WAGES observing its 50th anniversary
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on August 26, 2015 1:46 PM
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Patricia Brinson, transportation assistant with WAGES, is flanked by lists representing such areas as music, fashion and news from 1973 and 1974, as part of an exercise during WAGES' 50th anniversary celebration, held earlier this week. Wayne Action Group for Economic Solvency, a community action group, includes such programs as Head Start, Meals on Wheels, Foster Grandparents and a weatherization service.
In 1965, the average income was $5,942. Gas was 31 cents a gallon. And Martin Luther King began the march on Selma.
It also ushered in an era when then-President Lyndon B. Johnson declared an "unconditional war on poverty," passing legislation that established community agencies like WAGES, or Wayne Action Groups for Economic Solvency, its executive director, Dr. Marlee Ray, said.
The local agency commemorated its 50th anniversary recently, with an all-day staff retreat at Antioch Baptist Church.
The walls around the fellowship hall were adorned with signs representing each year and shared music, fashion and news from that era. The exercise allowed staff to travel down memory lane, especially for half of the employees who weren't even born in the mid-1960s.
"That helps us get a sense of who we are, where we have come from, why it was so important for WAGES to provide services to low-income families 50 years ago," Ms. Ray said. "W'e're looking at some of the success we have had but also the challenges, what we have had to overcome to provide services."
The day's theme was "A Golden Celebration of Service and Success," with the ultimate goal one of fun, reflection, renewal and sharing, she said.
"When people hear WAGES, they typically think of one program -- Head Start or Meals on Wheels, Senior Companions," she said. "We want all 198 WAGES employees to be able to, at the end of day, share in the community one thing that they learned about WAGES as an agency so that we can get the word out."
The retreat provided a rare occasion program and support staff to gather together.
Guest speaker was a former WAGES employee from Goldsboro who got her start with the community agency. Verna Best was a program director for 11 years before being named the state's Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity.
"It's an exciting time," Ms. Ray said. "When you think that WAGES has been in this community for 50 years, providing services, and that we have been able to sustain and continue quality programs, we're really proud of the differences WAGES makes in the community."
Chartered by a resolution of the Wayne County commissioners in Nov. 1965, the first offices were in an old house downtown, with four Head Start classes downstairs and offices on the second floor. It later moved to the former Virginia Street School before expanding to develop neighborhood service centers, with five around the city and one each in Mount Olive and Fremont.
The main offices are now on Royall Avenue.
It essentially serves the county's youngest population to its oldest -- from Early Head Start to Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions. Other programs are Wayne County First Steps, intensive in-home case management for at-risk children; and a Self-Sufficiency Program, providing skill development and education working toward gaining employment.
Services include WAGES Weatherization, which offers heat replacement and weatherized homes in Wayne, Lenoir and Greene counties. Last year, 118 homes in those areas were weatherized.
Ms. Ray became only the second executive director for the program, in 2008, when her predecessor, Bryan Sutton, retired after 42 years of service.
Just as valuable as the programs offered for the community are the employees who staff them, she said Tuesday.
Yvonne Savage works in food service, cooking for 860 children in Head Start programs.
She started as a volunteer, working there for four months until she was hired, in Sept. 2014. She enjoys cooking, she said, but the rewards go beyond providing meals for the children.
"I can honestly truly say just the reactions on the kids' faces and knowing I'm doing something to help," she said "I want to be able to help. "It's a great opportunity for that to happen."
Tabitha Lewis began working in the Head Start program 15 years ago. Three years ago, she was moved to Early Head Start, for 2-3-year-olds.
"I just enjoy working with the children and making a difference with the families and the children," she said.
Sue Carter, Meals on Wheels home assessment coordinator, visits homes of those applying for the service. In addition to meals, though, she often finds herself in a position to refer them to other programs around the county.
"I retired from social services after 30 years in 2004 and started here and I worked with the elderly and disabled in that program -- that's my heart," she said. "You're able to help people and make sure they're getting meals, making sure that somebody checks on them every day, that they're OK. I just get a lot of pleasure out of it."
Nathaniel Vaughn has been at WAGES for four years, providing transportation for Head Start children in the Mount Olive and Seven Springs areas.
But for him, it's about more than driving them to and from school. It's about the relationships he gets to build with the little ones, as well as their parents.
"I had one woman say, 'Mr. Bus Driver, you be careful with my child. That's my baby,'" he said. "I told her, 'I'm going to give it my best.'
"I feel that when the family sees that relationship, it makes them feel like they can trust their children with me. That means a lot to me. That's the purpose of me doing the job that I do."