Support SOMEONE NEEDS OUR HELP Rachel Dutcher, dad, Dutch, and her entire family are very special to the staff at the Zebulon Parks & Recreation. Rachel played fast-pitch softball and dad, Dutch, served as coach for the East Wake Fitness Center team this past season. Rachel, a rising fifth grader, has been diagnosed with aplastic anemia and is under the care of doctors at Duke Medical Center. They have informed her and her family that she needs a bone marrow transplant. You can show your support for Rachel by donating blood at the Zebulon Rotary/Woman’s Club Building on Thursday, July 24th from 3:00pm until 7:30pm or Friday, July 25th from 9:00am until 2:00pm. Information will be available to those interested in Bone Marrow testing. Rachel has a great smile and loves to tell jokes. Please help her keep a smile on that face! For more information email edwa1921@bellsouth.net or visit www.marrow.org.  Read More ...

Lazy Days at the Local Library West Regional By Stephanie Dixon Mrs. Sue and her fuzzy friend Lola brought loads of excitement to the toddler story time at West Regional Library. Starting off with a book called, Froggy goes to camp, dancing along with several songs, sharing camping items on the flannel board and more. Lots of clapping, singing and smiling for the little ones. They had a great time with the spider stories and songs to pretend the spider was crawling on them. Stomping the imaginary spiders and going wild about the unseen spiders on their clothes brought out the giggles. Finally it was time to “stamp” out the door, so Mrs. Sue waited by the door with her bug stamp for each little hand as they said their goodbyes for the week.  Read More ...

Durant Elementary Performs for Parents Durant Elementary Performs for Parents by Stephanie Dixon Once upon a lily pad was performed by the second graders at Durant Elementary and it was an awesome performance. As the students recited their lines with enthusiasm, it was obvious there was lots of practice. The parents and grandparents were recording and taking pictures for the scrapbooks. Teachers were very proud of their students for the performance that was sure to be the talk over dinner. Wonderful acting, singing and portraying their characters in a meaningful way.  Read More ...

ECO Camp at Harris Lake ECO Camp at Harris Lake By Stephanie Dixon ECO Camp at Harris Lake in New Hill was “jumping” with things to do. Before the campers were off to dip net, they grabbed a partner, a large and small net and a bucket. The campers were dip netting to find all types of aquatic species. After sorting through the mud, they found all types of things floating around. The goal is to determine the water quality, using a number chart that was given to them. Scores from 11-16 means poor intermediate-moderate pollution, 17-22 good-low pollution, 23-30-excellent quality. The campers discovered tadpoles, dragonfly nymphs, salamanders and even a mud turtle among many others. When they finished, they had magnifying boxes to take a closer look at their findings. Camp director, Christina Sorensen was there to assist and encourage the eager campers.  Read More ...

S.T.A.R. Summer Camp S.T.A.R. Summer Camp By Melissa Allen The Jr. NBA and the Jr. WNBA Pledge to Be a S.T.A.R. summer camp was in action at Athens Drive High School for over 250 boys and girls in and around the community of Raleigh. During the camp, stations were set up for coaches to teach the fundamentals of shooting, passing, dribbling, and defense. On hand for the camp were Katrina McClain and Teresa Edwards. Both of these ladies are former Olympians and great role models for the kids that attend the many camps that this organization puts on yearly. Guest speaking at the camp was Sean May who attended UNC and now plays for the Charlotte Bobcats. Mr. May spoke about what the S.T.A.R camp is all about. Sportsmanship...Teamwork...Attitude...Respect! “Without all of these success is hard to come by.” Sean also said, “Attitude and respect define your character and always acknowledge your fellow teammates.” After the inspirational speech made by May the kids were allowed to ask him questions. The answer to one of the questions was size 19. This is the shoe size that Sean May wears. At the end of camp the children that attended left sweaty, tired but full of new skills and knowledge about the game of basketball. On the way out one young camper was overheard asking his mom, “Can we come back tomorrow?” This 1 day camp left each kid wanting more which is what will keep them excited until camp comes back next year!  Read More ...

Wake County Sheriff Adventure Camp Wake County Sheriff Adventure Camp By Melissa Allen A week of summer was well spent for about 60 young men and women that attended the 6th annual Wake County Sheriff’s Office Adventure Camp. These fortunate kids were on the go 8 hours a day learning different aspects of law enforcement and what goes on behind the scenes at many different places related to law. One of the favorite tours of the week was made to the Sheriff’s Office in downtown Raleigh. Here the campers met Sheriff Donnie Harrison. Sheriff Harrison told the group “My door is always open. I would rather you come and talk to me now than see you upstairs with some kind of problem.” The campers all knew what “upstairs” meant as they had just finished touring the floors of the County Jail prior to their talk with the Sheriff. Many things were taken away from this exciting week at camp. Gang awareness, bullying prevention and the importance of staying away from drugs were just a few of the topics that were talked about. Rotations were made through different crime related and law enforcement stations. These presentations were made by one of the many law enforcement members that volunteered their time this week. The Wake County Sheriff’s Office Adventure Camp ended with a graduation of all the campers that finished out a great week of learning and fun. Sheriff Harrison was the guest speaker and reminded all of the youth to “Listen to your parents and get an education.” He also had a few words for the parents of the campers. “Talk to your children. Listen to them, they want to feel important.” After pictures were taken by proud moms and dads a small reception for all in attendance was held. Many new friendships were made and there was already conversation about returning to camp again next year! Very special thanks to all that were involved in this great camp and for giving to the youth in the community!  Read More ...