Categories
Business Fashion & Beauty Media & Communications Services Society & Culture

HER Week; HER Fayetteville, A celebration for International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month

 

 

(Fayetteville, N.C.) –

 

A group of women leaders from the City of Fayetteville, Center for Economic Empowerment & Development (CEED), The Women of Power Society, Piedmont Natural Gas, Coldwell Banker, Public Works Commission (PWC), and Fayetteville Greater Chamber swiftly came together to develop an idea around celebrating International Women’s Day (March 8th) and Women’s History Month (March) with an inclusive event for women, thus HER Week; HER Fayetteville was created. HER Week; HER Fayetteville, will be a week of events starting on Monday, March 7th through Friday, March 11th where registrants will participate in both in-person around the city and virtual events online on Facebook @herweeknc and @wbcfay.

The mission of HER Week; HER Fayetteville is to celebrate and empower women through education, networking, mentoring, and partnerships to promote opportunities for all women throughout Fayetteville. Efforts to celebrate HER Week; HER Fayetteville will focus on Heart, Equality, and Resilience, celebrating International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month.

The recent pandemic created an even greater gap in the resources and needs of women in our community. As we find ourselves slowly moving forward into recovery, it is more important than ever to build an environment where we incite positive change and strengthen community connections. “Fayetteville was the home of the first SBA supported Women’s Business Center in the state of NC, I am proud to say that was here at CEED. The pandemic showed us our work is not done. Now more than ever, we must continue to provide analysis, education, medical assistance, childcare assistance, business training, and loan funds for women. We need to continue to develop programs and policies with a better understanding of the needs of women in our community that will ultimately help them to succeed.” said Suzy Hrabovsky, Executive Director, CEED and Co-Chair of HER Week; HER Fayetteville

HER Week; HER Fayetteville makes a purposeful distinction using the word ‘HER’ because it is possessive and speaks to the empowerment of women to create the community they want to see. It symbolizes women taking ownership for HER Week; HER Fayetteville and leading HER Community. HER Week; HER Fayetteville will become a part of our community’s local fabric with events to celebrate, motivate, and empower women. As we roll out HER Week; HER Fayetteville, other community partners are coming to the table in collaboration such as Greater Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, Greater Fayetteville United, and Cool Spring Downtown District and we look forward to many more. 

 “The City of Fayetteville is excited to be a founding partner in HER Week; HER Fayetteville. The vision for the City is to be a culturally diverse and inclusive city that is safe, prosperous, innovative, and unified.  HER Week; HER Fayetteville collaboration advances this vision with actions designed to contribute to the progress of women in our community, ensuring opportunities to flourish in career, in family, in community, and in business” said Rebecca Jackson, City of Fayetteville’s Chief of Staff and Co-Chair of HER Week; HER Fayetteville. 

 

HER Week; HER Fayetteville Itinerary:

 

Monday, March 7 – #HERFayetteville Kick-Off Brunch Day

Cape Fear Botanical Gardens for event set up. Guests will arrive for a celebratory brunch at 10:00 AM and will open with a City of Fayetteville Proclamation from the City of Fayetteville Mayor, a special keynote delivery from Elaine Marshall, NC Secretary of State, as well as other inspirational activities and speakers highlighting women’s advancements in leadership, community, and business. Participants will receive a special gift bag with goodies promoting the event as well as other gifts and coupons from other businesses in the area. Tickets are available online starting at $38 (scholarships available for those that qualify – See event page for details)

Tuesday, March 8 – #HERStory Day

Fayetteville women will take to social media to share their personal stories of strength and success in their communities. Women will receive prompts via email once they are registered. WBCFAY will be promoting locally known authors/ clientele from the WBCFay Facebook page. The Cumberland County Library will be sharing a special reading list of Women’s History Books to read. There is also a MYSTERY POPUP evening networking event planned – Must be registered to receive location!

Wednesday, March 9 – #HERHealth Day

This day will be all virtual events! This may involve us doing fun exercises on a zoom video or talking about our mental and physical health. Wear your #HERFayetteville T-Shirts! (TSHIRTS Available for purchase online at herweek.org or Facebook @herweeknc)

Thursday, March 10 – #HERPitch Day

This event will be held at Segra Stadium with up to $10,000 in grants provided to the best pitches from local small businesses. The funding for the grants is provided by CEED Women’s Fund and the City of Fayetteville Developmental Department. Leading up to this Pitch competition event, WBCFAY will be giving training on “How to Pitch Your Business”. Participants will send in their slides/applications to WBCFAY. Everyone is invited to view the competition live at Segra from 1pm until 4pm when the winner will be announced. Seating limited must register to be in the audience. No fee but prior registration required.

Friday, March 11 – #HERBusiness Day

Tag your favorite woman-owned businesses in Fayetteville and stay tuned for the for business grand openings we have planned for this day by WBCFAY and the Chamber of Commerce. You MUST register to get your invites! Cool Spring District will be providing Cool Spring District Woman-Owned businesses with a special window decal celebrating Woman’s History Month.

 

HER Week; HER Fayetteville would not be possible without the generous contributions from our inaugural sponsors: 2022 HER Week current sponsors:

•       The City of Fayetteville including the Economic and Community Development Department supporting HER Pitch

•       CEED

•       Women of Power Society of NC

•       Caldwell Banker

•       Piedmont Natural Gas

•       Greater Fayetteville Chamber

•       Public Works Commission

•       Fayetteville State University

 

 

For more information and ticket purchases, please visit www.herweek.org or follow us on Facebook at @herweeknc. 

 

 

###

About The Center for Economic Empowerment & Development:

The Center for Economic Empowerment & Development, CEED, a 501 (c)3 organization that promotes economic and personal development. CEED is home to two programs: The Women’s Business Center of Fayetteville and CEED Capital, a microlending program.  Our mission is to promote growth, productiveness, and well-being through business services counseling, education, information, advocacy programs, and providing small business loans to microbusinesses. CEED works with other community agencies to achieve this goal and has a solid history of helping socially and economically disadvantaged women, men, and families through our specialized programs. CEED delivers a $10 million per year impact to the Sandhills Region of North Carolina through programs. To learn more about CEED, please visit www.ncceed.org

 

The City of Fayetteville is a dynamic, culturally-rich community committed to high performance, transparency, and innovation. Directly adjacent to Fort Bragg, Fayetteville is home to more than 210,000 residents. The mission of the City is to provide sustainable, high-quality public services for our communities to thrive and businesses to grow. With creative energy, vibrant history, and compassionate people, Fayetteville always finds a way. That’s why we are America’s Can Do City. To learn more about the City of Fayetteville and City departments or services, please visit Fayetteville the mission of HER Week; HER Fayetteville is to celebrate and empower women through education, networking, mentoring, and partnerships to promote opportunities for all women throughout Fayetteville. Efforts to celebrate HER Week; HER Fayetteville will focus on Heart, Equality, and Resilience, celebrating International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month follow. us on Facebook or Instagram.  

 

Categories
Celebrity Education Fitness Lifestyle Sports

E.E. Smith High School Sports Hall of Fame Announces Inaugural Class of Inductees

Press Contact

LaVar Wright

wright.lavar@gmail.com

(910) 988 8447

 

For Immediate Release

Fayetteville, North Carolina

The National Association of E.E. Smith Alumni and Friends Inc recently formed a Sports Hall of Fame (HOF) and is proud to announce its inaugural class of inductees. Its mission is to recognize and honor the noteworthy achievements and contributions of student-athletes, teams, coaches, school staff, and volunteers who donated extraordinary amounts of time and talent to the athletic program at E.E. Smith High School, Fayetteville, NC.

During the annual E.E. Smith High School alumni reunion weekend, on May 29, the 2022 class will be inducted into the E. E. Smith Sports Hall of Fame at the Ramada by Wyndham at 1707 Owen Drive, Fayetteville, NC. We invite friends, family, alumni, and the community to attend the first of many ceremonies to honor the 2022 Hall of Fame class. This is a semi-formal affair, and you must show proof of vaccination card or negative test result within 72 hours of the event, at the door to attend. Please contact John Brown at jbrown1098@aol.com or (267) 625-4464.

The inaugural class includes 6 coaches and 15 players with distinguished achievements at the high school, college, or professional levels in their respective sports.

E.E. Smith High School High Sports Hall of Fame Inaugural Class

COACHES

Dennis (D.T.) Carter – Graduated from EES in 1939 and returned as coach in 1952. Won a pair of state football titles. Nationally recognized for his intramural program.

William J. Carver Jr. – Versatile athlete who starred at E.E. Smith and Hampton Institute, now Hampton University. He served as an assistant coach for the football and baseball teams before becoming the head coach in both sports. Later served many years in administration for Cumberland County Schools and as Athletic Director at Fayetteville State University.

David (D.S.) Kelly – Head football and basketball coach at EES, winning the state basketball title in 1950.

Isaiah (Ike) Walker Sr. – Member of the 1950 state championship basketball team. He returned to EES in 1960 and coached numerous sports, and took his 1985 basketball team to the state finals.

Latanya (Dee) Hardy – Star basketball player at EES and UNC-Pembroke. As a coach, she guided her team to conference titles in volleyball and basketball. In addition, her 2020 basketball team shared the 3-A state title.

Roy McNeill – Played basketball at Fayetteville State University, where he was twice MVP. He coached basketball at EES from 1993-99 with a 185-62 record. His teams won three sectional titles.

PLAYERS

Charles Baggett – Record-setting quarterback at Michigan State University. He played professionally in the CFL. In addition, he spent many years coaching in Division 1 college football programs and in the NFL.

Brian Bulluck – Three-sport star at EES who played for North Carolina State University and later with the Indianapolis Colts.

Aaron Curry – Played at Wake Forest University where he won the Butkus Award and in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders. He is currently a defensive assistant and linebacker coach for the Seattle Seahawks.

Russell Davis – Played at the University of North Carolina and in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, and the New York Giants.

Joey Evans – Versatile athlete who played defensive end at the University of North Carolina and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Bishop Harris – Three-sport star at EES who attended North Carolina College, now North Carolina Central University (NCCU). He later served as the head football coach at NCCU. He also coached for several Division 1 college programs and spent 14 years as an assistant coach in the NFL.

Joe Harris – Played at Georgia Tech. As a member of the Los Angeles Rams, he was the first Fayetteville player to appear in an NFL Super Bowl game.

Jason Terrell Hunter – Played college football at Appalachian State University, where he made All-Conference and second-team All-American. He also played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, and Oakland Raiders.

Luther (Nick) Jeralds– Played at North Carolina College, now North Carolina Central University, and briefly in the NFL. He was later involved in local and state politics. A Cumberland County Middle School and the football stadium at Fayetteville State University are named in his memory.

Jimmy Raye – A three-sport starter at E.E. Smith, he was All-State in football and basketball. He was the quarterback for the famed 1966 Michigan State University team, which tied Notre Dame University 10-10 in the “game of the century.” Those two teams were National Co-Champions of College football in 1966. He coached briefly in college before spending 36 years as an NFL assistant coach.

Mark Smith – Played running back at EES, went on to play wide receiver at the University of North Carolina, and was drafted by the Washington Redskins.

Larry Tearry – All-ACC center at Wake Forest University, he started two seasons with the Detroit Lions in the NFL.

Demarcus (Tank) Tyler – Starred at North Caroling State University and played in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Carolina Panthers.

Dimitrius Underwood – Played for Nick Saban at Michigan State University. He was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings and also played with the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys.

Doug Wilkerson – Star player attended North Carolina Central University. He was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the Houston Oilers. Spent 14 seasons with San Diego Chargers. He was named to three consecutive Pro Bowls and was first-team All-Pro in 1982.