Columbus County Whiteville City Officers

The Columbus County/Whiteville City Retired School Personnel is engaging members with monthly meetings that involve speakers to talk about topics of interest to members and other activities like a Columbus County Agricultural Fair booth this year. On September 2, Val Ellis, Director for AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP and Administrative Assistant Dania Arellano spoke about opportunities to volunteer in Columbus County. Retha Thompson, one of the local members and a former treasurer, was recognized by President Theresa Formyduval for being a dedicated volunteer since 1997 with contributions to more than 30 organizations in Columbus County. She currently volunteers at Columbus Regional Healthcare System Sunshine Shop. The top award AmeriCorps presents is named Retha Thompson AmeriCorps Seniors Award. Several of her awards were from NC Governor Roy Cooper and NC Governor Beverly Perdue, a President’s Award, and AmeriCorps award that were displayed. Tom Simmons, Region 6B Director, was recognized for his 1,990 Community Service hours reported to the North Carolina Retired School Personnel for 2024. The next speaker for the local Retired School Personnel will be Kristie Massey from the Columbus County Department of Aging. If you are a retired educator or other retired school personnel, you are encouraged to come to the next meeting at the Carolyn T. High Memorial Library to check out the organization and reunite with former colleagues. The meetings are the first Tuesday of the month from September to May with a Meet and Greet at 10:30 am and meeting at 11:00 am. The Columbus County/Whiteville City Retired School Personnel, Columbus County NCAE, and Whiteville NCAE are all local units of the North Carolina Association of Educators.