A Willingness to Succeed is Fueling Change Across North Carolina

The most recent stops on Blue Cross NC 's Extra Miles Tour were typical, which is to say, they were extraordinary. I am consistently impressed by the people and places we visit on the tour, making new connections and strengthening existing ones as we continue to build a coalition dedicated to making North Carolina a better place to live for all of us.

Our latest trip began at The Filling Station in Pollocksville in Jones County in Eastern North Carolina. The Filling Station is appropriately named, as the agency’s mission is to fill unmet needs in nutrition, education, and connection for residents of Jones County. The nonprofit even cites Psalm 107:5 as its inspiration: “Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.” The Filling Station offers Jones County residents resources for both body and mind: food from local farms, nutrition classes and counseling, a leadership academy, and a range of other services to prevent souls from fainting.

We then traveled to Carteret Community College , situated in Morehead City on the shores of beautiful Bogue Sound. The college has embraced the concept of experiential learning, offering students hands-on experience that allows them to hit the job market running. We watched a demonstration that allows Emergency Medical Services students in a classroom to watch a live stream of their classmates responding to a simulated emergency in a real ambulance; we witnessed a pivotal moment as students of the Boat Manufacturing and Service program flipped a newly built boat hull to its proper position for the first time; and we shared a meal prepared by Business, Hospitality, and Tourism students in the college’s new Culinary Arts building.

At the Greene County Technical Education Center in Snow Hill, we heard from school system officials and students about the ethos that drives their work: “The willingness to succeed comes before the ability to succeed.” The Greene County Public School system serves the Kinston-Goldsboro area, focusing on positioning students and families for success through family literacy programs, STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) courses starting in pre-kindergarten, dual-language instruction, career awareness as early as fifth grade, and a range of other supports for the community.?

In Franklin County, we visited the Louisburg campus of @Frankin-Vance Community College Franklin-Vance Community College, meeting with college, county, and nonprofit leaders to talk about the area’s significant population growth in recent years. Franklin County is seeing a population influx as more people are finding the region north of Raleigh an attractive place to live. One challenge facing the community is to ensure that the new opportunities are accessible across the population. Franklin Vance Warren Opportunity, the local agency of the North Carolina Community Action Association, is helping to coordinate the broad spectrum of supports across many like-minded public and private sector players.

Finally, we concluded our tour stops at First Fruits Farm in Louisburg. Founded by former NFL lineman Jason Brown . Jason is an imposing figure – physically, intellectually, and spiritually. The farm’s focus is addressing food insecurity in Franklin County. In Jason’s words, “This is a ministry – a church without walls.” Covering a picturesque 1,000 acres, the farm organizes “crop mobs” of volunteers to harvest and distribute food to community members in need, providing more than a million pounds of produce so far.

As we wind toward the 100th North Carolina county on our listening tour, I continue to be inspired and energized by the stories we are witnessing. I am also more determined than ever to find new ways for Blue Cross NC to be part of the solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our state’s communities.??