First Responders Week marked by 'Thank You' card campaign
By Staff Reports
Published in News on September 11, 2011 12:58 AM
Wayne County is celebrating First Responders Appreciation Week, Sept. 11-17, by participating county-wide in a 'Thank You' card and letter-writing campaign for local firefighters and rescue workers.
Gov. Beverly Perdue has officially declared the week of Sept. 11-17 as North Carolina's First Responders Appreciation Week. The week is designed to honor the first responders who gave their all in professional service during the national tragedies of Sept. 11.
The 'Thank You' card and letter campaign is being coordinated by Angela Wallace, the AmeriCorps/NC Literacy Corps member assigned to Literacy Connections of Wayne County, the county's literacy council.
Mrs. Wallace applied for AmeriCorps membership and was selected to serve with Literacy Connections by the North Carolina Literacy Corps. She is an honor graduate of Wayne Community College in both accounting and college transfer programs and she has served the college as both a tutor and a departmental work assistant.
"The purpose of the campaign is three-fold,"she said. "First and foremost, to honor our local first responders who serve and protect the residents of Wayne County. Second, to honor all first responders nationwide, past and present, who have risked their safety and their lives for us. And third, to unite our county in a heartfelt moment of community that encourages writing, provides recognition of our interdependence and promotes the need for personal and organizational communications."
Mrs. Wallace designed a 'Thank You' note featuring the fire and rescue emblem and has circulated copies throughout county agencies for residents to sign and return to the main branch of the Wayne County Public Library.
The goal is to have at least one completed, personal 'Thank You' note to delivery this week for each fire and rescue worker in Wayne County.
The Wayne County Public Library has sponsored several displays of the cards and community members can sign individual cards at the main branch of the Public Library on Ash Street through Friday.
Free copies of the card in bulk are available for community agencies, civic groups, businesses, churches, classes and other groups upon request.
Community members are also invited to create additional cards, write letters or to design posters honoring Wayne County fire and rescue workers to be presented to all community fire and rescue departments during the Appreciation Week. Community members who would like to assist with the delivery and presentation of cards to local fire and rescue departments are asked to contact Mrs. Wallace at the Literacy Connections Office at 735-1990.