Literacy council needs tutors, other volunteers to help

The Dare Literacy Council needs volunteers to tutor and provide other help for the program that assists adults with reading, math and English as a second language.

The council is also looking for volunteers to help with fund raising, such as book sales and special events, and administrative work, including phone calls, letter writing, data entry and copying. Also needed are people to help with the training team and to work with student support, translating and publicity.

Tutors are trained to teach adults to read, to improve their reading or math skills, to learn English as a second language or to prepare for their high school equivalency exam.

No teaching experience or second language skills are necessary.

If you are interested in learning to become a tutor, you need to attend a brief tutor orientation prior to the tutor training workshop. The purpose of the orientation is to explain what is required, to highlight other ways you can assist and to help you decide if tutoring is the right volunteer activity for you.

Dates available are Wednesday, Sept. 8, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Kill Devil Hills Library, and Saturday, Sept. 18, from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. at St. Andrew’s By-The-Sea Episcopal Church in Nags Head.

Please register as soon as possible by calling 216-7773 or sending an e-mail to dareliteracy@gmail.com.

The Tutor Training Workshop will take place on Saturday, Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Andrew’s. There is a $25 fee, which covers the cost of a workbook and lunch is provided.

Contact the Dare Literacy Council by Sept. 20 to register for the Tutor Training Workshop.

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Team in Training to join forces with Turkey Trot

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Outer Banks Team in Training (TNT) is joining forces with the Thanksgiving Day Advice 5K in Duck in efforts to cure blood cancers worldwide.

Team in Training is the largest fund raiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Dozens of Outer Bankers have learned to run a marathon or half marathon in return for raising funds for leukemia research and patient aid over the past 13 years.

The North Carolina Chapter of the Society will try out a new program locally, training beginner and veteran runners and walkers how to complete a 5K (3.1-mile) race, with the goal race being the 15th annual Advice 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day in Duck.

Kickoff will be August 31 at 6 p.m. in the Kill Devil Hills Library for North Carolina Team in Training’s pilot 5K Training Program.

The 10-week program is designed for busy people who don’t have months to train for an event. Team practices will be Saturday mornings at a time to be set by the majority of the team.

There will be a $50 registration fee for all recruits, including TNT alumni, for this special program. The goal for each TNT member is to raise $500.

For more information, call Ed Beckley at (252)256-1084 or e-mail ejbeckleyjr@yahoo.com.

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Sponsorships of benches and planks will help new pier

Some of the money for programs and exhibits at the new Jennette’s Pier is being raised through sponsorships of planks and benches.

More than 1,500 plank sponsorship are available for $200 each and 34 bench sponsorships will be offered at $1,500 each.

The money will go toward live aquatic exhibits, summer camps, alternative energy displays, fishing tournaments and other programs and events.

Contributors can select the placement and wording of a blue fish tile. The 14-inch Corian fish are hand cut and polished, then engraved with and permanently embedded in the deck boards along the pier. Donors can list the names of children, grandchildren or businesses. It could also be made into a memorial for a loved one.

Similar fish plaques are available on the 34 wooden benches that line the pier. Bench sponsors will receive six fishing passes.

The new Jennette’s Pier, operated by the North carolina Aquariums, is scheduled to open May 21, 2011.

Go online to locate and purchase a plank or bench. www.jennettespier.net

Additional sponsorships are available. Contact the Aquarium Development office: Jay.Barnes@ncaquariums.com. For further information or questions contact: (252) 473-3494 ext. 243 or buster.nunemaker@ncaquariums.com.

Photo: Ray Matthews Photography, Nags Head.

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First Flight Middle to benefit from rain garden grant

Part of a new grant to the North Carolina Coastal Federation for its rain garden program will be used at First Flight Middle School.

The group announced that it had received a $20,000 grant from the Five Star Restoration Program to build rain gardens to help control polluted runoff at three schools along the coast.

The Five Star Program is a partnership that includes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the National Association of Counties and the Wildlife Habitat Council.

The federation will use the money, along with grants from private foundations, to expand its school rain garden program by building gardens at First Flight Middle School in Kill Devil Hills, Tiller Elementary School in Beaufort and Bradley Creek Elementary School in Wilmington. It will bring to 13 the number of rain gardens the federation has helped build at coastal schools. Work on the new rain gardens will begin during the next school year.

Stormwater runoff is the number one cause of water pollution in North Carolina, the federation says.

The EPA money was among the almost $1 million in grants the agency and its partners in the Five Star Restoration Program gave to 37 water-quality and restoration projects around the country. The federation’s project was the only one funded in North Carolina. The winners were chosen from more than 200 entries.

Rain gardens are excavated depressions planted with native trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers that help capture and infiltrate runoff and can be effective in reducing stormwater pollution and coastal flooding. They also can be landscape features and provide habitat for birds, insects and other wildlife.

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St. Andrews launches Monday family fish fry

The “family fish fry” is an old southern tradition. Oldsters can recall attending a regular circuit of fish fries at church gatherings and family reunions. Up Virginia-way, the “Shad Planking” in Wakefield is a right of political passage for wanna-be candidates.

The fish fry is still active in coastal communities, but family-style fish fries are becoming quite rare.

But each Monday in July, locals and visitors alike can experience this feature of southern coastal life. “Old Nags Head Family Fish Fry” will be held each Monday in July, starting July 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Andrews By-The-Sea Episcopal Church. Fresh seafood will be offered, and participants can dine in or get plates to go.

Adult fish plates are $7.50, a child’s plate or a hotdog are $3.50. The event is open to the public and everyone is invited. That’s four opportunities to enjoy this fine southern tradition and support our local community in a family atmosphere.

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Artistic trash barrels serve a practical purpose

Nags Head artist Barry Lee stands with three trash cans painted by local artists as part of the OBCan project, which Barry founded last summer. Managed by the Dare County Arts Council and the Town of Nags Head, OBCan uses beautifully painted trash cans to encourage the need to recycle and keep the beaches clean. (Town of Nags head photo)

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Nags Head donates ATVs to sea turtle group

The Town of Nags Head has donated two 2005 Honda all terrain vehicles from its Ocean Rescue Division to the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (N.E.S.T).

N.E.S.T. is a volunteer non-profit organization that supports the continued livelihood of sea turtles and their habitat on the Outer Banks. Established in 1995, N.E.S.T. is also a state-permitted monitoring organization for sea turtle activity from the Virginia border to Oregon Inlet.

N.E.S.T. volunteers will use the ATVs to patrol the beach in the early morning during the summer nesting season to monitor existing nests and locate signs of new activity.

Network for Endangered Sea Turtles: (252) 441-8622.
24-hour N.E.S.T. Hotline for reporting sea turtle activity (252) 441-8622.

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