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Email Announcements We Are Receiving Today: See What’s Going On Around The Community

1) HCAS Meeting Cancelled; Next Meeting Feb. 18

Due to a broken water pipe in the lobby of the Holiday Inn Express and the use of our meeting room as temporary storage, HCAS will cancel their Jan. 21 meeting. Hope to see everyone Feb. 18. High Country Audubon Society covers Avery, Ashe, Alleghany, Watauga and Wilkes counties. HCAS invites the public to attend the monthly meetings and field trips. Announcements about meeting and field trips can be found on their website at www.highcountryaudubon.org. 

2) Blue Ridge Seeds of Change Releases Requests for Proposals

Blue Ridge Seeds of Change is releasing a request for proposals for farmers focusing on increasing production through innovation and sustainable methods. The timeline and application can be found here. Letters of intent are mandatory and will be due by Feb. 14. Applications will be due by March 10. Farmers are required to work with their local extension agent on the application and throughout the grant cycle. Please contact the County Extension Agents in your county listed below. Blue Ridge Seeds of Change is a nonprofit organization committed to building a vibrant regional food system that strengthens economies, improves health and reduces poverty in the Blue Ridge regions of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. We do this by empowering local food and farm entrepreneurs, growing living wage jobs and increasing access to locally produced food while fostering ecological stewardship. This organization stemmed from Heifer International’s Seeds of Change Initiative with the goal of developing a regional food system in Appalachia. Applicants should be farmers who demonstrate the economic viability of farms in the Blue Ridge Seeds of Change five-county region. Support is provided to farmers who are diversifying or expanding their operations to increase farm income and encourage the sustainability of the farm businesses. Blue Ridge Seeds of Change awards grants to a variety of farm operations, including: fruits & vegetables, livestock, nurseries, agri-tourism, beekeeping and value-added processing. While agriculture is a varied and diverse industry that can be defined in many ways, Blue Ridge Seeds of Change favors applicants who operate a business and manage land for the purpose of sustainably producing crops for harvest and sale.  Any funding requests should be for items directly related to the growing and harvesting of crops for sale, including livestock. 

3) Frye’s Community Calendar

The Frye Regional Medical Center offers valuable services not only to patients and families in our hospital, but also to members of the community.

  • Tuesday, Feb. 4 – Community Wellness Fair: Frye invites you to attend a free wellness fair at Kingston Residence in Hickory located at 904 2nd Street, NE in Hickory. The event is from 6-9 a.m. Frye will be offering free EKG, BMI check, cholesterol and blood glucose screenings for adults aged 30 and above. Fasting is required. Please call 828-315-3391 to register. 
  • Tuesday, Feb. 4 – Better Breathers Club: A free monthly support group is designed to for people with respiratory illnesses at Hickory YMCA Teen Center. The group is free and open to the public, but we ask that you register ahead of time at 828-315-3563.
  • Thursday, Feb. 6 – All Right Now Lecture: From 6-8 p.m. at FryeCare Outpatient Imaging Center, join us for food, music, fun and our featured presenter, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Brian Krenzel. Please call 877-31WOMEN to register. 
  • Thursday, Feb. 6 – Free Blood Pressure Checks: This service is free at Heart Tower Lobby at Frye Regional Medical Center from 12-2 p.m. No appointment is needed. 
  • Feb. 7- Feel Good Friday: Drop into the Cancer Resource Center anytime between 10 a.m.-2 p.m. if you are caring for a loved one with cancer, we know there are many challenges that you face day to day. Take the time to love yourself and join us for a day of pampering. We will be offering chair massages, manicures by appointment, light refreshments and more. 
  • Feb. 10 – Look Good Feel Better: This is an American Cancer Society sponsored program that is free to women in active cancer treatment. The program teaches beauty techniques to cancer patients to help them combat the appearance related side effects of cancer treatment. A free cosmetic kit is provided for each participant. The group meets at the Frye Cancer Support Center, located next to the hospital at 328 North Center Street in Hickory. Registration is required; please call 828-315-3391.
  • Monday, Feb. 10: Breast Friends Support Group: Frye Cancer Center offers support to women fighting and surviving breast cancer. The group meets at the Frye Cancer Support Center, located next to the hospital at 328 North Center Street in Hickory. For more information, please call 828-315-3596, option 2.
  • Feb. 13, 20 & 27 – PVD Screening: Meet with our vascular coordinator to see if you have peripheral vascular disease or hardening of the arteries. There is no cost, but we ask that you register ahead of time at 828-315-3391.
  • Feb. 13 & 27 – AAA Screening: This screening is for men age 65 to 75 that have smoked. AAA is a condition in which the lining of the blood vessels (aorta) is enlarged within the abdomen. AAA poses a threat because it is usually silent until a medical emergency happens.
  • Monday, Feb. 17 – Life Goes On: This is an educational support group featuring cancer related topics. This month’s topic is “Strength for Life” and we will be discussing the benefits of exercise during treatment and as a survivor. No registration is needed. For more information, please call 828-315-3596, option 2.
  • Wednesday, Feb. 19 – Heart Healthy Screening: Frye will be offering FREE EKG, BMI check, cholesterol and blood glucose screenings for adults age 30 and above. Fasting is required. Please call 877-31WOMEN to register.
  • Thursday, Feb. 27 – Heart Healthy Community Lecture: Daniel Alexander, DO and Thomas Wiley, MD, electrophysiologists discuss Atrial Fibrillation, Complications and Cures. Please register by calling 877-31WOMEN.
  • New Beginnings Yoga: FryeCare Outpatient Imaging, 1781 Tate Blvd SE, Suite 101 Free yoga classes for breast cancer survivors. For more information call 828-315-3596 option 1. To register, please call 828-315-3391.

4) Miss High Country Sweetheart 2014 Pageant

The annual Miss High Country Sweetheart Pageant will take place Feb. 15 at Ashe Civic Center. Competitors will be judged on beauty, extras, talent and theme wear. For more information and for entry forms, click here