On Thursday, Oct. 1, a group of Anson County men and women realized a dream as the Anson Women's Center officially opened with a rousing celebration at South Piedmont College's (SPCC) Lockhart-Taylor Center in Wadesboro.

Sandy Huntley, director of the Lockhart-Taylor Center, where the Anson Women's Center will be housed, started off the reception with a welcome from SPCC. "North Carolina has other women's centers in large cities," she said, "but we are the very first to create a women's center in a rural area, where it's needed most."

A joint initiative of New Ventures Business Development Inc. and SPCC, the Anson Women’s Center will serve as a regional resource and advocacy facility for individuals and families, according to a press release issued last week. Staff will work with other community agencies to help clients find the services they need to build confidence and become self-sufficient.

“The purpose of the center is to help people reach their full potential, both personally and professionally,” said Lois Crumpler, director of the Anson Women’s Center and outreach coordinator for New Ventures Business Development Inc. “The center welcomes any adult, male or female, who comes for information or assistance.”

At the reception on Thursday, Crumpler thanked those who helped make the center a reality, including New Ventures executive director Don Altieri and SPCC president John McKay, as well as the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, which provided some of the funding for the center.

"It will take all of us to make this center a viable center using the agencies and services that already exist," Crumpler said.

Local well-known women, County Commissioners Chair Anna Baucom, Carly Little, vice chair of the Anson County Chamber of Commerce and president of Uptown Wadesboro, Inc., and Lula Jackson, director of the Department of Social Services, also gave brief speeches, praising those who helped bring the Anson Women's Center to fruition.

Donna McNair, a retired assistant superintendent, welcomed the guest speaker for the event, Glenda Horton Manning, a nationally known author who has led inspirational workshops around the country for more than 30 years.

Manning took the stage, reminding the audience with energy that "all it takes is one spark to get a fire glowing." Then, she asked the audience members to turn to the people next to them and repeat, "Pass it on."

Manning said the topic of her speech was "The Measure of a Woman."

"We know what we weigh— for some of us maybe a little too much— but few of us know what we're worth," she said.

Manning pointed out that women often are the ones who make things happen. She reminded the audience how a woman knew that Jesus was coming, and "went and told it." She also said that of the many opportunities she's had over her career, "Some woman has always called me and asked, 'Hey, Glenda, do you want to do this thing?'"

Manning asked the audience to really celebrate the accomplishment of getting the women's center open. a"I know there are those who thought you couldn't do it," she said. "There area always naysayers. But nevertheless, we are here, celebrating the opening of the women's center in Anson County."

Manning went on to tell a story about how she'd volunteered with a women's shelter in Charlotte every chance she got. Once, she said "the Lord laid it on my heart to do an etiquette class." The director of the shelter thought the idea was crazy, saying that the women there had much larger issues in their lives than worrying about which fork to use. However, Manning felt strongly that she wanted to do the etiquette class, and the director relented. "Well, the women ate the whole process up," Manning said, adding that soon after the class ended, the women were invited to a fancy dinner at a local church and were able to put the etiquette skills they'd learned to work.

"Let's move out on faith and do all the things we never thought we'd do," she said.

After Manning's speech, Wadesboro Councilwoman Lynn Horton took the podium, recognizing several individuals who had not already been noted, including Wadesboro Town Manager John Witherspoon and his wife, June, who took more than 300 photos of women throughout the county for a display that graced the stage. It was June Witherspoon's idea, Horton said, to have each of the woman holding a piece of yarn or ribbon. The yarn then connected the photos on the stage. She also came up with the tagline for the Anson Women's Center, "These are indeed the ties that bind us."

After Horton recognized the Witherspoons, she brought Crumpler onstage, announcing that the next day was her 70th birthday. The audience, led by Manning, sang "Happy Birthday" to Crumpler.

The celebration closed out with Kaye Ratliff reading a poem she had written for the occasion, called "I Am Woman." Ratliff dedicated the poem to the women of Anson County, saying, "They are the most incredible women I've ever known."

The Anson Women's Center is located in the Lockhart-Taylor Center, 514 N. Washington St. in Wadesboro, and can be reached at 704-272-5451.