The Foundation for the Carolinas awarded the Beacon Hall board of directors a grant to secure the church’s front doors.

Principals Jody and Maggie Blackwell purchased the historic Old Fashion Gospel Tabernacle church on Ridge Avenue to create a center with after-school music classes, music lessons for underprivileged children and a reading center for prekindergarten children.

Individuals and businesses have donated work and materials for the building.

“This building’s going to come alive,” Jody Blackwell said. “Stay tuned.” 

Beacon Hall is at 121 Ridge Ave.

Employees honored at Power Curbers Christmas party

Two Power Curbers associates were recognized with the Richard D. Messinger Commitment Award. Chris Earnhardt, a sales coordinator, and Enoc Cantero, a machine operator, were the winners.

Criteria for the award, named for longtime company president Dyke Messinger, include having a positive attitude, being a team player, producing quality work, and dedication to the Power Curbers mission statement, “Our commitment shows.”

Earnhardt, who has been with Power Curbers since 2000, is the first two-time winner.

Employees recognized for years of service were Terry Duncan for 20 years and Scott Livengood and Shawn Leonard, five years.

Power Curbers Cos. is a Salisbury-based manufacturer of slip-form concrete paving equipment and has been in business since 1953. The company produces curb and gutter machines and concrete road-paving equipment and accessories under the brands Power Curbers, Power Pavers and Anvil American.

Rowan Public Library will hold resumé clinic

Rowan Public Library will host a resumé clinic Jan. 22. The session will help participants create, edit or revise their resumés.

The clinic is for middle-school ages and older. It will be in the computer lab on the second floor of the Rowan Public Library Headquarters branch, 201 W. Fisher St.

For more information, call 704-216-8242.

Miracle-Ear celebrates 70th anniversary with drawing

Miracle-Ear had a drawing for several TVs as part of its 70th anniversary celebration. 

Salisbury residents JP Smith and Dennis Eccleston, who are longtime hearing aid patients, were winners. 

Smith won a 55-inch TV, and Eccleston won a 43-inch TV. The Monroe office awarded the first-place prize, a 70-inch TV. 

Atrium Health announces new executive officer, chief strategy officer

Dr. Rasu Shrestha has been named executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Atrium Health.

Shrestha will lead enterprise strategy, including planning and tactical direction for Atrium Health’s strategic road map. He will also spearhead a renewed focus on innovation and launching health care inventions, discoveries and ideas to benefit Atrium patients and the communities it serves.

“It is our honor to welcome Dr. Rasu Shrestha into the Atrium Health family,” said Atrium Health president and CEO Eugene A. Woods. “As Atrium Health looks ahead to how we can reimagine a brighter and bolder future for care, Dr. Shrestha will help us develop the strategy and innovation to bring health, hope and healing to more people.”

Shrestha was previously with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where he was executive vice president and chief innovative officer. He also served as executive vice president of UPMC Enterprises.

“I am awestruck by the ambitions of Atrium Health to fulfill their mission to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing — for all,” said Shrestha. “I look forward to working with this incredibly talented team to forge ahead with meaningful strategies, partnerships and opportunities — and to support this organization’s commitment and dedication to its patients and communities.”

Shrestha received his medical degree from CCS University in India, completed his fellowship in informatics at the University of London and earned his MBA at the University of Southern California.

Shrestha will join Atrium Heath in February.

State Employees Association members visit Nazareth Child & Family Connection

As a part of their annual Christmas trip, members of State Employees Association North Carolina visited Nazareth Child & Family Connection on Dec. 12.

Fifteen members visited the campus for an evening of food, presents and singing.

“A lot of the folks with this group are the people behind the scenes working for the state of North Carolina every day of the year,” said Vernon Walters, president and CEO of Nazareth Child & Family Connection. “They help all of us in their jobs every day, and we never know about them. Then they make time during such a busy part of the year at work and home to come out and share with our children. We all are thankful for what they did tonight and what they do every day.”

Ronnie Bange, who is retired from the North Carolina Department of Corrections, has had a first-hand link to Nazareth’s residential program.

“Years ago, we were house parents at Nazareth,” Bange said. “That’s how I knew about the situation. My wife was an employee there, and we lived there with the boys in a cottage. The district has a meeting every month, and we started talking about how to give back and I brought up Nazareth. We felt like that was something we should do, help those kids.”

The group included Corrections Department employees and other state agency employees.

“We know what we need to do every year; we’ve got it down pretty good by now,” Bange said. “We’ve got about 15 or so people doing all the different aspects of things for us. One lady buys all the presents. She goes out on Black Friday and gets it all done. One guy gets the food, then other folks do the cooking. Everybody enjoys it, especially when we go over there and share some time with them, have a meal and sing Christmas songs. That’s what it’s all about — helping others.”

Nazareth Child & Family Connection has outpatient facilities in Salisbury, Lexington and Albemarle serving  people with mental health, substance abuse, developmental disabilities and behavioral health needs. 

Better Business Bureau warns consumers about gift returns and exchanges, gift cards, puppy scams

The Better Business Bureau has seen a recent uptick in puppy scams. Scammers claim they’re breeders and need a home for a dog or cat, then ask for a wire transfer for a purchase. The scammers then report “unexpected” problems, like the airline requiring a specific pet crate, an expensive vet visit or the shipper requiring costly pet insurance. They promise to repay the expenses when the pet is delivered.

BBB offers this advice:

• Never wire money to people or companies you don’t know or trust. Once money is wired, it is gone for good. The same goes for prepaid debit cards or gift cards.

• See the pet in person before making a purchase. This is the only sure way of being certain your cat or dog exists and will be delivered to you without fail.

• Research prices. Make sure you know roughly how much the specific breed you are interested in costs. If someone is offering a purebred puppy at a low price, chances are it’s a fraud.

The Better Business Bureau also offers tips for returns and exchanges, including keeping receipts, understanding return policies, monitoring the return clock, not removing items from boxes or removing tags, and asking about return shipping fees.

“Because there is no standard when it comes to returns and exchanges,” says Tom Bartholomy, president of BBB of Southern Piedmont and Western North Carolina. “It is important that consumers carefully read and understand the policy before even making a purchase.”

According to the National Retail Federation, some retailers make their return policies more lenient around the holidays, while others tighten up the parameters to account for an increase in return fraud. In North Carolina and South Carolina, the law requires only that a retailer have a return policy and disclose it to shoppers, but it does not dictate the terms of that return policy.

BBB also offers advice on purchasing gift cards.

Retail gift cards can only be used at certain businesses; bank gift cards function like cash or credit and can be used anywhere.

In 2010, the Federal Trade Commission put in place consumer protection measures for gift cards, stating that money on a gift card cannot expire for at least five years. Inactivity fees can be charged only if a card hasn’t be used for at least one year. The expiration date must be clearly disclosed on the card, and any fees must be clearly disclosed on the card or its packaging.

BBB recommends that consumers read the fine print, buy from trustworthy sources, examine the card and packaging for tampering, keep the receipt and record the numbers.

Go to bbb.org to look up a business, file a complaint, write a customer review, report a scam, read tips or  follow on social media.