Sponsorships, duck adoptions supporting local youth nonprofits are now available  Ducks will race again during the Wakefield Rotary Club’s third annual Super Duper Duck Splash, on Saturday, July 24, 2021, at WRAL Soccer Park at 7700 Perry Creek Road in Raleigh, parking lot #5. Proceeds from the charity fundraiser benefit local youth initiatives. Rubber ducks are currently available for adoption on Wakefield Rotary’s Super Duper Duck Splash website, www.ncducksplash.com and can be purchased until the race begins at noon on the day of the event. For a chance to win a first-place cash prize of $1,500, second place $1,000 or third place $500, participants can purchase a single duck adoption for $5 or groups of ducks at a discount. Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit local youth-based nonprofits Note in the Pocket, Wake Forest Boys & Girls Club, Kerr Family YMCA and NC Football Club Youth. This year, there are

The NC Recreation and Park Association (NCRPA) recently announced the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department as one of four park and recreation agencies and one university to be awarded $25,000 grants to support joining the National Fitness Campaign (NFC) and expanding the campaign for free outdoor fitness across the state. The current COVID-19 pandemic has exemplified the need for outdoor fitness alternatives. In response, this statewide initiative is poised to deliver important outdoor wellness infrastructure to help communities stay active across North Carolina and complement the role of indoor gyms and fitness opportunities. In addition to the Wake Forest PRCR Department, awardees included Burlington Recreation & Parks, Indian Trail Parks & Recreation, Kernersville Parks & Recreation, and Elon University. “We are thrilled to announce the award of these five partners in North Carolina each of whom demonstrates an unwavering commitment to health as a priority in their

Food insecurity remains high. In March, we fed 1,104 families (2,341 individuals). Thanks as always to our team of dedicated volunteers. We can only do what we do because of your selfless hard work. Donations have gradually declined since December (as they always do after the holidays). Many communities, businesses and individuals have set up food drives, which will bolster our inventory heading into the summer. If you’re interested in organizing a food drive, email us and we will send a packet of information to you with some tips and tricks. You may wonder where the food which we distribute comes from. Our largest source of food is you – the community. More than 50% of the food that we distribute is donated from our friends and neighbors, one grocery bag at a time. We are a distribution partner of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC. The Food Bank provides a weekly allocation of non-perishables and fresh food,

As motivation for spring cleaning grows, now is the perfect time for purging your arsenal of old devices. In honor of Earth Day 2021, your local NerdsToGo®, a leading computer and technology repair services franchise, is here to help with free e-waste drop-off during Earth Week at participating locations beginning Thursday, April 22 through Friday, April 30. In line with 2021 Earth Day’s theme of Restore Our Earth™, NerdsToGo created their E-Waste Drop Off initiative to inspire residential customers, small business owners and community members to make sure old technology and devices stay out of the landfills by accepting recyclable donations at their locations. In Wake Forest the NerdsToGo office is at 1241 South Main Street, the Friendship Professional Center. “Many people have several old devices they want to get rid of but aren’t aware of services nearby that will take them and safely dispose of them,” said Philip Carter, franchisee

Commander Joe Csuka of the Wake Forest Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Post 8466 announced the kick-off of this year’s VFW Student Essay competitions. Local students have the opportunity to compete for thousands of dollars in awards, scholarships, trips to Washington, DC and more. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) started the Voice of Democracy Scholarship program in 1947. The VFW became a national sponsor in the late 1950s and assumed sole responsibility for the program in 1961. The competition was created to provide students grades 9-12 the opportunity to express themselves in regard to democratic ideas and principles. Around 40,000 students participate in the competition each year and VFW awards more than $2 million in scholarships every year. The program was expanded to include middle school students with the Patriot’s Pen competition in 1995. Since then hundreds of thousands of students have participated. High school students (grades 9 – 12

The Town of Wake Forest is inviting residents to share their thoughts and opinions on a future Citizens’ Academy by completing a brief survey. From now through Friday, April 30, residents can complete the survey by visiting www.wakeforestnc.gov/citizen-engagement and clicking on “Citizens’ Academy Survey.” Designed to gauge community interest, assess the preferred class format and determine topics of interest, the questionnaire takes less than five minutes to complete. For more information, email Strategic Performance Manager Lisa Hayes at lhayes@wakeforestnc.gov. #

The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is partnering with GSK and the UNC Morehead Planetarium & Science Center to offer “Science in the Summer” for rising 2nd through 8th graders. The free program will be offered at the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 N. Taylor St., according to the following schedule: Level 1 – 2ndand 3rd graders; Monday-Friday, July 19-23; 9 a.m.-noon Level 2 – 4thand 5th graders; Monday-Friday, July 19-23; 1-4 pm Level 3 – 6th-8thgraders; Monday-Wednesday, Aug. 3-5; 9 a.m.-noon There is no cost to participate, but due to limited seats in each session, registration is required. The online application is available on the Town website at http://bit.ly/WFScienceinSummer. Completed applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, May 28, and may be emailed to Recreation Specialist Garrett Bryant at gbryant@wakeforestnc.gov or delivered/mailed to the Alston-Massenburg Center, 416 N. Taylor St., Wake Forest, NC 27587. The theme for the 2021 Science in the Summer series is

Two-time Emmy Award winning journalist Sloan Heffernan with WRAL-TV is partnering with the Wake Forest Area Chamber to offer a free “Business of Storytelling” workshop from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on May 6, 2021. This virtual workshop will be held via Zoom and is open to the public. Storytelling can enrich and transform a customer’s experience. It also has the power to build loyalty and trust. Heffernan will teach workshop attendees how to identify their brand story and craft a compelling narrative to connect with their audience and grow their business. Participants will learn how to identify and deliver a powerful story on various digital platforms with a limited budget in mind. This workshop is perfect for small business owners, marketing and social media professionals, those in the nonprofit arena, and anyone who wants to tell their story better. Mitchell Heating & Cooling is sponsoring the workshop and therefore it is free.

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre on South White Street will reopen for in-person events on Friday, May 7, with a concert by Yolanda Rabun, “All that . . . & Jazz.” A North Carolina native, Rabun exploded onto the jazz scene first on Stanley Baird’s 2007 Traffic Jam hit single, “I Want 2 Love You,” and, in 2011, released her debut CD project, “So Real,” on which she co-wrote several songs, including the title song. In 2012, Rabun infused Soul, R&B, Gospel, Folk, Smooth and Traditional Jazz on her sophomore solo album, “Christmastime,” and followed in 2013 with the Adult Contemporary single, “Hold on To Your Dreams.” Advance tickets are $20 each plus tax and can be purchased online with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit card or by calling the Renaissance Centre Box Office at 919-435-9458. #  

In response to strong community interest, the Wake Forest Fire Department is selling custom “Autism Awareness” T-shirts with puzzle lettering for $20 each. Available in a variety of youth and adult sizes, the T-shirts may be ordered and purchased online via credit card at www.wakeforestnc.gov/marketplace. For every T-shirt sold, the WFFD will donate $2 to the Autism Society of NC. Anyone who orders one or more T-shirts may pick up their order at Station 1, 420 Elm Ave., during the April 16 WFFD Drive By Fish Fry or request to have it shipped to their address. The WFFD announced in late March that it would support “Autism Awareness Month” throughout April by wearing custom “Autism Awareness” T-shirts. In response to numerous requests by community members to purchase the T-shirts, the fire department agreed to sell the shirts and donate a portion of the proceeds to the Autism Society of NC. #