🗞️ Volunteers wanted to help Triad and Kernersville seniors get where they need to go

🗞️ A Kernersville summer program helps local boys build confidence and handle conflict

🗞️ Bishop McGuinness athletes clean up on the Greater Triad all-conference teams

🗞️ Forsyth Tech is a finalist for the $1 million Aspen Prize

🌤 Partly cloudy and milder | High: 85°F | Low: 62°F

A welcome break from the weekend heat. Expect partly cloudy skies, lighter humidity and a high around 85. A good day to be outside.

If you have been looking for a meaningful way to give back, the Shepherd’s Center of Greater Winston-Salem could use your help. The nonprofit is seeking volunteers to drive older adults to medical appointments and the grocery store, handle minor home repairs, and visit neighbors who are isolated or whose caregivers need a break.

The center is holding a volunteer orientation on Tuesday, June 16 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at 1700 Ebert St. in Winston-Salem. To sign up, contact volunteer coordinator Martina Bowen at 336-748-0217 or [email protected]. The center also runs free Medicare workshops, caregiver classes and a support group for families navigating dementia.

Closer to home, AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP is looking for volunteer drivers to take senior clients to medical appointments, the pharmacy and the grocery store for partner agencies in both Winston-Salem and Kernersville. Volunteers must be 55 or older. Reach Jeremy Sumpter at 336-757-6288 to learn more.

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The Kernersville Foundation has put $1,500 behind a free summer program aimed at helping local boys grow into steady, confident young men. The grant supports the Strong Minds Crew, run by the Center of Hope, a Kernersville outreach ministry that has served the community since 2011.

The program enrolls up to 20 boys ages 9 to 11 and meets once a week for six weeks. It covers emotional awareness and self-control, confidence, decision-making, healthy friendships, accountability and communication. “In today’s world, this is a much-needed skill, helping people to resolve disagreements peacefully,” said director Wanda Lawrence of Jehovah Shammah Ministries.

The Strong Minds Crew is free and starts in early July, wrapping up before school begins. Families can register by contacting Lawrence at 336-547-0251. The grant is one of 13 the Kernersville Foundation is making to local nonprofits this year.

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Kernersville’s Bishop McGuinness High School had a strong showing when the Greater Triad 1A/2A all-conference spring sports teams were announced, with the Villains and Lady Villains landing honorees across nearly every sport.

Girls’ soccer led the way. Laney Heafner was named Offensive Player of the Year, Claire Sullivan Defensive Player of the Year, MacKenna Langdon co-Goalie of the Year, and Lee Mueller Coach of the Year, with six more Lady Villains on the all-conference team. In boys’ tennis, Luke Ansari, who won the 1A state title as a freshman, was named Player of the Year.

Bishop also placed five players on the all-conference baseball team and added honorees in boys’ and girls’ track and field and boys’ golf, including distance runner Adasyn Hansing. It was a banner spring for the Kernersville school.

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Forsyth Technical Community College is one of just 10 finalists nationwide for the 2027 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the most prestigious recognition in the field. The college advanced from a field of 25 semifinalists named in April.

The selection rests on six years of student results. Forsyth Tech’s graduation rate climbed from 19% to 45%, and completion among minority students grew from 12% to 45%, effectively closing a once-wide gap. “Student outcomes like those we see at the 10 finalists cannot be achieved without major reforms to programs of study, student advising systems, and other college practices,” said Josh Wyner of the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program.

The winner, chosen by an independent jury, will be announced in April 2027. With campuses serving Forsyth and surrounding counties, Forsyth Tech is a key training pipeline for the Triad workforce.

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