non-profit

Frank Harmon Joins NCMH as Director of National Affairs

Blueplate PRLeave a comment
NC Modernist Houses
Frank Harmon, FAIA (photo by William Morgan)

To coordinate with national architecture organizations, publications, and other non-profits.

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) announced today that renowned Raleigh architect Frank Harmon, FAIA, has joined the organization as Director of National Affairs.

Harmon has been an active advocate for NCMH’s mission to document, preserve, and promote Modernist residential design across the state since Executive Director George Smart founded the award-winning non-profit in 2007.

Over recent years, NCMH’s reach has expanded well outside North Carolina. The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation in New York City designated NCMH’s online archive as the official index for Rudolph’s residential work. Smart has addressed the National Trust for Historic Preservation and given presentations during Modernism Week in Palm Springs, California. The entire NCMH archive has also become the largest open digital archive of 20-century Modernist residential design in the nation, including an extensive Masters Gallery.

So when Harmon officially retired in November 2015 after 50 years in professional practice, Smart approached him about joining NCMH in an official capacity.

“Frank is very well known and respected throughout the architectural community, including on the national stage,” Smart said. “As a sought-after speaker, lecturer, and design awards jury chairman nation-wide, his contacts and influences are invaluable.”

He explained Harmon’s responsibilities as Director of National Affairs: “Frank will coordinate with national architecture organizations, publications, and other non-profits to focus attention on North Carolina Modernism and to further develop documentation, preservation, and promotion for NCMH. And with Frank’s participation, NCMH will create some of the best infrastructure for Modernist house documentation and preservation in the country.”

“NCMH is like an embassy for good design and I’m proud to be one of its ambassadors,” Harmon said.

For more information on NC Modernist Houses, visit www.ncmodernist.org.

redchair smAbout NC Modernist Houses: 

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) is an award-winning, 501C3 nonprofit organizations established in 2007 and dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design. The website is now the largest open digital archive for Modernist residential design in America. NCMH also hosts popular architecture events every month and frequent home tours, giving the public access to the most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours and events raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations. For more information: www.ncmodernist.org. Find NCMH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Anson Children’s Center Prepares To “Eat Smart, Move More”

Blueplate PR1 Comment
RHA Howell's mission logo

Two grants will help the center implement new opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity.

January 16, 2011 (Polkton, NC) — The Anson Children’s Center in Polkton, NC, a five-star, developmental day center for children, including special needs children, recently received two important grants: an “Eat Smart, Move More” Community Grant, and a Shape NC grant.

“Eat Smart, Move More” grants provide funding to local communities to implement strategies that reverse the rising tide of obesity and chronic disease among North Carolinians by increasing opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity.

“Shape NC,” a groundbreaking initiative supported by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, tackles childhood obesity by focusing on young children in childcare and community settings. In partnership with the Natural Learning Initiative (NLI), Shape NC helps centers and communities create naturalized outdoor learning environments that support child development, physical activity, and healthy eating. NLI’s playground designs also help connect children to nature.

The Anson Children’s Center will use the grants to renovate the Center’s playground and purchase new equipment.

Why so much focus on childhood obesity? According to a 2011 report by the Trust for American’s Health, North Carolina has the 11th highest childhood obesity rate (18.6%) in the nation, and more than 31 percent of NC children ages two to four are considered at risk for becoming over weight.

“Young children’s earliest experiences with healthy eating and physical activity will promote a lifetime of healthy behavior,” said Sam Hedrick, president of RHA Howell, Inc., which owns and operates the Anson Children’s Center. “We are delighted that the Anson Center was chosen to part of this very exciting initiative.”

The Anson Center is ranked in the top 25th percent of North Carolina’s childcare centers, serving a five star pre-school program. Anson is licensed to serve 66 children and is located at 383 Cotton Street, Polkton, NC  29135. Ginny Davis serves as executive director. For more information on RHA Howell’s Anson Children Center, call 704.272.7076.

For more information on Shape NC, visit www.smartstart.org. For more information on North Carolina’s Eat Smart, Move More initiative, go to http://www.eatsmartmovemorenc.com/.

For more information on RHA Howell, Inc., visit www.rhahowell.org.

About RHA Howell, Inc.:

RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for nearly 40 years. Integrity, high standards for quality and hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. Proven leaders in caring for people, RHA Howell, Inc. is a pioneering force in the field of human services, particularly supporting infants and children. For more information, go to www.rhahowell.org.

Triangle Architecture Fans Head “Downeast”

Blueplate PRLeave a comment

Spotlighting three Modernist houses in Rocky Mount and Greenville, NC.

The 1952 Dowd residence in Rocky Mount

 

February 15, 2011 (DURHAM, NC) – Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) will host its first “Downeast Modernist Tour” of three houses in Rocky Mount and Greenville, NC, on Saturday, March 12. The tour is open to the public with advance reservations through the TMH website.

 

“When most people in the Triangle area think ‘modernist houses,’ they don’t realize that there are some true gems in Rocky Mount and Greenville,” said George Smart, TMH founder and director. “They’ll change their minds after they see these gorgeous homes.”

 

The Downeast Modernist Tour will take participants to the 1952 Jesse Dowd residence designed by George Harrell. According to Smart, the Dowd house is “the finest surviving example of mid-century Modernism in Rocky Mount.”  Harrell grew up in Rocky Mount and went on to a very successful architecture career in Texas.

 

The 1962 Yenne/Hammer residence in Rocky Mount

The tour will also stop at the 1962 Matthew and Edna Yenney residence in Rocky Mount, designed by John L. Thompson. Current owners John and Megan Hammer have since renovated the house extensively, including adding a 1500-square-foot guesthouse.

 

In neighboring Greenville, the tour will visit a much newer Modernist house: the 2009 Bobby and Kristi Walters residence designed and built by Tonic Design + Tonic Construction. Within the sleek modern structure, the 4042-square-foot house includes environmentally sustainable features, such as photovoltaic technology for generating electricity, solar hot water, and a geothermal heating and air conditioning system.

 

Vinny Petrarca, president of Tonic Construction and a partner in Tonic Design, and architect Robby Johnson, AIA, who served as project manager for Tonic on the Walters house, will come along for the tour as special guests and to answer questions about the design and construction of the house. (Johnson is now with Clearscapes Architecture.)

The 2009 Walters residence in Greenville.

 

As an added bonus, the group will stop at Smith’s Red & White Grocery in Rocky Mount on the way home for authentic North Carolina barbecue, sausage and other pork products.

 

The tour will depart RDU’s FastPark on a luxury internet-equipped bus at 9 a.m. on March 12 and return by 3:45 p.m. Tickets are $49.  Architects can receive self-reported continuing education credit if arranged in advance with the American Institute of Architects.

 

For more information on the tour, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/downeast.htm.

 

For more information on TMH, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.

 

About Triangle Modernist Houses:


Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) is an award-winning, 501C3 nonprofit established in 2007 to archive, preserve, and promote modernist residential architecture from the 1950s to new construction. The TMH website, now the largest educational and historical archive for modernist residential design in America, continues to catalog, preserve, and advocate for North Carolina modernism. TMH also hosts popular modernist house tours several times a year, giving the public access to the Triangle’s most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations. Visit the website at www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.

RHA Howell To Participate In “Women Be Healthy” Study with UNC

Blueplate PRLeave a comment

April 30, 2010 (RALEIGH, NC) — Sam Hedrick, president of RHA Howell, Inc., is pleased to announce that the women in RHA’s Charlotte group homes and Lumberton Family Alternatives services, and those served by the organization’s day programs in those cities, will participate in the groundbreaking “Women Be Healthy” program with the North Carolina Office on Disability & Health (NCODH) and the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work.

RHA is a statewide, not-for-profit organization that was been helping people with disabilities and their families for 35 years. “Women Be Healthy” (WBH) is a curriculum developed to enable women with developmental disabilities to become more active participants in their own health care, with the primary emphasis on breast and cervical cancer screenings.

NCODH, a program within UNC’s FPG Child Development Institute, and the UNC School of Social Work have received funding to conduct an evaluation of WBH curriculum. NCODH provides free training workshops on the use of the curriculum and all training materials. A study team at UNC-CH evaluates all activities around the curriculum, including tracking the receipt of health care services.

“Although we have strong preliminary data on positive student outcomes as a result of participation in Women Be Healthy classes, it is important that we conduct a longer term study on the impact of the WBH curriculum on the students’ health behaviors, especially the receipt of recommended preventive screenings,” said Karen Luken, project director, FPG Child Development Institute.

According to Luken, the study will evaluate the impact of the WBH intervention on four outcomes: (1) the sense of confidence and mastery of women related to their reproductive health care; (2) the knowledge of women regarding their health care; (3) actual receipt of health care services, including Pap tests and breast exams; and (4) anxiety of women related to their health care.

RHA Howell professionals who will be in charge of helping with the study are Alena Smith, Corporate Director of Nursing; Lee Ann Hoffner in Charlotte; Alice Smith and Tammy McFayden in Lumberton; and Eric Gabriel, RHA’s director of clinical policy, who will provide corporate oversight.

“We’re very excited to be participating in this program and recognize the great potential benefit it could have for the women we support,” Hedrick said, noting that women with physical and intellectual disabilities are very challenged to receive proper care in reproductive health services for a host of reasons, including the inability to access mammography equipment and anxiety issues.

For more information on the NCODH and Women Be Healthy program, go to www.fpg.unc.edu/~ncodh/WomensHealth/index.cfm.

For more information on RHA Howell, Inc., visit www.rhahowell.org.

About RHA Howell, Inc.:

RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for more than 35 years. Integrity, high standards for quality, hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. Proven leaders in caring for people, RHA Howell, Inc. is a pioneering force in the field of human services, particularly supporting infants and children. For more information, go to www.rhahowell.org.

Five New Sponsors Sign On For RHA Howell’s “Blue Tie Casino Night”

Blueplate PRLeave a comment

March 8, 2010 (RALEIGH, NC) – RHA Howell, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs and their families for more than 35 years, is pleased to announce five new “Friends Circle” level sponsors for RHA Howell’s Blue Tie Casino Night.

Blue Tie Casino Night is a major fundraiser to be held in New Bern, NC, on Saturday, April 17, beginning at 6 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the children and adults at RHA Howell’s Tar River and Greenville Group Homes, and River Bend Centers. The event will include music, fine food, signature drinks and a host of non-cash-prize casino-style games, such as Poker, Blackjack, and Roulette.

The five new “Friends Circle” sponsors ($500) are:

– Carolina Mobility & Seating, Inc., specialists in pediatric mobility and seating for eastern and central North Carolina and the Hampton Roads area of Virginia (www.carolinamobility.com)

– Bill Schmidt of Van Products, a Raleigh-based company that meets the specialized transportation requirements of physically challenged individuals (www.vanproducts.com).

–  Hastings Ford, the Greenville, NC, dealership for new and pre-owned Ford vehicles and rentals (www.greenvillenewcars.dealerconnection.com).

– Tandemlock, a New Bern-based company that designs and manufactures customized lifting and mobilizing jobs for the transport industry, all branches of the military, port authorities, governments and agencies around the world (www.tandemlock.com).

– Morcom Medical Consultants, PLLC (formerly known as Medical Management Company), which was founded in 1995 by William Cromer, MD, and his partner John Moore, PA-C.  Both Dr. Cromer and Morris have been caring for clients in the eastern RHA Howell facilities since that time. Dr. Cromer serves as Medical Director.

“It’s so gratifying when the wonderful people we work with us show their support for our fundraisers, especially in such a difficult economy and with devastating cuts in our funding,” said Debbie Valentine, RHA Howell’s marketing and special events planner. “The generosity of everyone represented in our ‘Friends Circle’ is an example of how we work together to open the world to people with disabilities.”

Blue Tie Casino Night will take place in the main ballroom of the Hilton River Front Hotel in New Bern. Tickets are $50 each with tables of 10 available for $400. Seating is limited. To purchase advance tickets, go to www.rhahowell.org/BlueTie.aspx or call RHA event coordinator Debbie Valentine at 919-803-2690. Preferred attire is “dressy cocktail” with an emphasis on blue rather than black tie, reflecting RHA Howell’s logo color.

The RHA Howell Tar River Center in Greenville is a pediatric unit supporting 30 medically fragile infants and children with disabilities. The Greenville Group Homes provide quality care for children and teenagers with developmental delays and special needs. The RHA Howell River Bend Center in New Bern is home to 125 children and young adults with developmental disabilities. Proceeds from the Blue Tie Casino Night will directly benefit each person served by these programs.

For more information on RHA Howell, Inc., visit www.rhahowell.org.

About RHA Howell, Inc.:

RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for more than 35 years. Integrity, high standards for quality, hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. Proven leaders in caring for people, RHA Howell, Inc. is a pioneering force in the field of human services, particularly supporting infants and children. For more information, go to www.rhahowell.org.