More than 13 million Americans work from home, and all signs point to that trend continuing, which makes a home office important for many buyers.

"Home offices have vast appeal," says Paige Elliott, a real estate agent with Dave Perry-Miller & Associates in Dallas. "Most agents will point out that a room could be used as an office or other flex living space, especially if it is currently used or staged as a bedroom."

Home offices aren't just for those who work from home full time, according to Cardillo.

"As technology continues to make us more mobile, young buyers have more options than ever to work from home, depending on their job," says Cardillo. "Having a dedicated space is important because it will help keep them focused and concentrated on work while they are at home on a Skype call, planning a presentation, setting up their workday or simply paying bills."

Good location
Neighborhoods near highway access

Younger buyers tend to see location differently from their parents, who didn't face high gas prices and traffic, says Allison Nichols, an agent with Related Realty in Chicago.

"My younger buyers look for properties that are in proximity to public transportation and that have a good walking score," Nichols says.

But there are young buyers, and then there are young buyers with children. The former group may prefer to be close to the action of the city, while the latter might prefer something a little more residential.

Low maintenance
Neighborhoods with lower maintenence 

Most young buyers look for homes that are low maintenance, says Cardillo, who points out that low-upkeep features such as wood floors (as opposed to carpet) and granite countertops are seen as positives for this generation because they're both attractive and relatively hassle-free.

Cardillo says he sees a generational shift toward a society that's more "disposable," where homeowners prefer to replace rather than repair.

"Most young homebuyers grew up watching their parents spend weekends with their honey-do lists, or they had chores to do on the weekends," he says. "Most young buyers are not going to follow in their (parents') footsteps. They don't want to do that stuff. … They want their weekends to themselves and don't really want to be cleaning gutters or cutting the grass."

Dining for Friends

By Tina Firesheets Special to News & Record news-record.com

                                   

There just ain’t no party like a Dining for Friends party. Guests arrive to cheers and rounds of applause. There’s a live band and a cash bar.
And the desserts. Oh, the desserts.
There’s enough pastry to satisfy even the most insatiable sweet tooth.
Cakes, pies, cake pops, cheesecakes, cupcakes, cookies and bars from more than 50 area restaurants, bakeries and bakers.

Welcome to the annual Dining for Friends dessert finale.
The Triad Health Project’s annual fundraiser celebrates its silver anniversary on Saturday.
The organization, which provides services for people living with HIV/AIDS, relies heavily on federal and state grants and individual, foundation and corporate contributions.
For 25 years, people throughout the Triad have hosted parties or events where their guests bring donations for THP. Everyone gathers at the end of the evening for the dessert finale at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Dining for Friends raises about $120,000 annually and is THP’s largest fundraiser besides the Winter Walk each December.
THP’s executive director, Addison Ore, says the dessert finale is one of her favorite nights of the year.

“I stand at the front door and just welcome people,” she says. “It’s such a unique situation where we’ll have a bunch of board members and staff cheering people coming in. It’s unique to shake the hand of the person supporting your organization. It’s a very intimate evening in a lot of ways.”
To mark the anniversary, this year’s event will be more elegant.
Its theme, “Unforgettable,” means many things, Ore says: “We hope it will be an unforgettable evening, but it’s also dedicated to the folks who are no longer here and their family and friends because they’re unforgettable.”

A remembrance wall will mark the occasion. People can write someone’s name or a few sentences about what they’re feeling that evening.
“This is the 25th Dining for Friends. Those milestones are marked by those who are present, and those who aren’t here,” Ore says.

Although the dessert finale has always been the conclusion of Dining for Friends, party hosts don’t have to hold their parties that day.
Ore calls it the Dining for Friends party season. It’s not unusual for people to go to several parties. She will have attended about 10 functions from late April through the end of June. Her church, All Saints Episcopal Church, raised about $7,000 during its fifth annual THP barbecue at the end of April.

No one ever complains about the number of events they attend, she says: “I’ll see a lot of the same people with a smile on their face and a check in their hand.”
It’s unusual in the nonprofit fundraising world for a single event to continue for so long, Ore says.
“It’s remarkable. It’s not just that we still have it, but that it’s still vital,” she says. “The community takes real ownership of this event. We’ve had people who’ve had parties a good portion of the 25 years.”

The concept also has been replicated to raise money for AIDS organizations elsewhere, mostly in smaller urban or rural areas. It goes back to the grass-roots way that the agency was founded, Ore says.
It was “people taking care of people. We’ve certainly grown as an agency, but we’ve never ventured very far away from how it was founded,” Ore says. “That’s the core of it, and it hasn’t changed.”
From bars to barbecues

Megan Evans is one of those THP supporters who make it an annual tradition to host a Dining for Friends party.
She and her husband, Greg, have hosted backyard barbecues at their northwest Greensboro home for all but three of the event’s 25 years. They aren’t able to host one this year because of scheduling conflicts and a large sinkhole in their backyard. Instead, they will contribute what they would have spent to host the party, plus more. They usually raise between $1,200 to $1,500 each year.
Evans, a business officer for UNCG, first heard about Dining for Friends through a graduate student. She thought it sounded like fun.

“I’m not much of a party person, I tell you,” she says. “I’m quite culinarily challenged, but my husband likes to barbecue. So we invited some friends and had our first party, and it went pretty well. It feels pretty good to be a part of something larger than yourself.”
Their event now draws about 60 people. Regulars know two things: It will be kid-friendly, and Greg Evans will throw plenty of meat on the grill. Ribs marinated for days, chicken, shrimp, hot dogs for the kids — their friends call it “Meatfest.”

They began hosting the event when their sons were youngsters, so there always have been a lot of children around. Now that they are grandparents, the children still come. They watch movies, make chalk art or blow bubbles. But the highlight is what’s known as the “nonviolent water wars.” Participants of all ages arm themselves with squirt guns, super soakers and sometimes a hose.
There are designated safe areas — the deck, hammock and swing set — for grown-ups wishing to stay dry. At the end of the evening, Evans throws their wet clothes into the dryer.
“We’re now in the second generation of nonviolent water wars. It’s a good time, and it’s a good cause, and that’s pretty important to me,” she says.

Evans was an AIDS advocate before her involvement with THP. She was part of a group of women who called themselves the Mother’s Bar Brigade. They formed in the early 1990s, when an AIDS diagnosis was a death sentence. Most of those dying were young, Evans recalls.
For three or four years, about two dozen mothers and grandmothers gathered the Saturday night before Mother’s Day and hit the bars. They wore Mother’s Bar Brigade T-shirts and carried wicker baskets filled with condoms. The condoms were attached to notes with HIV facts and prevention tips.
“It got people talking,” Evans says, laughing. “It also got people to stop talking. Most of the time, it was a positive response. Often a surprised response.”

She didn’t care if people thought she was crazy. She did it for her good friend Robby Harris, whom she met in college. They had many frank discussions about what it was like for him to be a gay man, she says. After college, he worked as a CPA and lived in San Francisco and Hawaii.
Evans stopped hearing from him after her sons were born. While viewing a portion of the AIDS quilt on display in South Carolina about 1989, she found herself looking for his name. She eventually found his parents. His mother confirmed that he had died. He was 39.

“I thought that was what happened,” Evans says. “But emotionally, I wasn’t ready for it. It just kind of broke my heart. I was looking at my kids and thought, ‘No, you can’t lose your kids, that’s not right.’ It made me angry. It made me so angry.”
Although the disease no longer carries a death sentence, Evans believes strongly in educating people on how to prevent it.
She said she thinks of her friend often, particularly during Dining for Friends. “You remember those friends as you’re having this crazy fun night,” she says. “Rob would have had a ball. He would have loved it. I’m sure he would be in the corner talking tax with somebody.”
He would have been 63 this year.

“Sometimes you feel like you can’t do enough, but you think, at least I can do this,” Evans says.
Tina Firesheets is a columnist and freelance writer who lives in Jamestown. Contact her at tinafiresheets@yahoo.com.

Downtown Greenway

Exploring the Downtown Greenway 

The Downtown Greenway is a planned 4-mile walking and biking greenway that will one day loop around downtown Greensboro. The greenway will serve as a key economic development tool for our community.  It will enhance the urban landscape with a green space that will promote fitness, encourage alternative transportation, and provide connectedness and well-being for both our residents and visitors in an aesthetically pleasing environment. 


 The loop provides a unique opportunity for Greensboro to have the only one of its kind in the state—and one of few in the country. In addition, with the connections to the extensive existing and planned greenway systems in the city and the county, this loop will connect residents from all parts of the community and beyond. To learn more visit downtowngreenway.org/

This trail is a great way to get outside and exercise. One can enjoy the spring flowers and also experience beautiful walks viewing the fall leaves. Bicycles are allowed and encouraged, this is a great way to get the whole family out and moving while spending the day together. There are many different bike trails. For more information on this area click here.

Going Green

Could the Greenway have a bike share program in its near future?

Bike share programs are gaining in popularity across the country.  With Greensboro’s strong bicycle advocacy culture and infrastructure paired with bike lanes and both an extensive greenway and a trail system including the Downtown Greenway.

 bicycle sharing system,  is a service in which bicycles are made available for shared use to individuals on a very short term basis. The main purpose is transportation: bike share allows people to depart from point "A" and arrive at point "B" free from the worries of ownership.

The goal of a bike share program is not necessarily biking, itself, but to create a more livable, green, and healthy city.  Bike sharing can be a way to link different areas of Greensboro.  Bike sharing can also act as a connector to other modes of transportation, or even an alternate form of transportation. Are you looking to live near the Greenway? click here for homes near the greenway.

Lighting It Up with Solar Power

While we’re all trying to Go Green at home, the Downtown Greenway is Going Green, too!  With a federal energy block grant, we were able to install solar-powered lighting along the Morehead Park section of the Downtown Greenway.  This attractive, eco-friendly energy saver has also added appeal to the Greenway.

The Greenway’s solar outdoor lighting combines the benefits of solar with energy-efficient LED or induction lights.  The free-standing, environmentally friendly lights are completely independent from the electric grid and were certainly a cost-effective solution for our lighting needs.

They will use the new solar lighting throughout any other sections as necessary, but they’ll certainly take advantage of existing street lighting whenever possible.

Fitness Classes on the Greenway 

  

 We are pleased that the Bryan YMCA will be partnering with us again this year to offer FREE fitness classes on the Downtown Greenway. Tuesdays at the Trailhead fitness classes will begin on Tuesday, May 6th and run each Tuesday through September 30th from 6-7 pm. Classes will be held on the Morehead Park section of the Downtown Greenway located at Spring Garden and Edgeworth Streets. For homes near this area.

According to the Downtown Greenway Website, to learn more about the amazing downtown greenway please visit,  http://downtowngreenway.org/explore/

Want to get involved in the Downtown Greenway?
Contact Downtown Greenway Project Manager Dabney Sanders at 336.387.8353 or via email at dsanders@actiongreensboro.org.


For more information about homes near the Greensboro Greenway click here

Giving Cirlces

In a recent article by Tina Firesheets,

It was a scheduling miracle: Last fall, 14 mothers were able to leave their families behind in Greensboro for a weekend at the beach.

Most of them live in the Westerwood, Sunset Hills and Lindley Park neighborhoods. They became friends because their children attend Lindley Elementary School.

Their time together finally extended beyond short conversations in the carpool line or over play dates at the local park. That weekend, the women laughed, drank wine, shared stories about their lives and talked about their hopes and dreams.

Sometime over that weekend, Mary Herbenick talked about something her mother became involved with in Dayton, Ohio — a Giving Circle, a way of shared giving and social investment networking.

Giving Circles are a growing trend in philanthropy because they allow individual donors to leverage their resources with others, enhancing the impact of their giving.

A $100 contribution to a local organization may seem insignificant, but multiply that by 100 and it’s significant.

As of 2006, there were about 400 documented circles in 44 states, according togivingcircles.org.

Throughout the weekend, Herbenick said, their conversations often returned to their desire to do more for their community. When the weekend passed, and everyone had returned to their families, Herbenick continued to think about it.

The mother of two daughters was taking a work sabbatical at the time. A communications consultant, she wanted time for reflection and to pursue things that would help others. She carefully crafted an email to the women, pitching the idea of starting their own Giving Circle.

“I was so afraid to send this email,” she said.

Their response and support were immediate.

The group, now called Women Impacting Greensboro, scrambled in January to organize a February event.

Their mission was to invite 100 women and encourage them to donate $100 at that event. The lump sum raised would go to an organization selected by the women there.

Their first gathering drew about 60 women at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. After the women socialized, member Kim Richey gave a 15-minute presentation on three local organizations that benefit women and children.

WIG members wanted these events to be quick, easy and democratic. Participants voted on the organization to receive that evening’s donation.

Women were selected to count the votes. Within 20 minutes, votes had been cast, counted and the winner announced.

They raised more than $5,500 for BackPack Beginnings, which provides food and other necessities to 1,100 students in 21 schools each weekend.

Parker White, BackPack Beginnings’ executive director, said they don’t often get such sizable, unexpected donations.

“It’s nice to have something totally unexpected that will make a big impact on the community we serve,” White said. “It shows there’s strength in numbers, and we feel honored to be their first recipients.”

It costs BackPack Beginnings about $150 to feed a child each weekend of the school year.

The WIG grant will benefit Rankin Elementary, where 125 children receive assistance from BackPack Beginnings. The money will cover those children for the rest of this school year and the beginning of next year.

Although WIG’s first event didn’t attract 100 women, half of those attending agreed to a quarterly commitment of $100. Some women wanted to donate more than $100. Others also wanted to contribute to the other organizations.

But the support and interest didn’t end that evening.

WIG members say women who attended the event talked about it with others. Some women wanted to organize their own events to add to what they raised that night.

WIG’s Facebook likes have hit 450 since its February launch.

WIG members credit Herbenick for following through on what could have been a passing idea.

“Being a mother changes you,” Herbenick says. “It makes you need to make the place where you live a better place to live.”

Tina Firesheets is a community columnist and freelance writer living in Jamestown. Contact her at tinafiresheets@yahoo.com.

What is a great school near the Lake Daniel neighborhood area

Grimsley High School

The Whirlie Nation

Dedicated to excellence and achievement

Grimsley Senior High School has been committed to equipping students with the tools they need for academic, personal and social achievement throughout their 114 year history. They strive to enable every student to reach their highest potential by establishing a curriculum that meets or exceeds government standards for education; providing programs that develop young adults' mental, physical and social skills; and partnering with parents and the community to create an environment geared to the success of ALL students. 

This year has been crazy with all of the snow and storms, click here to get an accurate School schedule 

Some highlights from Grimsley's website,

Grimsley High School was formerly known as Greensboro Senior High School. The name was changed to Grimsley High School on July 1, 1962. George Grimsley was the superintendent of schools in 1899.

Greensboro High School opened in the fall of 1899, making it one of the first public high schools in the state of North Carolina.

In the early 1920s, the athletic teams were known as the Purple Whirlwinds, and the school colors were purple and gold. In 1951, students voted to change the school colors to navy blue and white, and the Purple Whirlwinds became the Whirlwinds, which was eventually shortened to the Whirlies.

The school opened at its current location on Westover Terrace on September 9, 1929, with a student body of 1300.

Torchlight, the Grimsley chapter of the National Honor Society, is the oldest chapter in North Carolina.

The school stadium, which seats 10,000, was completed in 1949.It was renamed the Robert B. Jamieson Stadium in 1975, when Coach Jamieson, athletic director with 42 years service, retired.



Grimsley High school is located in Lake Daniel area, if you are moving to the area, Here is a link to the houses in the Grimsley District.

Achievements

Grimsley High School, is a public high school in Greensboro, North Carolina. Formerly known as "Greensboro High School," It is part of the Guilford County Schools system. The school has an enrollment of around 2,000 students in grades 9–12 (the 9th grade was added to GHS in 1986). Grimsley has a reputation for strong academics, being ranked the 631st best school in the nation by Newsweek in 2012. The school has been ranked in the top 100 in the nation by Newsweek 4 out of the past 6 years. With so many achievements, who would want to go to this school, here is a house located across the street. 

Academics

Grimsley has always been known for its strong academic focus. The Advanced Placement (AP) program was begun at Grimsley in 1966 with the introduction of AP European History, followed by AP English in 1968–69. Today AP classes are offered at GHS in 19 different subjects. If you are looking to relocate click here.

Clubs

Some of the many clubs currently offered at Grimsley include:

• Grimsley Dance Club
• DECA
• Anime Club
• Dustin's Greenhouse and The Human Experience Club
• Dustin's Greenhouse and Gardening Club
• Global Citizen Corps
• National Art Honor Society
• Model United Nations
• Handball Club
• Spanish Club
• T.A.G.S 
• Book Club
• ManUp
• Poetry Club
• Philosophy Club
• FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
• French Club
• Ultimate Frisbee Club
• Latin Club
• Grimsley Ladies Achieving More
• Chess Club
• Brooks Buddies
• Lunch Buddies
• Cross Club
• Creative Writing Club
• Table Tennis Club
• Science Olympiad
• FIRST robotics
• Young Life

Athletics

Grimsley is a 4-A school with a strong athletic program, including sports teams in football, basketball, baseball, tennis, swimming & diving, golf, wrestling, cross country, track & field (both winter and spring), soccer, softball, volleyball, and lacrosse. GHS has won more athletic team state championships than any other high school in North Carolina—the first being in football in 1907—as well as many individual state championships

The school year is almost up, if your child is a swimmer click here for a great resource to find pools for them to swim this summer.