FRIDAY
READY TO ROLL: Habitat gets replacement for stolen truck. 1B
December 11, 2009 125th year No. 345
PEACE PRIZE: President talks war, peace in acceptance speech. 6B
www.hpe.com High Point, N.C.
BAKER’S DELIGHT: High Pointer helps Campbell serve success. 1C
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Outpouring of support West End Ministries campaign reaches half-way mark BY PAT KIMBROUGH ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – West End Ministries representatives said a capital campaign launched on behalf of the organization this fall is halfway toward its goal. WEM set out in October to raise $250,000 in 18 months to match an anonymous challenge gift of $275,000. The neighborhood ministry plans to use the money to add new space at its English Road campus, refurbish its aging main building and expand its programming. Representatives of the nonprofit said they’re gratified the fundraising effort is this far ahead of schedule.
“We are at the halfway point, which is wonderful. We’ve been blessed,” said Judy Mendenhall, WEM’s executive director. “I think people have been very, very generous.” One of the ministry’s primary goals is to move the thrift store it operates out of its community center building into a new building that will be built on the campus. This will free up additional space for the ministry’s programs, which include a Boys and Girls Club, food ministry, life skills and computer classes, and Leslie’s House, a shelter for women in crisis. Upgrades to the building’s kitchen would allow the ministry to expand the free meal programs
it provides for children and the community as a whole, while other plans call for a new heating and cooling system and the installation of an elevator. Mendenhall said individual donors, as well as foundations, and to a lesser extent, businesses, have responded strongly, despite a tough fundraising environment. “We know we have a good cause and we feel like people understand the needs of the ministry and are responding to it, but when you go into something, particularly in today’s economy, you never know for sure,” Mendenhall said. The ministry’s growth has mirrored the progress in West End as a whole, once one of the city’s
most crime-ridden areas. In recent years, special focus on the area from police has led to a sustained drop in violent crime. The ministry is credited with helping bring about the turnaround, and Mendenhall said the capital campaign is needed to allow it to meet increased demand from the community. She added that the campaign is ongoing and the ministry plans to contact additional potential donors. “So far, we have basically gotten a positive response from everybody we’ve asked,” Mendenhall said.
WHO’S NEWS
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Certified Nurse Practitioner Sharda N. Busse joined Deep River Family Medicine. Busse is a licensed registered nurse and certified family nurse practitioner.
INSIDE
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pkimbrough@hpe.com | 888-3531
LEFT HANGING: Furniture company raises ire of customers.
KEY TO VICTORY HPU employee wins United Way car giveaway
2A OBITUARIES
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BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – Suspense had already built by the time the fourth finalist took a turn to crank a new car at the United Way of Greater High Point’s annual car giveaway on Thursday. That’s when Jeff Karpovich, director of security and transportation at High Point University, inserted
Jackie Baity, 82 A. Bingham-Lowder, 23 Keith Brown, 53 Darlene Friedland, 57 Pamela Foster, 57 Johnnie Jernigan Jr., 44 Hallie Montgomery, 95 Donald Morris, 86 Charlie Myers, 80 Walter Warner, 92 Obituaries, 2-3B
WEATHER
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‘This is surreal. I had no expectations of winning (the car) tonight.’
Mostly sunny High 42, Low 25
Jeff Karpovich Director of security, transportation at High Point University
Jeff Karpovich, with his daughter Jordan, 3, reacts as his keys start the vehicle, making him this year’s United Way car giveaway winner.
his key into a 2009 Toyota Yaris and heard the soft hum of an engine cranking. “This is surreal,” Karpovich said. “I had no expectations of winning (the car) tonight.” Karpovich was one of 10 finalists drawn from the United Way’s 3,300 fair share donors – or donors who submitted a certain percentage of their annual income to the organiza-
tion. Finalists and their friends and families gathered at the Vann York Toyota showroom on Eastchester Drive Thursday night where they drew a key from a Christmas stocking. Each finalist took turns to see if their key would start the car until Karpovich cranked it with the winning key. Vann York Auto Group donated the car for the
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PAM HAYNES | HPE
event, and Karpovich can choose between the Yaris, a 2009 Nissan Versa, a 2009 Honda Fit or a 2009 Chevy Colorado from the dealer. He had not yet made his decision by the time the event ended last night. Leah Price, campaign chairperson for the United Way, said the annual car giveaway gives donors an incentive to give to the organization’s annual campaign.
“Those dollars mean so much to so many lives in the community,” Price said about their donations. “Those fair share donors are a big part of what keeps our services available.” Karpovich, whose wife, Lisa, and two daughters, Ashley and Jordan, were present when the car cranked, said he was “completely surprised,” but thankful.
“My family is healthy, Vann York just gave a me a free car for supporting the United Way, and I work for High Point University,” he said. “God bless America.” Other finalists included employees of Banner Pharmacaps, Old Dominion Freight Line, the city of High Point and Open Door Ministries. phaynes@hpe.com | 888-3617
Thomasville school system joins anti-merger group BY DARRICK IGNASIAK ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
THOMASVILLE – For the third consecutive year, Thomasville City Schools will join a consortium aimed at preventing mergers between city and county school systems. The Thomasville Board of Education on Thursday unanimously agreed to allocate $3,000 toward joining the consortium. The consortium is made up of all 15 of the state’s city school systems, including Asheboro City Schools and Lexington City Schools, that are hoping to prevent a merger
or any trimming of funds by state legislators. “I don’t know of any legislation that’s up in the short session now and don’t foresee any, but I think it’s important that we have someone in Raleigh just looking after our interest,” said Thomasville City Schools Superintendent Keith Tobin, who made the recommendation that the Thomasville Board of Education join the consortium. In 2007, Thomasville City Schools joined the consortium to get a group together to lobby against a committee that had been set up to look at the possibil-
ity of funding 100 school systems instead of 115. The committee’s findings have not been released. “I think that’s sort of been put on the backburner,” Tobin said. “Being just the 15-city school systems, we just want to make sure we have someone there just looking after our interest.” James Carmichael, Thomasville City Schools associate superintendent, said the main goal of the consortium is to prevent a merger, while making sure funding to the city school systems is not cut. Thomasville system’s consortium allocation, which is a $1,000 less than last year’s amount, will go to
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Policy Group, a group of lobbyists based out of Raleigh, according to Carmichael. “I’m appreciative of their efforts, but there also have been some people down in the state legislature who have been very strong supporters of small school systems as well,” Carmichael said of the Policy Group. “The only fear that I have about school merger is the minor amount that the state will save in comparison to the total dollars that the individual school systems will lose from federal funding.” dignasiak@hpe.com | 888-3657
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