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Email Announcements Received Today:

1) Watauga Water and Soil Board Meets Nov. 19

The Watauga Soil and Water Conservation District Board will hold its regular board meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 8 a.m. in the District Office at 971 West King St. The public is invited to attend.

2) Screening of Spent: Looking for Change Held Nov. 20

Spent: Looking for Change, a new documentary that follows the lives of four American families wrestling with the costs and inconveniences that come with living outside the traditional financial system, will be shown on November 20, 2014 at 6:30 pm in room 114 of Belk Library and Information Commons. The documentary, narrated by Tyler Perry, puts a spotlight on an important issue that impacts one in four U.S. households who are not well served by the traditional banking system and rely instead on services like check cashers, payday lenders and pawn shops to meet basic financial needs. The costs for these services can add up, with the average underserved household spending ten percent of their income on fees, the same as the typical American family spends on groceries.  The film will be introduced by Lisa J. Servon, a Professor of Urban Policy at the New School for Public Engagement in New York City. Servon appears in the film and will lead a question and answer session after the screening. After working for six months as a check casher, Servon has written articles for the New Yorker, Wall Street Journal and The New York Times about check cashers and pay day lenders. “With screenings of Spent: Looking for Change, we hope to spark a national dialogue about reimagining financial services as we know it today,” said Dan Schulman, group president, American Express, Enterprise Growth. “Change is possible and we believe financial exclusion is a solvable problem, but it’s going to take lots of people working together, raising awareness, and investing in initiatives that help to create better, more affordable financial solutions for everyone.”

3) Surviving the Holidays: Help for Those Dealing With Grief Held Nov. 16

No matter how long it has been since your loved one died, the holidays can be a painful time.  But there’s hope.  Join us for an encouraging seminar that will help you survive the holidays and discover new reasons to enjoy them again.  The seminar will be held at Mount Vernon Baptist Church at 3505 Bamboo Road in Boone on Sunday, Nov. 16 from 4-6 p.m. in room 1304. If you have questions, call the church office at 828-266-9700 or email office@mvbvb.org, or register to attend so we will know to include you for materials.