Community Immersion

I had the opportunity to meet Gary Blabon, President and COO at Novant Health Rowan Medical Center, and Kristen Reavis with Community Engagement at Novant Health. 

Kristen presented to our class on October 23, 2024, at the Salisbury Academy Downtown Campus. She taught us the fundamentals of Novant's business model and I learned how Novant is constantly working towards helping Rowan County citizens. For example, Kristen talked about programs Novant had started that worked to keep people out of the hospital. 

Gary Blabon I met on October 30 when my class went to tour the Novant Health Rowan Medical Center. He told us about Novant's different initiatives and recent expansions. I learned a lot about the logistics of running a hospital. For example, the reason the Novant helicopter is stationed at the Rowan location is because it is centrally located between Charlotte and Winston-Salem. Learning these things is important to me because they gave me a great general understanding of how a typical business operates in Rowan County especially one that focuses heavily on the citizens of the county.

Kristen Reavis presents to our class.

Gary Blabon talks to our class about Novant's nutrition programs in their nutrition kitchen at the Rowan Medical Center.

I had the opportunity to meet two individuals from the Rowan County United Way: Audrey Eudy, Philanthropy Director, and Jennifer Lee, Executive Director.

They talked about what the United Way is and what they do. I learned about all the different causes the United Way supports and how they raise money. For example, I didn't know that the United Way is one of the only non-profits in the country that allows people to donate through paycheck deductions. I also learned about how the United Way acts to fundraiser and then distribute those funds to different organizations. 

Learning about these things gave me a better understanding of how non-profits work within the community to make it better.

Audrey Eudy presents to our class about function of the United Way.

Kylie Bailey and I present our "grant" application.

I had the opportunity to meet several individuals from the Rowan County government during one trip my class took to the Gateway Building. I got to meet Elaine Spalding, President of the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, Tara Furr, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of the Tourism Development Authority, and Rod Crider, President and CEO of the Rowan County Economic Development Council.

Elaine Spalding, from the Chamber of Commerce, talked about what the Chamber does as an organization to help its members. They also have resources for running a business in Rowan County, offer meeting rooms, and have education programs such as Leadership Rowan. 

Tara Furr, from the TDA, talked about how they try to bring tourists to Rowan County. I learned that the Polar Express event at the Transportation Museum is one of their biggest attractions. I had no idea it garnered so much attention. I also learned that the TDA receives money from a special occupancy tax charged on hotel rooms which is how they receive most of their money.

Rod Crider, from the EDC, spoke on the function of the E.D.C. in Rowan County. Where the Chamber of Commerce is focused on smaller businesses, the EDC is focused on large commercial and industrial companies. I learned the EDC is really active in encouraging large businesses to come to Rowan County, leveraging the county's location relative to interstates and population centers. For example, the EDC is why Chewy and Macy's decided to set up in Rowan County.

Rod Crider talking to our class about the function of the EDC and how they work to bring businesses to Rowan County.

Elaine Spalding talks about what the Chamber does to benefit their members and the community.