Butterfield Moderates Forum

Did you get your invitation to come?

A Forum will be held today on the matters of senior issues and job creation. U.S. Rep. G. K. Butterfield will moderate the forum today in Wilson. A select few knew about this event prior to today's date. The forum will be from 2-4 p.m. at the Gee Corbett Village, at 1817 Butterfield Lane.

The congressman will be joined by Mary Bethel, advocacy director of AARP North Carolina. Local and state elected officials have been invited to participate as well. Wonder who will show up!


The event, which is organized by the Wilson Community Improvement Association, will also conduct a "concerted bus tour" of various local nonprofits, including Wilson OIC (of course), Upper Coastal Plain Business Center (AP Coleman) and the Wilson Senior Center prior to the forum discussion.

Barbara Blackston, WCIA executive director, said this is the first time WCIA has organized such an event. She said with state and federal budget cuts, advocacy for seniors, non-profits and jobs is more important than ever. The tour and the forum are both open to the public,(now they tell it's free and open to the public when you've planned something else and can't get there. S.O.S -Typical Wilson shi'ddigity) and Blackston hopes those attending will follow up with their local legislators on behalf of these issues. Now that's a very interesting thought.

There is a follow up issue some folks would like to share with MS. BLACKSTON. How about you following up on your other facility ...Beacon Pointe. While there are some seniors there most are rowdy residents who play their music loud late at night, early morning when neighborhood folks are trying to sleep. A place where you can hear folks screaming back forth to one another from building to builing at 2 & 3:oo clock in the morning. A place where dope deals are dealt and a haven for prostitution. A place where most of the folks who don't work, won't work and ain't got work on their mind hang out and sleep all day and get up in the evening and spend all night corralling in the parking lot, breezeways and basketball court area. How about you checking that out with the Congressman and y'all coming up with a game plan and a forum to address those issues.

WCIA is a non-profit organization whose purpose and goal supposedly is to improve the quality of life for low-to-moderate income residents through affordable housing, economic development, counseling, youth and elderly programs and alternative services in Wilson, Greene and the surrounding counties. The event is co-sponsored by WCIA, N.C. Association of Community Development Corporations, N.C. Community Development Initiative and the Upper Coastal Plain Council. You might wanna ask the folks over in Adventura East I & II subdivision how they feel about that. Just saying.