A program administered by the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and operated locally by New River Community College is working to make the employment transition process as painless as possible.

The Virginia “Rapid Response” program provides a variety of services to workers involved in mass layoffs or plant closings. Services include job search assistance, help with unemployment documents, financial management seminars, and help locating skills training. (more…)

Here at the New River Voice, we are thankful for all of you, our readers. And we offer great thanks to all who have contributed to this publication in any way, be it as a writer, advertiser, with a financial contribution, or in any other way to help keep us going in 2010.

We asked a few folks from here in the NRV what they are thankful for this year, and their responses are below. What are you thankful for? Let us know by commenting at the bottom of the page. (more…)

We have seen the clever bumper sticker with the slogan “Buy Local, Eat Local, Be Local.”  I would suggest adding a very important phrase, “Give Local.” With all we have to be thankful for this holiday season, we need to remember those in our own backyard who are less fortunate.

Here in the New River Valley, 19 percent of our residents live in poverty. Here in the New River Valley, more than 4,500 women and children sought support from domestic and/or sexual violence from The Women’s Resource Center in 2009. Here in the New River Valley 1 out of 4 residents can’t read above the fourth-grade level, which means that they are not able to read their prescription label or a simple road map. These are alarming statistics and maybe you’re wondering how you can help. (more…)

Santa Claus will officially arrive at New River Valley Mall’s Center Court on Friday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. and the holiday season kicks off in the New River Valley. Santa’s Grand Arrival at Center Court will include a balloon artist and face painting. Children of all ages are invited and the first 250 children to visit Santa at his center court location will receive a mini Webkinz pet.

Santa will be at the New River Valley mall until Christmas Eve. The hours for pictures with Santa are Monday – Saturday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. with breaks from 2 – 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 – 5:15 p.m. Sunday hours are 1 – 6 p.m. with a break from 3:15 – 3:45 p.m. (more…)

New River Community College associate degree nursing student Catherine Brandon is participating in a unique program that’s currently helping to build a school in Comalapa, Guatemala. Before coming to NRCC to pursue her degree, Brandon went to Guatemala with the Peace Corps. While there, she met the executive director of Long Way Home, Inc., the nonprofit organization with whom she currently volunteers. (more…)

The goal of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft is simple: get better. There is no beating the game; there is only room for improvement. In a game where ego is everything, players are faced with limited educational resources.

This is where Skill Capped came in. The online World of Warcraft instructional community created by four Virginia Tech students took gaming to another realm. (more…)