Halifax County Commissioner Gary Redding knows the real challenges his county faces, he said at the Center for Energy Education during a symposium in which a group of students called the Radiant Rays presented the results of their summer research project.
As the keynote speaker for the event today, he also said he knows the county has real assets.
The challenges, he said, include aging infrastructure, workforce development, and economic mobility.
The assets, he said, “Are people who care, who show up, and who want to build a stronger future together.”
He said renewable energy is more than just an environmental issue. “It’s an opportunity for economic development, energy savings and jobs that don’t leave our young people behind.”
Success, he said, “Depends on local voices shaping the process.”
Addressing the audience, he said, “As a community, we have a responsibility to invest in our youth — not just with words, but with action. That’s why I successfully proposed the creation of a county recreation department and dedicated staff in Halifax County. My hope is that we can partner with the Center for Energy Education to incorporate renewable energy into our recreational facilities and programs so young people grow up seeing sustainability as a part of everyday life.”
He said, however, “Some of the loudest conversations happening in our communities aren’t focused on young people at all. We can’t say we care about our youth while cutting education budgets, canceling almost $1 billion in funding to schools and food banks, including ours in Tillery, to buy food from local farmers, ranchers and producers, banning books, or prioritizing culture wars over access to affordable healthcare.”
Redding said, “We have to do better and that starts by making youth development a real priority — not just a talking point. That’s exactly what this program models.”
What he likes best about the Radiant Rays “is that it gives students the opportunity to lead. Radiant Rays, you weren’t just told to sit quietly and take notes. You were encouraged to dig in, ask questions and to shape ideas.”
That belief in youth leadership is why he is launching a junior county commissioners club so high school students can understand how local government works, how policy is made, and how they can get involved — “Not just years from now.”
As an instructor at Halifax Community College, Redding said he tries to bring the real world into the classroom. “One way I do this is by challenging students to write grant proposals in my English 112 class that uses clean energy to repurpose vacant or abandoned buildings.”
Students have proposed transforming unused structures into medical clinics, affordable housing, mixed use developments, and community recreation centers powered by renewable energy and built with long-term sustainability in mind. “These ideas just aren’t creative. They show how renewable energy can directly serve the needs of underserved neighborhoods while revitalizing forgotten spaces.”
That, Redding said, is, “exactly what the Radiant Rays have done — taken knowledge, connected it with local reality and created something that can spread meaningful conversations and ideas moving forward.”
Halifax County and other counties like it, “Don’t have to be left behind. In fact, we can lead. We have the land, the people, the values and the potential. What we need is continued investment in education, our economy, clean energy, strong partnerships and, above all, people like the Radiant Rays.”
Said Redding: “Imagine a Halifax County where every student sees a future here, where every abandoned building holds new life, and where every policy decision considers the long-term good. That’s not just a dream. It’s a direction and together we can move in that direction with purpose.”
