Prince Edward Church Holds Community Forum on Building Great Communities

Triumph Baptist Church and Sunday School held a forum entitled “Building Great Communities Together Through Collaboration” at the Darlington Heights Church on March 1, 2014. The topics of the meeting were Education, Economics, Society, and the Spiritual Aspect of Faith and its role in everyday life. There was a morning panel of six local or state experts and another panel of five experts after lunch in the afternoon.

The morning panel consisted of Rev. Dr. Calvin Gray of the New Jerusalem Baptist Church, Prince Edward Sheriff Wesley Reed, Prince Edward Supervisors Pattie Cooper-Jones and Bob Timmons, Justin Reid of the Moton Museum, and Vellie Dietrich-Hall, the Vice Chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Board on Volunteerism & National Service. The Moderator was Mrs. Joy Speakes. Reverend Gray talked primarily about the importance of faith in everyday life and the importance and status of local education. Sheriff Reed talked about the Sheriff’s Department Accreditation and recent Department activities, including interaction with neighborhood watch groups, Senior Citizen Patrol, and the At-Will Traffic Enforcement Program. Supervisor Cooper-Jones talked primarily about her long term experience as property manager of Parkview Gardens and improvements in the affordable housing development over the years. Supervisor Bob Timmons talked primarily about public education in Prince Edward County, including the high per student cost, and relatively low measurable student achievement. Vellie Dietrich-Hall talked about the importance of national service, and then turned the presentation over to Amanda Healy, Manager of AmeriCorps, under the Office on Volunteerism and Community Service, Virginia Department of Social Services. Ms. Healy talked about a number of programs including Senior Grandparents, Disaster Relief for Veterans and their families, the Virginia College Advising Corps, and the Literary Lab. Justin Reid, the Associate Director of Moton Museum, talked about the extensive history of civil rights leaders and activities in Prince Edward County. He said this history could be a source of economic development in Farmville and Prince Edward.

The afternoon panel consisted of State Trooper Troy Walker; Justin Young, Executive Director of Piedmont Senior Resources; Jasper Hendricks III, Vice President of the Board of Directors of New Horizon Community Action Partnership; Dallas Tinsley, Chief of Darlington Heights Volunteer Fire Department; and Diane Barrett, Volunteer Office Manager SNVC Institute for Leadership and Innovation. Russell Dove, Chairman of the Prince Edward County School Board was scheduled to participate on this panel, but did not attend.

Trooper Walker, who grew up attending Triumph Church, talked about driver safety, and the Virginia Sex Offender Registry. Justine Young told the audience that Piedmont Senior Resources is a private non-profit agency with state and local funding, which covers seven counties including Prince Edward. Programs include a services hotline, counseling on long term care, and referrals to Legal Aid Society. Jasper Hendricks III also grew up in Triumph Baptist Church. He talked about some of the services that the New Horizon Community Action Partnership provides, including helping people sign up for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), tutoring and mentoring, and providing shelter to homeless individuals. Mr. Hendricks said that New Horizon is cooperating fully with Virginia State Police in their investigation of H.O.P.E. Community Services, the predecessor of New Horizon.

Dallas Tinsley has been in the Darlington Heights Volunteer Fire Department for forty years, and had a work career as a professional fire fighter in Chesterfield County. He talked about fire safety, the cost of firefighting equipment, and the free home inspections provided by the Department. Ms. Barrett, representing the SNVC Institute for Leadership and Innovation, talked about a school program called The Leader in Me, that is being implemented at Prince Edward Elementary School. The SNVC Institute provides training in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to private and public organizations and educators, including to faculty, staff, and students at Longwood University.

At the end of each panel discussion, a number of the approximately 60 attendees asked questions or made comments, primarily about education and roads.