NEWS
Center's program should be model statewide, Perdue says
10/31/2008
Career Connections & Prosperity Center - Forsyth County
Winston Salem NC
Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue, the Democratic candidate for governor, came to Winston-Salem yesterday morning, her second visit within a week, but this time she didn't give a stump speech.
Perdue arrived at the Career Connections & Prosperity Center on Waughtown Street. She was told about the center's efforts to help individuals and families find jobs, repair their credit and own a home. While there, she didn't mention her opponent in the race for governor, Republican Pat McCrory, the mayor of Charlotte, until later, when she talked to reporters.
The center is a United Way of Forsyth County initiative led by Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina Inc. The other partner agencies are Consumer Credit Counseling Service, Family Services' Ways to Work program, the Center for Homeownership and the Experiment in Self-Reliance.
The center opened April 1 and operates out of about 3,000 square feet of space in the Gateway Office Center. The agencies work to help families and individuals move toward greater economic stability, higher earnings and home ownership.
Perdue praised the program, calling it an innovative way to help people who want to pursue the American dream.
This type of program should be a model statewide, she said.
She also met with people who have used the center.
Afterward, Perdue spoke to reporters outside the center and returned to more typical campaign rhetoric.
She repeated her accusation, for example, that McCrory is against paving roads in rural parts of the state.
"The mayor has accused me of being too concerned with the future, but I think that's the only way to have economic prosperity," she said.
The race between the two is tight, but Perdue said she thinks that her chances are good.
"You can feel the wind behind your back," she said.