Representative David Rouzer

Dear Friend,

This week, I visited Wrightsville Beach to view the ongoing beach renourishment project, hosted an informative event for students interested in attending one of our nation's service academies, and congratulated a New Hanover County law enforcement officer who recently retired following his thirty-two years protecting our community. Keep reading below for more information!

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This Week in NC-07

Visiting the Wrightsville Beach Renourishment Project

This past August, after months of working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address Wrightsville Beach’s critical storm damage reduction needs, I was pleased to announce funding had been approved to begin the process of replenishing sand to Wrightsville Beach to protect the town and its residents. The project officially started pumping sand on January 18. This past Wednesday, I had the opportunity to view the progress made so far — and it is making a world of difference as you can see in the picture to the right below.

Wrightsville Beach serves as one of North Carolina's most popular beaches; it hosts visitors from across the country driving significant economic activity for our local communities. Our residents also count on a robust coastline as the first line of defense against powerful storms, and it's worked by limiting the amount of flooding and damage inflicted.

Thank you to the local leaders from New Hanover County who joined me during this visit and all who helped bring this project to fruition!

2024.02.21 Wrightsville Beach Renourishment

2024.02.21 Wrightsville Beach Renourishment2

Hosting NC-07 Academy Day

Each year, I have the privilege of nominating students from throughout the 7th Congressional District to attend our nation's service academies. To help prospective applicants learn more about this process, I host an Academy Day for representatives from the various service academies to come to the district and connect with high school students that are interested in hearing first-hand about the experience, the admissions process, and the expectations of service academy life.

This year's Academy Day was a great success for everyone in attendance! Students were able to speak directly to academy representatives and learn more about the nomination process.

If you know a high school or middle school student interested in attending one of our nation’s service academies, visit my website for more information on how to apply for a nomination. My office will review completed applications until October 31, 2024.

Meeting with NC-07 Law Enforcement Officers

Following thirty-two years of service, Chief Deputy Ken Sarvis recently retired from the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office. I enjoyed visiting with him during breakfast at Jimbo's in Wilmington. Congratulations to him for three decades of extraordinary service and commitment to protecting our community! It was also great to catch up with New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon, Deputy George Amox, and Cpl. Roxanne Hodge. Thank you to all of our law enforcement for the fine job you do daily to protect our communities!

Resources

Enter the 2024 Congressional Art Competition: Each spring, a nationwide high school art competition is sponsored by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students (grades 9-12) who reside in North Carolina's Seventh District. The winning artist from the Seventh District will have their artwork on display for eleven months in the U.S. Capitol. The deadline for submission is Friday, April 19, 2024, by 5pm. Click here to read more about the 2024 submission deadlines and instructions.

Pre-Register for the 2024 Congressional App Challenge: The Congressional App Challenge encourages middle and high school students to learn how to code by creating their own applications, allowing students to showcase their skills in programming and computer science while supporting the next generation of STEM leaders. Students can pre-register for the 2024 Congressional App Challenge and start coding their apps for 2024 by clicking here. The competition will launch in late Spring 2024 and the deadline is November 1, 2024, at 12:00 pm ET.

This Week's Good News Story

In honor of National FFA Week, I'm highlighting Lumberton FFA students who recently hosted a Silos Sign Dedication Ceremony honoring Dr. Horace M. Baker and his family's contributions to agriculture and medicine in Lumberton. According to the Robesonian, "The sign at the silos honors the legacy of Dr. Horace M. Baker and his family. The silos represent the history of the Baker Sanitorium and Dr. Baker Sr.’s dairy farm. The purpose of the farm was to provide fresh food and milk for the Baker Sanitorium. 'We are the Lumberton FFA Chapter and we are so excited to have you all here to celebrate National FFA Week and to be part of the unveiling of the sign we have made to preserve the silos and remind our community of the importance of agriculture,' said Allie Hendren, 2023-2024 Lumberton FFA Chapter President." Thank you to these students for keeping Robeson County's agricultural heritage alive!

Closing Thoughts...

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." -Robert Louis Stevenson