Library wins three statewide awards

ASHEBORO – Three Randolph County Public Library projects have won outstanding program awards from the North Carolina Public Library Directors Association (NCPLDA).

Summer Reading Program publicity, RandQuest.org and the Liberty Public Library renovation claimed top honors for medium-sized library systems.

Library staff will make presentations about the projects and receive the awards at a December NCPLDA meeting.

Publicity for the Summer Reading Program won the Outstanding Promotional Program Award.

In June, the library sent a colorful flier home with some 17,000 K-8 students in the Asheboro City Schools and Randolph County Schools. Headquarters and branch library staff visited 14 schools, and systematic distribution of news releases maintained a media presence for the library.

The effort significantly increased participation in the Summer Reading Program, driving up the number of children obtaining library cards by 39 percent compared to last summer, and increasing program attendance by 34 percent.

RandQuest.org, the library’s research portal, won the Outstanding Service Innovation Award. Creation of the portal, which provides easy access to research databases and other online resources, led to a marked increase in awareness of the resources, more than doubling the use of some databases and racking up 3,009 visits between February and June.



First Bancorp honors employees

TROY – First Bancorp, the parent company of First Bank, recently held its annual Retirement and Service Awards Banquet at the James H. Garner Center in Troy. A number of employees were honored and presented with awards for their loyalty and dedicated service to the company and the communities they serve.

The bank recognized 2009 retirees for their many years of service and presented them with retirement gifts.

The group included LeGrand Bennett, Annette Biddle, Bonnie Chellman, Ann Floyd, Jo Ellen Fox, Peggy Hunt, Dave Lockhart, Martha Lunday, Carol Moody, Ruth Self and Johnnie White.

First Bancorp presented the Gold, Silver and Milestone Awards for those employees with 30 or more years of service.

Recipients included Linda Bailey, Frances Cagle, Wanda Marks, Janice Nash, Charlotte Small, Mark Spencer, John Todd and Linda Turner.

The company awarded “Special Recognitions” to Walt Brown, Johnny Burns, Charlie Vance and Melanie Whitaker.

Other awards were:

Gold Award or 40 years of service: Frances Cagle

Milestone Award for 30 years of service: Linda Bailey, Mark Spencer, and Linda Turner, Charlotte Small and John Todd

25 years of service: Sharon Starnes, Janet Lee, Eddie Page, Sherrie Rayle, Lisa Houston, Allan Beck

20 years of service: David Britt, Teresa Nixon, Edwina Hardee, Pat Jackson, Chris Brady, Shirley Hinson, Susie Jones and Dennis Yancey

15 years of service: Cheryl Roberts, Sharon Sheppard, Garon Latham, Phil Fulghum, James Hurley, Betty Kramer, Terry Fagg, Velma Morris, Lori Foster, Stuart Fields, Lori Pridgen and Cindy Rodriguez

10 years of service: Winnie Kennedy, Monica Wright, Debbie Brown, Charlotte Griffey, Frances Rouse, Dena Sessoms, Millie Cress, Roxanne Branscomb, Haley Simpson, Trina Shaver, Mike Sessoms, Gail Medlin, Virginia Perkins, Jessica Johnson, Jill Carter, Steve Foley, Suzanne Kruckeberg, Michelle McBride, Peggy Misen-heimer and Bonnie Treece

Five years of service: Yvonne Hurley, Misty Haywood, Carol Patterson, Susie McIntyre, Melanie Whitaker, Lisa Starnes, Johnny Mabe, Denise Kaufman, Jeannie Kearns, Atisha Carrillo, Tiffany Ray, Ashley Roscoe, Rachel Tice, Heather Deaton, Vondia Smith, Shelly Robinson, Travis Faircloth, Bob Johnson, Gary Strickland, Bertha Hunt, Robby Gilleland, Jackie Biddle, Doug Arnold, Margo Ashford, Mike Barber, Glenn Batten, Kim Batten, Hugh Bingham, Elsa Bowman, Ollie Burton, Chan Campbell, Christine Cole, Maria Crayton, Lisa Devanney, Tonya Dew, Kevin Diloreto, Shelby Dorsett, Cathy Dudley, Angela Hall, Lindsay Hancock, Amy Harrington, Karen Holt, James Hussey, Jeff Irby, Tina Ivey, Kellie Joyner, Christy Kennedy, Janice Lowery, Teresa Mabe, Adrian Marbry, Rebecca Miles, Barbara Mincey, Heather Odom, Tiffany Ray, Rocio Romero, David Smithey, Catherine Snyder, Hayden Ward, Bonnie White and Morris Witten.