VGCC Students, Staff Help UNC-TV Raise Funds During Festival 2006

What do Elvis Presley, the Grand Old Opry and Vance-Granville Community College students and staff have in common?

They were all on hand Saturday afternoon, March 4, to help UNC-TV raise operating funds during its “Festival 2006.”

Eight students and six staff members, including President Randy Parker, manned the phones for about four hours during the telethon at UNC-TV studios in Research Triangle Park. While the VGCC contingent was working, the station was showing an Elvis Presley gospel show and The Best of the Grand Old Opry. More than $94,900 in pledges were raised Saturday to help UNC-TV pay for programs shown on the public television station throughout North Carolina.

This was the second consecutive year that VGCC volunteers manned phones and took pledges for UNC-TV. In 2005, 13 students, faculty and staff volunteered.

In addition to President Parker, this year’s VGCC volunteers were Gene Purvis, vice president of Student Affairs, Lisa Evans, controller, Sandra Newton, administrative assistant in Plant Operations, Phillip Cates, Endowment Fund director, and Gerald Fuller, public information officer. Student volunteers were Joan Ayscue, Shirley Burwell, Terri Jones, John Williamson, Robert Newhouse, Lois Bullock, Jacqueline Higgins and Elizabeth Billups.

UNC-TV VOLUNTEERS

– Wearing T-shirts that read “VGCC Supports UNC-TV” are the 14 Vance-Granville Community College volunteers who answered phones and took pledges at the public television station’s Festival 2006 on Saturday, March 4. Kneeling from left are: Gene Purvis, Robert Newhouse, John Williamson, Randy Parker, Gerald Fuller and Phillip Cates. Standing, from left, are: Lisa Evans, Sandra Newton, Jacqueline Higgins, Lois Bullock, Shirley Burwell, Elizabeth Billups and Joan Ayscue. Absent from the picture is Teri Jones, a student volunteer. (VGCC Photo)

AWAITING PLEDGES

– Vance-Granville Community College students Jacqueline Higgins, front left, and Elizabeth Billups are prepared to take calls from UNC-TV viewers while Joan Ayscue, next to Billups, President Randy Parker, next to Ayscue, record pledges and other volunteers from the college man phones during Festival 2006 at the public television station studios on Saturday, March 4. (VGCC Photo)

‘THE KING’

– Vance-Granville Community College students Joan Ayscue, left and Jacqueline Higgins stand by a picture of Elvis Presley during a break from taking phone pledges for UNC-TV on Saturday, March 4. While 14 volunteers from the college were on duty at the public television studios, the station aired an Elvis Presley gospel program. (VGCC Photo)