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Nominee Name:  Steve and Steven Jones
Nominator Name:  TCK Providence, Inc.
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Steven Jones was diagnosed with Autism as a child, and has grown to be a most amazing young man.

Steven, now 23, told his father, Steve, that he would like to be a chef. While in high school, Steven began to volunteer at his aunt's assisted living facility. There, he helped to cook meals for the residents.

It was this path of service and cooking that lead Steven and Steve to Triad Community Kitchen in 2016, where they both began to volunteer in the kitchen. This volunteering had two purposes: one, to give back to the community and, two, to familiarize Steven with the TCK program. After about four months of regular volunteering with his father, Steven enrolled and became a student at TCK.13 weeks later he had successfully completed the program, internship and all.

A year and a half later, this family duo is still at it. Steven continues to volunteer--long after his graduation-- at TCK, helping prepare meals that go out to the Second Harvest Food Bank network. Steven and Steve have also founded a ministry through their church (Goler Memorial AME Zion) that serves those with special needs. Recently, the ministry--Grace-- has expanded and Steven and Steve teach a class once a month to 12-15 special needs students in the TCK kitchen. The ministry continues to grow- soon they will be providing baked goods to a local cafe that is opening to employ people with special needs.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Together, Steven and Steve appear to be an unstoppable force. What began as a way to get Steven into a routine and acquainted with a program has blossomed into countless volunteer hours and a full-fledged ministry. At Triad Community Kitchen, we were admittedly immediately charmed by the duo-- together, they express a gentleness and compassion that is infectious in our kitchen. But soon we learned that their unwavering dedication to change work and justice was profound.

Out of the skills acquired at TCK, they have now built a successful program of their own teaching people with special needs culinary and social skills. The ministry, GRACE, is now partnering with a local cafe that will be employing people with special needs. GRACE will be providing baked goods such as muffins to that business.

Together, Steven and Steve have given over 225 hours to Triad Community Kitchen just this fiscal year-- and the year is not nearly over. Furthermore, they have dedicated countless hours to GRACE, which makes their reach and contribution even greater.

But the biggest accomplishment of Steve and Steven cannot be measured in hours or other metrics. It can only be seen in the faces of those who are fortunate to work in proximity to and witness the special connection, the patience and dedication, that these two men both possess. They offer to us all a humanity and love through their own interactions that is nothing short of inspiring...and infectious.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Steven and Steven have become familiar and welcome faces at Triad Community Kitchen where, together, they learn, grown and lead. Steven has become incredibly adept at kitchen skills, and specializes in vegetable prep and keeping things very orderly in the kitchen. If he is not given an assignment, he readily approaches others and helps them with what they are doing. This independence and growing socialness is incredible to witness, says his father.

Steve, the father, is profoundly committed. He is clearly lovingly dedicated to his son, but also to all peoples with special needs. His family's journey has inspired this commitment and he has actively been involved in many organizations serving special needs children and has now developed GRACE to further his impact and to use his own experience to guide others. Triad Community Kitchen could not be more thrilled to have been a resource along the way to this incredible family, and cannot wait to see what they do next. We hope to support their incredible work every step of the way.
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Nominee Name:  Thomandez Douthit
Nominator Name:  Venture Café Winston-Salem
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  He has volunteered at Venture Cafe WS, for more almost 30 consecutive weeks and we can always count on him to be there. He volunteers for the duration of the event, but I will often suggest that he sit in on some of the entrepreneurial programming during slow periods. He emerges from the programs with questions and excitement and shares what he has learned with attendees and other volunteers. No matter what is asked of him, he is always excited, which is contagious to the other volunteers. His spirit and his dedication is a true gift to us.

He is truly exceptional and we love his "what's next? attitude. He is one of the best volunteers I have worked with over the past 25 years.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  He does anything that is asked of him and he is adored by everyone in the room. He speaks well and with confidence around adults and trains other adults in the volunteer program. He is a great problem solver and task manager. He is very well-respected by the attendees, other volunteers, and staff. It is hard to believe that he is only 17 years old. He is mature beyond his years. I can't wait to see how Mandez contributes to the world.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Mandez is has a strong work ethic, is skilled at technology, problem solving, task management, and event management. His greatest skill is how he makes people feel. His smile and incredible positive attitude is great, and he has the ability to connect with strangers in a way that is rare. He is also great at remembering people and conversations from one week to the next, and makes people immediately feel comfortable. He is amazing.
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Nominee Name:  Jason Wall
Nominator Name:  The AFAS Group- Art for Arts Sake
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Jason has been and continues to be one of our most dedicated volunteers at AFAS. He volunteers with our most popular kid's arts & education program - Saturday ART Jam. He helps with everything from setting up, handing out art supplies, working with kids 1:1 on various art projects, friend, mentor, helps wherever he is needed and everyone knows him by name and his smile because of his awesome personality. Jason also helps behind the scenes to deign/create fun new art projects that the kids absolutely love and always brings new ideas to the table.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Jason has played a major role in being one of our top team players with our youth arts & education program - Saturday ART Jam. Over the past couple of years, he has dedicated over 160 hours to our program.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Jason always steps up to help when called upon and is always willing to donate his time and skills such as: digital graphic design for special art projects, leadership and mentor to kids who attend program and helps train new volunteers and youth Crosby scholars as needed. We couldn't do it without him! He has been us 3 years and we look forward to having Jason with us for many more years to come.
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Nominee Name:  Ms. Laurie Schaefer
Nominator Name:  Mt. Tabor High School PTSA
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Laurie spends countless hours serving Mount Tabor High School beyond her normal work hours. She manages the school website as well as the remind system for parents. She talks with the faculty and systematically makes a list of what resources teachers and students need to make the learning environment more dynamic or meet functional requirements. Beyond that, Laurie serves in our fundraising efforts to raise financial resources, whether setting up for our Rummage Sale, or delivering bales of needles during our Pine Needle Sale. Laurie spends time learning what the needs of our student body are, and then she advocates for meeting those needs both by giving voice to it and showing up to make it happen.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Laurie has been the founder and initiator of many important academic traditions. She founded the STAND Club which raises awareness of those people around the world who are suffering at the hands of political and racial hatred. She also began the AWED sophomore project which is a celebration of learning about an area of great interest and then sharing it with the entire school community. Laurie coaches our award winning debate team, started our speech & debate classes, and takes students and parents on international tours over the summer.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Laurie has many special skills in media and digital communication, and she works hard to make sure parents know what's going on at our school and how they can support the students there. Laurie builds creativity and resourcefulness into the academic environments and challenges each of us to dig deeper to solve problems and reach higher levels of achievement.
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Nominee Name:  Heather Leach
Nominator Name:  Forsyth Backpack Program
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Heather continued to show extraordinary commitment during the last year to the children we serve. She is passionate about her work, and is always thinking about “her kids” and how to make our programs better. Heather undertook to establish and expand the fruit program at Cook Model Literacy School. She devised a “fruit” model for expansion into our remaining schools. She willingly stepped up to cover responsibilities normally completed by the corporate President, when family obligations created a conflict. She saw that things kept going, while others had to step back for periods of time. As an all-volunteer organization, we have to work together to make sure everything is covered. Heather was there, ready to take on whatever needed to be done, and even undertook to start a new backpack program at Elementary School Academy. Heather was always there, always getting it done. She was a leader and a doer - handson, handsdown.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Heather has accomplished much in the past year, but some of her most important accomplishments are as follows:
Heather provided invaluable insight on all important decisions of the Board, keeping in mind our mutual goals of successfully operating and sustaining our existing programs while looking to future expansion and sustainability.
She worked closely and effectively with school administration and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC to establish a new backpack program at Elementary School Academy.
She worked with the Junior League of Winston-Salem to coordinate weekly volunteers for delivery of backpacks at Cook Literacy Model School.
She recruited volunteers to expand and fund the fruit program at Cook Literacy Model School, so that every weekend the 120 children participating in the backpack program also receive apples and oranges along with the backpack food. The model she created will be expanded to our other schools as well.
Heather continued to build relationships throughout the community, speaking to individuals and groups about childhood hunger and encouraging them to take action to address the ever present need. Heather was responsible for obtaining significant funds to support our programs.
Heather increased the goodwill of FBP, by nurturing existing community relationships and seeking new community partners to join us in the fight against childhood hunger.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Heather is thoughtful and creative in her decision making and encourages others to do the same. She is not afraid to voice her dissent or to change her mind when presented with a compelling viewpoint. While mindful of not taking on more than we can “chew”, Heather’s first inclination is always to say “yes” when asked if we can feed more children and then find a way to make it happen. So far, her instincts have never been wrong. Heather is a gifted speaker and eloquently conveys her passion for providing children with a basic need. She speaks from the heart and often brings her audience (of one or hundreds) to tears, as she talks about the negative impacts of hunger, how the backpack food makes a difference and how we can work together to achieve a better today for these children and better tomorrow for all of us.
Heather is goal oriented and accomplishes what she sets out to do with extraordinary efficiency and determination. Heather takes the lead, identifies an issue, and finds the solution. For instance, Heather saw that the children at Cook would benefit from fresh fruit. She recruited volunteers, devised a plan, and made it happen. Now, 120 children receive fresh fruit on the weekends. We are expanding this fruit program model into our other schools. But for Heather, this program would not exist.
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Nominee Name:  Debbie Frahm
Nominator Name:  Ronald McDonald House of Winston-Salem
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Debbie's knitting is supplemental to her regular Family Room Volunteering. Its something that she loves to do in her spare time. She spends her own money on supplies, researches patterns and is always looking for new items to make that would benefit the children of our guest families. She has had to refine patterns multiple times to create the correct sizes of hats and booties for the preemies, continually making the items smaller and smaller to the point that they cannot be made any smaller. She has knitted so many items that she has worn out multiple sets of needles and is always looking for a good deal on replacment needles for her next project!
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Recently, Debbie added sweater-shirts to her assortment of knitted items for our preemies. With buttons in front, unlike many other similar articles of clothing, these sweaters may be worn by preemies without interfering with the wires, tubes, monitors and sensors hooked up to their tiny bodies and which are vital for their survival. They also keep the infants' body temperature higher than other garments, allowing them more time out of the warmers when able or necessary. Aside from the functional benefits these sweaters provide, they also allow parents to "dress up" their newborns in ways that had not been possible before. One mother was overjoyed to be given some of the sweaters for her daughter because for the first 12 days of her life, her daughter had not been able to wear anything. The sweaters allowed the mother to be able pick out different outfits for her daughter and dress her up just like any parent would want to do for their child! Without Debbie's sweater shirts, such special mother-daughter moments would not be possible.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Debbie has a passion for knitting and skills that she has been able to employ to benefit the families of the Ronald McDonald House. With no children of her own, Debbie sees the children she knits her items for as her own children that she can care for through her talent for knitting. Her love and compassion for the families of RMHWS and their children are knitted into each tiny hat, bootie and sweater shirt that she makes for each child. Volunteers like Debbie who translate a passion, talent and a hobby like knitting into special gifts of love are vital to meeting important needs at the Ronald McDonald House and across our community and state.
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Nominee Name:  Linda Gauthier
Nominator Name:  Paisley IB Magnet School
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Linda Gauthier's primary focus is getting books into kid's hands. She finds ways to offer "scholarships" for students who can't afford to buy books. Last school year she was instrumental in helping to switch our book fair vendor to Bookmarks, a local organization. Bookmarks is able to provide a wider variety of books to minority students as well as our high school students. Thus, Linda has found a way to ensure the Paisley book fair serves our entire demographic.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Linda Gauthier has served as our Book Fair Chair for Paisley. She has worked very hard on the physical set-up of the fairs to make them attractive to students as possible. She handles all the money and works with the PTSA to ensure the bills are paid. This school year, just before the holidays, she ran an impromptu "buy one get one free" book sale virtually on her own.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Linda Gauthier's selfless work at Paisley is greatly appreciated. She so graciously donates her time in whatever capacity that is needed.
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Nominee Name:  Triad Community Kitchen CC55 Students
Nominator Name:  Triad Community Kitchen
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  We wanted to nominate the students of Triad Community Kitchen's CC54 class because they became "accidental volunteers," but did so with such grace, humility and dedication that it can not be overlooked.

The students in this class were only in their 4th week of culinary instruction as part of Triad Community Kitchen's 13 week program when two hurricanes struck the United States, one right after another.

While typically students would still be learning knife skills and their way around a large, industrial kitchen, students quickly turned the Triad Community Kitchen classroom and teaching kitchens into a disaster response area, creating huge amounts of ready-to-heat food to be sent into the disaster zones.

The food they prepped, cooked, bagged and sent out with disaster response teams went to distressed communities throughout the Southeast. As the news was unfolding about the wide reach of Hurricane Irma, these students were in the kitchen with their sleeves rolled up and chef hats on, doing their small piece in a much larger disaster response. We hope they are very, very proud.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  The students created 1,500 servings of ready-to-heat chicken and rice soup to be sent out in enormous bags with our partners at the Salvation Army Disaster Response Team. They came in early before the start of the regular instruction day and stayed late, getting a lesson in emergency response... and teamwork.

Nominee's special skills/qualities:  While only partially through their formal instruction at Triad Community Kitchen, these students took the skills they had thus far learned and followed recipes to create huge vats of food for people in need.

But it was the attitude with which they conducted themselves and the teamwork they exhibited that is so very exceptional. Cooking food in that amount takes great coordination-- chopping, cooking, bagging, sealing, and prepping to send out-- and to shift into high gear with virtually no warning and not even knowing where they food would go or who it would help took great character.

We are always proud of our Triad Community Kitchen graduates, but this class got a surprise lesson in disaster response and executed it with an integrity that makes us tremendously proud.
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Nominee Name:  Berkshire Hathaway
Nominator Name:  Second Harvest Food Bank
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Second Harvest is fortunate to have many dedicated volunteers that support our mission of moving healthy, nutritious food to the 18 counties of Northwest North Carolina that we serve.

Even amongst all these outstanding volunteers, the Berkshire Hathaway volunteer group stands out. Berkshire Hathaway has demonstrated their commitment to Second Harvest by participating in our work every step of the way, from collecting food at food drives to helping us sort and inspect food back at our warehouses in Winston-Salem.

Berkshire Hathaway volunteers are committed to not only rolling up their sleeves and providing hands-on help, but they also regularly talk about their volunteerism and the important issues of food insecurity on social media, helping us spread the word of this important work.

For 12 plus years, Berkshire Hathaway has been volunteering, collecting donations and supporting Second Harvest's programs through financial contributions, demonstrating the company's incredible dedication to service and to making Northwest North Carolina hunger free.

We couldn't be more proud to work with them. Together, we are feeding community!

Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  In 2017, Berkshire Hathaway provided 122 volunteers to Second Harvest, culminating in over 350 hours of assistance to our organization inspecting, sorting and packing donations in our Winston-Salem warehouses. This very, very hands-on work not only helps get important nutrients out of our doors and to the NWNC neighbors who need it the most, it also keeps millions of pounds of perfectly good food from going to waste in our local landfills.

Berkshire Hathaway also conducted food drives for Second Harvest in 2017. The largest food drive they conducted was a public food drive at their annual Family Movie Night, where their volunteers helped collect bags of food, bringing in over 1,660 pounds of food in one night.

Additionally, their teams conducted smaller food drives throughout 2017 and often drive the donations right to our warehouses, insisting on helping us unload.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  The volunteers from Berkshire Hathaway organically help our mission by regularly lifting the work of Second Harvest Food Bank through their social channels. Every time their team comes to volunteer at Second Harvest, both the group and individuals will post about their experience and what the learned: often sharing facts and other information they learned about food insecurity.

While we will always appreciate their contribution to our food sorting and rescue operations, we also are grateful for their dedication to sharing our cause and, in turn, creating the knowledge base that bolster Second Harvest's community change work.
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Nominee Name:  Laura Blythe
Nominator Name:  Vienna Elementary
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  There are numerous moms who dedicate their time to our school. I could have nominated our whole PTA at Vienna. But Laura. Laura stands out because she is extraordinarily unselfish. She volunteers and gives of her time as if it was not hers to begin with. She looks for ways to plug in and leads in areas that need help. If there is a volunteer spot at our Cultural Celebration, she fills it. If there is a need to help our teachers, she creates, organizes and directs a Room Parents group. She has the lead the volunteer spirit at Vienna for years and as a result, so many have followed her example. She is seen at all our community events and has become a "go to" person for so many. Laura believes in the strong community at Vienna and she has become the heart of the school in her years here. Vienna is a great place to come to school because of our great educators and students, but Vienna is a great place to serve and call home because of Laura Blythe.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  While at Vienna, Laura has organized the BINS group, lead efforts with our room parents and committed time to our future Tigers at our Kindergarten Visitation. She has also served on the PTA board and in many offices to help improve our school.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Laura in extremely gifted in all areas of organization and is able to effectively train and teach all new parents and volunteers the Vienna way.
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Nominee Name:  Jaye Stansbury Wilson
Nominator Name:  Riverwood Therapeutic Riding Center
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Through her 200+ hours of service over the last year and a half, Jaye’s commitment to Riverwood is obvious and sets her apart as an outstanding volunteer. At least three times each week, she happily drives from her home in Pilot Mountain to Tobaccoville to perform her duties with the students, horses, and instructors. She remains enthusiastic about learning all that she can and shows initiative in taking on whatever roles are needed to the operation of the organization. Not only is she a constant learner, but she is also a valuable teacher. To help the instructors meet their required yearly training hours, Jaye will soon be providing the Riverwood staff with an American Sign Language workshop as a retired Speech Therapist. Her commitment to education and life-long learning is irreplaceable and displays her ability to go above and beyond the expectation of a volunteer. Jaye’s consistent communication and ability to show up provides the consistency and dependability that Riverwood needs to support those who seek support in us.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Each and every day that Jaye sets foot in the arena to assist the students of Riverwood, priceless accomplishments are made. As a teammate of Jaye’s, I have been able to experience her recent success as she works closely with an adult student with Cerebral Palsy. Her gentle direction and encouragement shine as she helps the student achieve many of his goals toward becoming an independent rider. Through patient reminders for proper rein and hand placement, Jaye helps this student maintain posture and balance. His success, with the assistance of Jaye’s persistence and compassion, are a clear sign that he will one day see his dream of entering Riverwood’s annual Spring Horse Show become a reality. Jaye has challenged several students by pushing them to “walk on” and “whoa” through their fears and gain the confidence to return to the next class with a smile.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  To provide the loving support that Jaye gives not only to Riverwood students, but to the team of staff and horses, requires a special individual. Her unchanging acceptance of the students’ and horses’ needs make her a source of comfort and help create a place of safety for students to learn. She goes above and beyond to understand both students and horses by furthering her training at every chance she gets. Jaye recently took the initiative to complete a summer riding and horsemanship session taught by one of Riverwood’s instructors. Her ever-growing awareness allows her to see the world through the eyes of so many differing perspectives so she can continue to foster an uplifting environment for all.

Jaye is also an active gardener and nature enthusiast. Her patient spirit cultivates a calm atmosphere, which is a necessary quality when working with such majestic and powerful animals. Her positive energy is contagious through the barn and her colorful spirit make her approachable by all. Aside from an outstanding personality, Jaye is trained as a speech therapist and gifts the organization with her knowledge of sign language. Her skill allows her to enter the child’s world and touch their hearts through the expression of bright eyes and a smile. She has shown a willingness to educate our staff, furthering our ability to empathize and effectively communicate with a diverse population of students. Jaye brings an irreplaceable set of gifts and skills that makes the success of Riverwood possible.
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Nominee Name:  Hollie Johnson Torrey
Nominator Name:  Whitaker Elementary School
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Hollie led the Whitaker PTA's largest fundraiser, the fall fest raffle, she coordinated every Wonderful Wednesday (parent hosted teacher lunches), volunteered weekly on the office, served as a room parent, she regularly assisted teachers in stuffing Tuesday packets and our teachers frequently benefited from Hollie's baking prowess. As a former elementary teacher herself, Hollie is committed to making sure our teachers are valued and supported, as a result, all of our children benefit too.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  We are able to provide additional invaluable resources for our teachers and students through the PTA. Through Hollie's dedication and leadership on the largest fundraiser for the PTA was successful and provided additional needed funding to our school.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Hollie is not only organized, committed and hard working but her kindness and generosity extend to everyone in our community. She treats others the way everyone should be treated and makes all people feel valued and supported.
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Nominee Name:  Anna Smith
Nominator Name:  Samaritan Ministries
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Anna Smith began volunteering with Samaritan Ministries as a college student and has carried her commitment to service throughout her life. Staff and guests alike know that they can depend on her to arrive on time to her shift on the second Tuesday of each month, and she has always handled any issues throughout the evening with level headed efficiency.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Even throughout her time as a graduate student, Anna has never let anything distract her from giving her full attention to the guests while she was working at the front desk. The professionalism with which she handles every question and request has earned her the lasting respect of our guests, and her reliability allows the shelter staff to focus more of their time and energy on welcoming new guests and overnight volunteers to Samaritan Ministries. Over the course of her 12 year tenure as a Check-in Leader, it has always been apparent that she takes each shift as an opportunity to learn and grow in her role so as to better serve the guests with each passing month.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Without compromising her consistently professional and focused demeanor, Anna always has time to talk with the guests and share a kind word. Staff and volunteers alike have commented on how she has the check-in process and front desk procedures down to a science while also maintaining a warm and friendly atmosphere for all who pass by.
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Nominee Name:  St. Leo The Great Catholic Church Shelter Volunteers
Nominator Name:  Samaritan Ministries
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  St. Leo the Great Catholic Church has been a steadfast supporter of Samaritan Ministry's mission to provide food, shelter and hope through Christian love. As the longtime leader of the second Monday group, Dick Egloff was a natural resource to turn to when staff was looking for help with recruiting shelter volunteers from other churches in 2015. Not satisfied with simply agreeing to share his experiences with other potential volunteers, Dick also helped Steve Viola begin a second monthly St. Leo's shelter group on each third Tuesday. The cumulative experience of this group has not only allowed them to build lasting relationships with our guests, but our staff as well. The peace of mind that comes with knowing a volunteer group is comfortable and capable in their role allows the shelter counselors to spend more one on one time with guests as well as handle any incidents such as medical emergencies efficiently.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Samaritan Ministries is immeasurably grateful for the volunteer support that so many churches have given to the shelter, but the St. Leo's volunteers truly stand out in their consistency and frequency throughout the year. In 2017 alone, St. Leo's volunteers served over 1,600 hours in the shelter preparing and serving meals, keeping a watchful eye on the shelter dorms and providing emotional and spiritual support to our guests. This does not include the time that it takes every month to promote and coordinate each shift behind the scenes. In addition to their hands on service, St. Leo's has always paid close attention to the needs of our guests and made a concerted effort to collect seasonal items as needed.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  The men of St. Leo's bring a wide variety of positive qualities and skills to the table, but one that has left the most lasting impression is their genuine interest in and sincere support of our guests. There is plenty to keep shelter volunteers busy during an overnight shift, but this has never prevented a member of the St. Leo's group from giving a guest their full focus when the need arises. All of our staff and volunteers share in the guests' joy when they celebrate accomplishments such as employment and housing, but it takes a special volunteer to provide equal attention when their spirits are low. St. Leo's volunteers stand out in their capacity to provide words of encouragement and hope when our guests need it the most.
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Nominee Name:  Danny Lawrence
Nominator Name:  Community Care Center
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Danny has dedicated himself to coming to the clinic once a week for five hours for the past 3 years. In addition, when we are short in staff or volunteers he is willing to come in an extra day. We believe his actions has benefited our clinic as he does all this selflessly.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Danny presents as a respectful, enthusiastic, polite and compassionate person. He is personable with our patients, volunteer, and staff members. He often greets everyone in his presence with a smile, showing them nothing but respect and kindness. He is very dedicated to our patients making sure they leave our clinic with an understanding as to when their next appointment is.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Danny has this quality in which our patients feel comfortable with him and are able to ask him any question. He often goes out of his way for our patients and his ability to speak a different language gives a sense of security to those that are able to connect with him on that level. He also makes sure that all charts are filed, that patients are checked in for their appointment and that the charts are prepared for the following day.
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Nominee Name:  Burnadette Pegeuese
Nominator Name:  Hanes Magnet School
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Hanes Magnet School directly benefits from Ms. Pegeuese's commitment to her family. Her daughter is currently serving in the US Army in Afghanistan. She is the guardian of her granddaughter until her daughter returns home. Ms. Pegeuese also volunteers at other schools in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School district, but makes Hanes Magnet School her priority. As soon as our PTSA opened nominations for officers, she was one of the first parents/guardians to offer her time and will serve as Treasurer next year.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Ms. Pegeuese began volunteering in the community at the age of 12 as a candy striper. She was inspired by her first-grade teacher, Anna Caldwell, who taught at Carver Crest School (now Cook Elementary School) to exhibit good citizenship. She is a dedicated volunteer and supports initiatives at Hanes Magnet School, Parkland IB Magnet High School (her alma mater), and Middle Fork Elementary School. Ms. Pegeuese also supports community organizations such as the Winston Lake YMCA Black Achievers (for over 20 years), MSN at her alma mater (Winston-Salem State University) and PIE (Parent Involvement for Education) also of MSN.

Additionally, Ms. Pegeuese serves as a volunteer for the North Carolina Black Repertory (Youth House Manager). She is also actively involved in community organizations and events such as: Negro Council Women of Winston-Salem and Triad Juneteenth.

In the late 1970s, Ms. Pegeuese became the first Black female Battalion Commander in the JROTC program at Parkland High School. Her involvement in the program taught her valuable lessons on how to make plans and execute them by doing what she enjoys most, volunteering.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Ms. Pegeuese has a wonderful heart and is always willing to help others. Regardless of how small or how great the task might be, she generously volunteers her time and talent to the members of our school community. We are very fortunate to have a committed volunteer like Burnadette Pegeuese!
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Nominee Name:  Gwen Blane & Warren Kelly
Nominator Name:  Second Harvest Food Bank of NWNC
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Warren Kelly began volunteering for Second Harvest Food Bank in March, 2013 and Gwenetta Blane (his caregiver) joined him in 2014. In addition to coming to the Food Bank every week they are also flexible and generous with their time by their willingness to be at any location any time we need them. Throughout their time with us, they have touched many lives in many ways. Warren’s charming personality and eagerness to communicate through Gwen with everyone they encounter is inspirational. Be it staff member or volunteer, when interacting with Warren and Gwen you are captivated and infected with happiness and love. Even if in their presence for only a few moments, no matter your mood, you can’t help but smile and feel warm inside. Most people who meet Warren for the first time are surprised to learn he is deaf until Gwen begins to speak for him. Warren has been deaf and unable to speak since birth however, he is very good at reading lips. Gwen encourages and challenges Warren. She says, “Just because he has a disability doesn’t mean he can’t achieve his goals in life.” Its Gwen’s “can do” attitude that won her the 2017 Dream Maker Award from Monarch. Warren and Gwen are a very special team at Second Harvest Food Bank and we live better by just knowing them. They breathe life into those who need strength to keep going and power on.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Gwen has been a Developmental Specialist with Monarch CHOICES at the Ridge since 2010 and began working with Warren August, 2014. She also volunteers for the Food Bank on her own. Gwen has been a great advocate for Warren. She introduces him to new volunteer opportunities as well as recreational and leisure activities. Gwen says Human Services must be in her DNA. Her mother worked 20+ years for Goodwill of NWNC. As a child she recalls playing pool in the activities room with residents. Warren graduated from Carter Vocational High School in 2005 and began attending Monarch CHOICES Day Program in September that year. Warren, brought up by his grandmother and attends church regularly where he sings in the church choir. He is very active in a variety of events such as playing basketball, participating in the Special Olympics Spring Games and bowling. He attends Pole Night annually through Special Olympics. He participates in Silent Dinners with NC Association of the Deaf silent dinners where both the deaf and hearing communities can socialize. He has attended NC Self-Advocates Annual Conference for the past 4 years. If you stop by Monarch from time to time you may even catch a glimpse of Warren filling the vending machines with product. He is truly a man with many skills. His dream is to marry one day and become a wedding planner. Warren has a lot of style. His friends refer to him as the “Fashion Police".
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Warren is very skilled at reading lips and both are skilled at signing. They are willing to teach sign language to anyone wants to learn. Gwen’s creative ability to come up with interesting activities to present to Warren is only one of her many talents.
Warren’s ability to adapt to any task asked of him is one of his many qualities. His most outstanding quality is the impression he leaves on you after meeting him -- best described by our former volunteer coordinator, Debbie Clark.
"He gave me personally that shot in the arm that if the Cochlear Implant did not work, I could make it, I could learn sign language and keep smiling. He taught me so many words and phrases in sign language and helped me make a video for a friend’s birthday using sign language. Always with that smile, never giving up. He is such an example of perseverance through the storm. I thought of him recently when I had to run a 9 mile run with no hearing equipment because of rain, and I ended up splashing in puddles realizing that sometimes dancing in the rain is the greatest gift, it washes away your worries and fears and I realized I could do it deaf, it was just overcoming the fear.
Everyday Warren faces obstacles and he continues to smile and dance in the rain with no fear that he won’t succeed. What a testament of courage, loves, and blessed.”
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Nominee Name:  John Woodmansee
Nominator Name:  The Shepherd’s Center of Greater Winston-Salem
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  John found The Shepherd’s Center in 2015 as he was ending his successful 30-year career as one of the first home inspectors in North Carolina. He said he needed something to do, had knowledge and skills to share, and wanted to stay busy helping people with their home repair needs. Since that day, he has not slowed down. He has approached his volunteer job with an unsurpassed level of commitment, taking on several home repair projects each week. He often catches up and calls the office asking for new assignments. He especially relishes the more challenging requests and takes delight in figuring out a solution to complicated plumbing, electrical, or carpentry projects.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  During 2017, The Shepherd’s Center received 603 requests for help with home repair needs from older adults in Forsyth County. John, who turned 86 in December, personally attended to an amazing 229 of those, spending an average of 25-30 hours each week assisting with crucial needs. A recent survey of older adults in Forsyth County identified unmet repair and home modification needs as a top priority. Many older adults struggle on fixed incomes to pay for essentials like food and medicine. Home repair needs have to go unmet because there is no money left. John’s volunteer service comes as a godsend to older adults who can’t afford to call a professional when they have a leaky faucet or a stopped up toilet, or need repairs on a door, or have been told they need grab bars in their bathroom. At a conservative estimate of $80 per service call, John’s volunteer labor saved older adults at least $18,000 last year, money that could then be available for essential needs. John’s impact on the individuals he serves is demonstrated by the calls and cards that come to The Shepherd’s Center expressing appreciation for “Mr. John’s” kindness and his skillful assistance.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  John’s skills in all areas of home maintenance are remarkable, skills he learned as a 12-year old when he started his own fix-it business, and honed when he built his own house and during his years as a home inspector. But his skills go far beyond what he can do with his hammer, wrench, or drill. Perhaps John’s most profound skills lie in his sensitivity to the human spirit. John sees his role not as “doing for” others, but as inviting those he is assisting to walk alongside him in solving problems. He will often invite grandchildren to hold something or hand him tools; he will tap into the innate wisdom of the older homeowner by asking them what their thoughts are about a certain repair, or he might teach an older woman how to repair her own toilet! Perhaps some of this ability comes from the 13 years he spent as an associate professor of psychology at Wake Forest University. He understands people, and he loves relating to and learning from individuals from all walks of life.
In addition to his service through The Shepherd’s Center, John devotes time each year to volunteer with AARP to provide free tax preparation assistance. He also sings with the Winston-Salem Symphony Chorale and is an active member of Highland Presbyterian Church, where he is a Deacon, serves on the Property Committee, and sings in the choir.
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Nominee Name:  Digitales Roseboro
Nominator Name:  Forest Park Elementary
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Ms. Roseboro has been volunteering at Forest Park since her children/grandchildren came to school here. She comes in daily wanting to make a difference in our school and does a great job with little recognition.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  She has a heart of gold and shows up, rain or shine. No matter how crazy or loud it gets in the cafeteria, she always comes back. We can count on her to help support our school and teach manners in the process.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  patient, loving and committed!
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Nominee Name:  Lucy Paynter
Nominator Name:  The Salvation Army
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Lucy Paynter is an individual who lives out her life to serve those who The Salvation Army serves by being that faithful volunteer who say’s “How can I help”, or, “what needs to be done”. She has been serving on The Salvation’s Army boards/councils for over 17 years. She will rally support from other board/council members, her church, St. Paul’s Episcopal, and other volunteers; whatever she needs to do, Lucy gets the tasks accomplished. Through Lucy’s determination many goals have been reached, due to the countless hours she gives of herself to make others’ lives better. Lucy has served on many boards in the Winston Salem community and is a visionary who sees past the obstacles that most non-profits struggle with. She routinely goes “above and beyond” to raise awareness for that particular cause. Lucy succeeds where others fail. The impact she has on the community helps others understand the need. She leads by example through her selfless voluntary service acts. She has earned the respect of her peers and has become a role model for others to follow. By her creative forethought she assists The Salvation Army with enough passion to help the staff improve their efforts to meet the needs of the children, families, and individuals being served; through educational, mental, physical and spiritual advancement. Lucy acts as an ambassador and emissary, providing influence and recognition on behalf of The Salvation Army for the Boys and Girls Clubs and the Center of Hope.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  For at least 30 years Lucy was everyone’s “go to” person at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. She served on the Vestry, was Senior Warden, and was on the staff as Director of Christian Formation. She has taught Sunday School, Confirmation Classes, kept the nursery and cooked in the kitchen. She chaired a major capital campaign for the Bethesda Center, and served on its board. She has delivered Meals-On-Wheels, cooked and slept at, and served on the Board of Samaritan Ministries. She has given so much of herself to so many, but if you ask our staff, they’ll tell you she has always had a special place in her heart for The Salvation Army. She has been a faithful volunteer of the Salvation Army for over 17 years. Lucy strives to utilize every "pulpit" in her efforts to raise awareness about homelessness, hunger and education for children who are at risk. What is staggering is how the efforts of one person, can truly make a difference in this community. Lucy tutor's weekly at the Center of Hope and inspires others to volunteer.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Lucy Paynter is a sterling example of the five Core Values of The Salvation Army: Passion, Compassion, Bravery, Uplifting Spirit, and Trustworthiness. In addition, she is a dynamic public speaker, a gifted fundraiser, a natural leader, skilled at organization, and proficient in multiple clerical duties. Lucy Paynter possesses the experience and familiarity with the leadership role that is related to embracing/managing positive change in any organization. Lucy Paynter Identifies opportunities, addresses difficult issues and generates solutions. She has earned respect of other key stakeholder, board members and exhibits self-confidence, exhibiting strong networking and relationship building skills. Lucy Paynter possesses the ability to think strategically and analytically and to effectively communicate thoughts and the reasons for them. She communicates with members and non-members to promote The Salvation Army programs, services, and initiatives to understand their needs and wants.

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Nominee Name:  Ed Fasano
Nominator Name:  Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Ed Fasano is extremely committed to his volunteer roles with Habitat Forsyth. If he is ill and can’t fulfill his volunteer shift, he calls and emails both the ReStore Manager and the Volunteer Coordinator - because he knows that we depend on him. He is passionate about the Habitat mission and shares that mission with customers in the ReStore, when he has the opportunity. If there is a special need or task he often rallies the troops and breaks the task down into more manageable pieces to see it through to the end. For example, the Wednesday crew, hand crafts 300+ wooden Christmas tree ornaments each year that bring in more than $12,000 in donations to the affiliate. These woodworkers prefer working with larger items and start off enthusiastic but after 100 or so it takes a project manager like Ed to keep the motivation up and see the end goal.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County, rooted in Christian principles, brings together community partners and volunteers from all faiths to help qualified Habitat Homeowners construct and purchase well-built, affordable homes and become successful homeowners. The Habitat ReStore is a major source of funding for our mission. The Wednesday Crew is directly tied to the purpose and success of the ReStore, as is the Restore Committee. By Ed’s commitment to the Wednesday Crew, the ReStore Committee and the Kernersville ReStore, he is helping the ReStores provide funds to enable Habitat to continue to meet our community's need for affordable homes for first-time home buyers.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Ed Fasano has all the skills needed to build beautiful wooden creations – furniture, art pieces, etc. He has an engineering mind - evidenced by the custom designed and built display units for each of our 3 ReStores. He is a strong leader – has a way of drawing people to him to learn by observation. He is dependable and committed to his service with Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County.
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Nominee Name:  Burnadette Pegeuese
Nominator Name:  Donoray Boyd
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Burnadette Pegeuese has been a passoniate , spiritual, beautiful volunteer since she was 12 years of age.. She spends countless hours volunteering and supporting school initiatives such as Hanes Magnet School, Middle Folk Elementary School and her alumini Parkland High School.
She was inspired to volunteer by her first grade teacher, Anna Caldwell, who taught at Carver Crest (now Cook) Elementary School.
She also volunteers in the community with Winston Lake YMCA Black Achievers 20 plus years, Career Cluster Leader,SLEM of Winston Salem State University , PIE (Parent Involvement for Education ) SLEM/ STEM , Winston Salem State University , RAMS C of Winston Salem State University North Carolina Black, Repertory, Juneteenth Festival for over 13 years . She mentors to young preteen girls with Elizabeth M Tilley and is a member with Order of Eastern Star , Prince Hall Affliated, 30th District.
Often visiting nursing homes in Winston Salem and Walnut Cove taking the elderly personal hygiene, she also leaves them with a hug and smile
The best gift to give a child is to give a volunteer a little time.
Her motto to students "Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come, your future is in your hands, only you can live and pursue your dreams".
Ms Pegeuese is raising her granddaughter Madison a sixth grader who attends school at Hanes. She is a member of Union Baptist Church.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Ms Pegeuese has received numerous awrds for her volunteer service. She sends the graduating high school "Thinking of You" cards to let them know she is checking on their achievements
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Mentor to students as well as adults. Helps students research.
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Nominee Name:  Norine Lee
Nominator Name:  Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest Baptist Health
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Norine’s dedication to the CPSP is unequalled. She has been a volunteer at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center since 1976 when she worked two whole days per week in Admissions and Discharge. She also helped out in the surgery department, checking on patient status and reporting back to families anxiously waiting in the waiting area. Six years later, she transferred to a volunteer position with the newly created CPSP and has been with us ever since – That’s 36 years of service to CPSP and 6 years for service to WFBMC prior to the founding of the CPSP.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  In the short time I have been tracking patient contacts with CPSP volunteers (Nov. 2014-January 2018), Norine has touched over 5,300 patients and their families. One can only imagine the tens of thousands of lives she has impacted in a positive way in her 43 years of volunteer service to our medical center!
The volunteer office at WFBMC has 6,668 hours of documented service since 1990 (28 years). They do not have records for the 14 years she served prior to that year. Since she has volunteered for every year starting in 1976 and began by serving two 8-hour days, the actual number of volunteer hours served, though unknown, must be significantly more than 6668 and could easily be 10,000.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  The sparkle in her eyes gives evidence to her joy and dedication in serving the CPSP population. She recently said, “I have been impressed by individual patients. I consider them the most courageous people I have ever known” and “It’s a joy to be in the room with patients.”
By listening carefully and responding thoughtfully with loving care, Norine is making a difference every day. Norine is well aquainted with grief and suffering. Her mother died when she was 10. Her husband died 8 years ago of a heart attack, and her son died last year of ALS. These experiences have given her deep understanding and the capacity for healing compassion for the suffering of others. Her quiet nature belies a very courageous, strong, person, who is determined to carry on and provide compassionate care for others in difficult times. . We are so grateful for the thousands of volunteer hours in the 43 years that Norine has volunteered with Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center!
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Nominee Name:  Tom Nichols
Nominator Name:  The Salvation Army
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Tom Nichols is an exemplary, essential and dependable volunteer The Salvation Army has; Tom Nichols is passionate and selfless about volunteering for The Salvation Army. Tom began 13 years ago when our need for volunteers was great. Because of Tom’s contribution to The Salvation Army our finance department was able to improve our operations and how we look at our finances. Tom has given us a level of education that is unmatched by anyone else in the department. Tom never hesitates to get any clarification if he is unsure of the organizations policy. (Even though Tom most likely can articulate the policy better than many others). Tom's involvement in local operations and meetings ensures that the accounting department has accurate information.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Tom always comes to work with incredible enthusiasm, volunteering three days a week for the finance department. Not only does he complete his duties in a timely manner but is always willing to take on more duties to lighten the loads of those around him. Tom’s positive attitude makes others joyful to be around him. You can always count on his “good morning, how are you” to start your day. Tom is supportive to all the administrative staff, is conscientious about his work and does not feel as though he is a volunteer. Tom is part of our staff. We value his opinion and knowledge and the credibility he brings to our finance department. Tom has touched more lives than he’ll ever know. Because of Tom’s contribution to The Salvation Army our finance department was able improve our operations and how we look at our finances. Tom has given us a level of education that is unmatched by anyone else in the department. He has spent years studying and developing accounting regulations, which in turn brought new ideas for development and strategic planning to The Salvation Army. Many of the special projects Tom has worked on have helped improve the transparency and positive legal standing of the organization. In each task and interaction he undertakes, Tom directly contributes to upholding the wonderful image of The Salvation Army and fulfilling our mission of integrity.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Tom has his CPA and is always willing to lend a helping hand when needed. A CPA can do two things that an accountant without a CPA license cannot: Prepare audited or reviewed financial statements. Tom has assist us with both. He is a reliable and trusted volunteer. We can always count on Tom to be up to date with all the latest tax laws and accounting regulations. Tom’s work here is critical to the input of all the data into our accounting system and he works diligently making sure everything is entered correctly. He has spent years studying and developing accounting regulations, which in turn brought new ideas for development and strategic planning to The Salvation Army. As reliable as a fine Swiss watch, Tom is in the office three days a week for four/five hours each day; we can always count on Tom.
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Nominee Name:  The Mulder Family
Nominator Name:  Bookmarks
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  The Mulder Family believes in Bookmarks wholeheartedly and have been volunteering and helping us for many years. This family has triple digits of volunteer sign up hours each year and members regularly stop by Bookmarks to help when they are able: measuring and planning for the Festival infrastructure, brainstorming and researching authors, hosting authors, putting together furniture, sorting books, moving boxes, straightening shelves, adding artistic elements to our signs, helping set up and set down for events and book fairs, connecting us to new volunteers and staff members, running errands, promoting our events and outreach, and anything else we need. All three Mulders helped to clean, sort, box, move, and shelf books as we prepared to open our new home in July, 2017, and offered ideas for books to have in our inventory. They never shy away from any volunteer activity, showing up early and staying late, and are always a pleasure to be around. They do not expect to be recognized and even shy away from it this family is truly here to help – in any way they can!
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  The Mulder Family is a special trio that we owe great gratitude to. Philip served as President of the Board of Directors for two years (2012-2014), helping us to create our 5-year strategic plan which encompassed much of what we are doing today – including making the first steps toward having a home of our own. He helped us to find offices for Bookmarks, instead of having us work out of our homes, and make our move in 2012 from the downtown arts district to the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts which allowed us the larger infrastructure we needed to accommodate growing numbers of attendees. Megan provides insight into new and rare books – offering suggestions for our programming and hosting authors at Wake Forest University in the Rare Books Room. Both Megan and Philip serve on multiple committees and jump in to help whenever they can to lend a hand. David has grown up with Bookmarks and writes a regular blog from the viewpoint of our mascots, Karl the Kraken and Daisy the Dragon, who live at Bookmarks. These blogs cover reviews of books, visits with authors (even doing yoga with yoga superstar, Jessamyn Stanley, and being checked out by the visiting veterinarian), and their adventures. With the growth of our organization, they have also been amazing historians, taking photos and documenting our activities for prosperity.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  As a Professor of History at High Point University, Philip is able to offer advice on authors that others would not be able to. He helps to host authors when they visit Winston-Salem and was the one who began the first push for the literary arts in Winston-Salem to serve as the third pillar of the arts (right beside visual and performing). He shepherded us as we began to first receive grant support from the Winston-Salem Arts Council and helped us to be very intentional and strategic in our growth. Megan Mulder, as the Special Collections Librarian at Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest University, has expertise that few can offer. She is not only plugged in to new releases and news from the book world, but she also understands the importance of the written word – through its history and place in our world and our smaller community. She often serves as a point of contact for our information booth on Festival day and both partners serve as “runners” – helping to anticipate problems and deal with issues as needed during the day. David, a current sophomore at Wake Forest University, uses his writing skills and creativity with his blog, to reach another group of people. All are well read, great people and believe in Bookmarks and the importance of reading and writing passionately.
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Nominee Name:  Tom Moriatry
Nominator Name:  TCK Providence, Inc.
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Tom stands out as a volunteer because he is humble in his efforts, encouraging to the staff and friendly with our guests. He will do anything we ask him to do. As a businessman, it's rare to find someone who is willing to humble themselves and volunteer doing the equivalent of kitchen grunt work. Tom doesn't fit the typical mold. He will wash dishes, take out trash, you name it!
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Tom has filled in when we are critically understaffed, thus helping us keep costs down by not having to bring in paid staff who would probably be pushed into overtime.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Tom is truly a TCK Providence advocate. He doesn't just volunteer--he also promotes us in the community. He takes time to encourage our residents who are in the program and helps them to feel dignified in their work.
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Nominee Name:  Mary Alspaugh
Nominator Name:  Brenner Children’s Hospital
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Mary has volunteered for many different charities over many years. For Brenner Children's Hospital, she created and has spearheaded an annual mailing campaign called Santa Elves. Through Mary's hard work, she has raised $200,000 over the past 20 years to help improve children's healthcare for our region. In addition to Brenner, she volunteers with Winston-Salem Symphony, Salemtowne Retirement Community, Little Theatre, NC School of the Arts, SECCA, Old Salem, Senior Services, Sunnyside Ministry and Second Harvest Food Bank.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  With Brenner Children's Hospital, Mary was the visionary who felt inspired to give back by creating the Santa Elves annual campaign. She has continued to lead and inspire others every year. She has coordinated efforts with others to donate over 15,000 knitted booties, caps and blankets to Brenner. With the many other organizations she supports, she often is the leader in all the programs she supports. With the Winston-Salem Symphony, she had served as their Philly Pheed Chairman for 10 years. For the Salemtowne Retirement Community, she has served as Chairman of the Art Showcase for 10 years, Co-Chair of the Salemtown Bridge Benefit for 14 years, Circle Leader for 12 years and Chairman for Adopt a Resident for 5 years. For the NC School of the Arts, Mary has served on the Friends Board and Fundraising Committee. For SECCA, she has served on the Friend Raising Committee for SECCA Santa program.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Mary is on many committees encouraging all ages and all backgrounds to be involved. She offers to provide transportation, meals, and support to any who are willing to help others. She is always offering support to the many causes she cares about. She is generous not only with her time but also with her talents and treasures. Mary is an excellent connector and recruiter for charities and their needs. Mary is willing to give her all for a worthy cause. She inspires others, including me, to not only do more but also to be more in order to help our community.
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Nominee Name:  Rachel Patterson Jackson
Nominator Name:  Lloyd Presbyterian Church
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Rachel serves willingly and never expects to be paid. I have worked with her for 18 years and seen her amazing dedication to the church and community. She accepts her calling as a volunteer and tries to encourage others to give of themselves as well. . Rachel greets our homeless visitors like they are royalty and takes time to hear their needs. She understands the deepest needs are in the soul, not the pocketbook. However if she has material resources available, she will share, transport and help seek housing. Rachel is respectful of authority and commands authority herself by her faithfulness and dedicated service. Rachel is in worship every Sunday unless she is traveling to be with family, and then she encourages them to go to church with her. She is committed to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and wants others to know him too. Rachel can speak well on her feet publicly and often does so with humor and grace. At the church, she helps teach classes of Leadership WS.
At age 79, her energy is remarkable. She is rarely sick and attends everything she can. Rachel is very responsible. if she can't come or help as she desires, usually due to circumstances beyond her control, she will notify us ahead of time. We appreciate her trustworthiness and amazing dedication.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  The fact that Rachel's church is still active is an awesome accomplishment. Many abandoned the church in the neighborhood's poverty. With Rachel's dedicated motivation, the neighborhood is reviving. She is deeply rooted in the Black community yet, believes in human oneness. She intentionally crosses racial and economic barriers and her many diverse friendships give evidence to her bridge building work. One man struggling with homelessness credits Rachel with life saving support. Her ability to inspire perseverance in others is a great accomplishment. She does not back down from hard work and creatively seeks to get the job done and involve others. She has now helped create a home for a new church in town called Camel City Church that needs the type of church and building that Rachel has helped provide. They will worship in the afternoon and are experiencing Rachel's hospitality.
Quality of relationships and compassion are among the most outstanding accomplishments of Rachel's volunteer work. It is evidenced by the people who continue to return to the church seeking her love and support. Hundreds of people have come and gone through the church doors , nurtured by this caring woman. One man who knocked on the door of the church just got off the bus from California. His suitcase was falling apart. Rachel prayed with him, found him another suitcase and touched his heart.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Rachel is a born leader. She creatively and joyfully speaks before the church each Sunday. Her heart seeks to uplift the down and out. For 37 years Rachel has helped organize and lead a Christmas program at the Women's prison in Raleigh. She is not afraid of difficult situations and circumstances. She is not afraid to go to city hall to advocate for better community conditions and a new police chief, nor to go to the schools and mentor youth. She has been known to watch kids get off the bus and if they are not getting along, she will get out of her car, touch them gently and asked them what is going on. They take note of this strong and compassionate grandmother. It does not matter to her if she knows them or not. She takes responsibility for the entire community when needed and she has extensive knowledge of many neighborhoods and peoples. Rachel takes initiative to provide crafts and stories for the children of parents visiting in the Cherry Street prison. She will sit by the bedside of people in the hospital and go with them to the grave if needed. Rachel supports families while also taking care of her own children, grands and great grands. Her actions show the qualities of caring and courage.
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Nominee Name:  Robin Pope
Nominator Name:  Helping Hands Ministry
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  One look at Robin and you would see that she is like a gentle lamb, with a quiet spirit that is unleashed whenever she finds an underwear bargain. Robin attends each day of the the giant Hanes Sale at the Winston Salem fairgrounds - she has battled the crowds every year, sorted through deep bins, stood in long lines for hours - just to generously purchase with her own money exactly what our homeless community is in need of. Then she sorts them into the appropriate piles based on size and style and looks forward to handing them to the homeless..
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  In addition to Robin's deep commitment to providing underwear to the homeless, Robin has assisted the ladies attending the Winston Salem Joy Prom in selecting just the right piece of jewelry. Robin has a genuine love that pours out when she is helping a person.... whether it is selecting their underwear or their jewelry.... they leave Robin with a renewed sense about themselves - they feel valued and loved.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Robin is quiet in nature - her tone of voice is sweet - she is a gentle lamb for Jesus - one look at Robin and you would see the light and love of Jesus just ready to pour out onto anyone who interacts with her. Robin has an amazing skill to seek out the best prices of new underwear, socks, t-shirts, thermals, bras etc. and will drive long distances just to get those items.
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Nominee Name:  The Summit Church
Nominator Name:  SECU Family House
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Between two small groups, led by Cathy Badgett and Jennifer Bowen, the first Sunday dinner of the month is always covered. They are so incredibly reliable and dependable that we just about take them for granted! In 2017, The Summit Church provided a warm and inviting kitchen for over 540 guests who come to eat. Not an easy task! Their service gives guests peace of mind so they can focus on caring for their loved ones. Their service allows guests to relax and stay strong and healthy for their loved ones. Their reliability is unmatched by any other group that volunteers with us, giving staff peace of mind as well. They are an organization in which we can call up at any minute to ask for a special favor when a particular project or issue comes up.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  If you think of what it takes time to plan, shop, and serve a meal for four, just imagine what it takes to do that for a house of 50 hungry people! The Summit groups provide delicious, home-cooked meals to guests in medical crisis. The Summit makes sure families have a chance to care for themselves, relax, and keep up their strength.

The Summit’s Big Serve (week of service initiative) brings even more enthusiastic people to the Family House. Last year, their landscaping work spruced up the Family House’s curb appeal in a much needed way so families immediately feel comfortable as they drive up the driveway. The Summit donated the supplies and manpower, which saved the Family House over $1,000 in labor and supplies. Savings that we can pass along to our guests.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  ~Man-Power: The Summit Church has over 6,000 members, so they are well equipped to spread out over the span of a week or two and really make deep service impact around town during their Big Serve month and throughout the rest of the year. They have so many strengths and skills among the members that we can tap into if needed.
~Companionship: Guests love to see a homemade meal in the kitchen, and dinner with The Summit is no exception. Guests are familiar with their delectable, handmade peach cobbler and so much more that warms their bellies and hearts.
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Nominee Name:  Teresa Hampton
Nominator Name:  SECU Family House
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Teresa is a consistent volunteer on our schedule, serving 4 hours a week twice a month. In 2017, she completed an astounding 136 hours worth of accurate data entry. She is the volunteer that we trust to accurately record the contact information of guests who check out so that we can begin cultivating them and start them on their donor journey.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  In 2017, Teresa entered an estimated 2,000 records into our database. Her service equates to about $3,000 worth of staff time – savings that we can now pass along to our guests via low room rates. She holds a critical role at the Family House, because everyone who stays with us is family after they return home, so we want to stay in touch after their stay. The only way we can do that is with them in our database. We value her service an incredible amount.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  ~Meticulous Attention to Detail: Not everyone has the patience and attention to detail that is needed for this type of volunteering. Teresa has what it takes!
~ Reliability: Teresa is so reliable that we risk taking her attendance for granted!
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Nominee Name:  Esther Spaugh
Nominator Name:  Susan G. Komen Northwest NC
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Esther would be a round the clock volunteer for Komen if her life responsibilities didn’t get in the way. From the time Esther was diagnosed with breast cancer, she has been driven to raise awareness about how early detection can save lives and how important it is to be your own Health Advocate. She shares her own Breast Cancer journey, inspiring those attending her events and showing unwavering empathy for those who are following their own BC journey. She is avidly committed to the Komen initiatives and spends long hours at events and meetings educating all who will listen about the impact Komen has had on so many women and men in our community and around the world.

Esther not only helps to organize our local Races but attends other Affiliate Races and programs to show support and sisterhood. She also actively leads and supports awareness and fundraising events at her place of employment and church.

As importantly, Esther builds volunteer support for Komen. She is true mentor, not only showing our new volunteers the ropes but making them feel welcome and inciting in them the same passion she has. Her warmth and exuberance represent the openness of the affiliate and the love of volunteers.

Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Esther truly lives and bleeds pink willingly giving her time and setting an example for women across diverse cultural fronts.

Esther has been volunteering with Komen since 2006. In addition to covering countless health fairs and events herself, she acted as our Mission Outreach and Education Committee Secretary, working with Komen Staff and Health Professionals throughout our growing community to advocate for our mission. She is currently the Chair of our Race Education Committee, responsible for Komen Education events on Race days. As a current Face of Breast Cancer Ambassador, she works with her fellow survivors to continue to spread our Komen mission throughout our 22 counties.

Esther’s efforts extend to her coworkers at PepsiCo where she shares Komen Education every chance she gets. Esther brought our Pink4Lunch program to PepsiCo and has helped with company health initiatives and fundraising efforts for years. She has also established a PepsiCo team for our Race encouraging her coworkers to participate in our activities outside the workplace. Her dedication had brought several PepsiCo employees into our volunteer groups.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Esther exhibits the spirit of volunteerism. She is full of energy with an infectious smile, eager to help wherever she can - from evening and weekend events and meetings, to full day events (like our 5am Race set up and full day coverage). She loves to educate the public and thrives on interaction and sharing knowledge. Her spunky vivaciousness draws event attendees to our table. Her personal survivor story enlightens attendees assuring they understand the importance of knowing their own health normalcy and allowing her to show extraordinary empathy to survivors she talks to.

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Nominee Name:  Steve Eller
Nominator Name:  Renee Shipko
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Steve Eller has been an outstanding volunteer for the Clemmons Food Pantry from the early days of the Pantry’s existence. He brought his marketing skills to the board when this work was in it’s infancy. He has been a constant contributor to the board, recently moving into his current role as board president. Steve’s knowledge of the community and experience with non-profits has been instrumental in creating a quality delivery of service to our clients. He has a keen understanding of how to maintain a strong volunteer force through increased communication and appreciation. It is common to find Steve in the pantry during volunteer shifts getting to know the volunteers and expressing the board's appreciation. Representing the Pantry, he can be found at numerous community events educating everyone on the mission of the Pantry. He enthusiastically supports all fundraising events for the Pantry. As a new board President, he has developed a strong structure to guide the members in their fiduciary responsibilities. Steve Eller will be remembered as one of the Pantry’s strongest volunteers by the legacy he will leave.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Under Steve's leadership over the past year, Clemmons Food Pantry has received significant donations including a truck, funds to purchase new refrigerators and freezers, and funds for future planning. The Pantry also marked its highest fundraising year in its history under Steve's leadership. The organization is well known in Clemmons and well celebrated in the Clemmons community, but word is spreading to other communities too, since the Pantry serves Forsyth County and not just Clemmons. The Pantry has grown its social media presence and received numerous grants and donations from local companies, other philanthropic groups and local food suppliers.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Steve's background is marketing, so he has used those skills to promote the work of Clemmons Food Pantry. He has enjoyed a wonderful career with the Winston-Salem Jaycees, which taught him a lot about working with and supporting volunteers. As a completely volunteer-run organization, Clemmons Food Pantry relies 100% on its volunteers and Steve has spent time recruiting volunteers and engaging with them to make sure they feel welcome and valued. He has worked hard with other board members to raise funds for future growth of the pantry and has positioned the pantry to continue to be a successful, well-run, volunteer-led organization.
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Nominee Name:  Jessica L. Spencer
Nominator Name:  Exchange/SCAN
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Jessica serves as the board chair of Exchange/SCAN, a local non-profit which serves to prevent and treat child abuse in Forsyth County and northwest North Carolina. This non-profit has an annual budget of $1.7 million, employs 25 employees and serves 4,000 children and families each year.

Jessica has also served as a member of the Exchange/SCAN Blue Cross Blue Shield Nonprofit Leadership Academy team, which is engaging the agency in evaluation and planning. This is an additional commitment of two, three day retreats and an additional 10 hours of work each month, looking at the agency's mission, operations and attempting to streamline all of the above.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  In addition to serving as the chief officer of the board, Jessica is a member of the Pinwheel Gala committee. Due to Jessica’s energy, drive and leadership, the 2017 Gala increased fundraising profits by 25% from the 2016 Gala.


Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Jessica has organized multiple charity drives and frequently raises funds and awareness for non-profits throughout Winston-Salem. She is tireless in her efforts to improve our local community!
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Nominee Name:  Caroline Moore
Nominator Name:  Kaleideum
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Caroline is a high school student, which means that there are many demands on her time. Not only is Caroline a student, she is also an honor roll student who engages in outside activities with her school. Despite all of that, whenever we have a special event or we are in need of volunteers to perform science demonstrations throughout the museum, Caroline is always happy to help.
Most strikingly, Caroline assisted heavily with summer camp in 2017. She worked about 40 hours a week, helping children with activities, guiding them on field trips, and providing a mentor for our middle-school age campers who noted that Caroline was one of the best aspects of their camp experience. On top of all of those hours of service, Caroline also had a part time job. However, not once did her commitment to our institution or programming falter.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Kaleideum provides our community with the opportunity to engage with all types of science, from sound and physics to our animal friends, and is an integral part of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County community. Without great volunteers like Caroline, we could not provide our community with as much as we do. Caroline's service in itself is an accomplishment--she has reached countless numbers of campers (ages 4-12) and fostered their creativity and scientific minds as well as served as a mentor for them.
It is hard to pinpoint one accomplishment for an organization such as ours, but if I had to, I would note how successful our camp programming is and connect that to the hard work of volunteers, most specfically, Caroline.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Caroline is hard-working and dedicated. She is always willing to do whatever she is asked to do, be it explain science in front of an audience or direct a patron to a specific exhibit. Caroline's dedication is, quite frankly, without peer. For example, we had an Awards Ceremony to honor volunteers, including Caroline, and she asked if there was anything that she could do to assist. Yes, Caroline wanted to know if she could help us in any way for an event that was supposed to, in part, recognize her.
Caroline is also friendly and great with children, which is important given our clientele. There isn't a moment when Caroline looks frustrated or down; she is always smiling, which definitely puts campers in a good state of mind. The campers also adore her and look up to her.
Finally, Caroline is very intelligent. She can explain scientific concepts to all ages using very concise and clear language. This is a skill that is necessary at our museum.
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Nominee Name:  Carolina Cruisers Motorcycle Club
Nominator Name:  Arnita Miles
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  The Carolina Cruisers Motorcycle Club participant in monthly community service projects. Some of these projects are Peace Toys for War Toys, Adopt a Street, ESR Thanksgiving Food Baskets, Trunk a Trick Halloween Community Program, Community Weekly Food Drive, Operation: Flint Water Drive, Operation: Stay Warm for the Homeless, Back to School Supplies and Salvation Army Aid to Houston and Texas Drives
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  The Carolina Cruisers Motorcycle Club have formed partnerships with the Experiment with Self Reliance, Salvation Army, Recreation and Parks, the Exquisite Ladies Social Club, Operation: Flint, Operation: Stay Warm, United Way, Winston-Salem Masons and Order of the Eastern Star.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  The Carolina Cruisers Motorcycle Club are committed to the citizens of Winston-Salem. As part of its mission, they give and partnership to agencies to give and donate to the community. They present a positive image to the children of Winston-Salem through their involvement with community activities.
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Nominee Name:  Murray Miller
Nominator Name:  Big Brothers Big Sisters Services, Inc.
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  A veteran of the Army National Guard and former firefighter, Murray has dedicated himself in service to his country and his local community for more than two decades. For years, he volunteered with the local jail helping inmates to earn their GED. While it was rewarding, he recognized a pattern in the inmates’ lives—that they did not have a positive male influence. Having grown up with a father, Murray wanted the opportunity to be that positive male influence for a young male. He decided to transition from teaching inmates, to volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters Services.
“I wanted to work with one kid and show him how to have a productive life and not go to jail,” Murray says. And Murray has done just that—he’s developed such a positive relationship with his Little and together, they have been able to overcome family barriers and transcend statistical expectations.
Jolen was 6 when his mom, Chante, enrolled him in Big Brothers Big Sisters Services. His father had been incarcerated since Jolen was a baby, and she felt he needed a foundation and network of men doing positive things.
Jolen and Murray had an immediate connection and were able to build trust quickly. At the beginning of their relationship, Jolen was very shy. However over the years, Jolen really opened up and became a confident young man. There were occasional challenges as Jolen became a teenager, and Murray remained a supporting force through it all.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  In 2012, Jolen was 9 and had been a member of the agency’s Club of Unmatched Littles (C.O.U.L.) for three years, spending time with staff and community volunteers at special events such as Big for a Day events and Summer Enrichment activities. That summer, he was matched with Murray.
Now a freshman at Reynolds High School, Jolen plays offense and defense for the football team. Murray goes to every game and gives him tips on running faster, weight lifting and stretching. Jolen plans to keep playing through high school, and he likes offense more because he thinks it’s more exciting, but enjoys tackling on defense as well.
During the summer of 2017, exactly five years after they were matched, Murray and Jolen attended “An Evening of Magic” with Thomas Davis of the Carolina Panthers at Wake Forest University’s Bridger Field House. The event celebrated the 40th anniversary of Big Brothers Big Sisters Services with 20,000 children served in Forsyth and Davie counties. Murray and Jolen took a tour of BB&T Field, home of Demon Deacons football. As they walked the field, they talked. “I told Jolen that there’s nothing stopping him from playing in a stadium like this one. He just lit up at that. Then we heard Thomas Davis’ testimony, and he had a far worse situation than Jolen’s. I told him that he can also go to D-1 school, just like Thomas Davis.”
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Since enrolling with the agency, Murray has remained highly engaged in the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters. As a branch manager for Winston-Salem Federal Credit Union, Murray takes every opportunity to promote BBBS by advertising on their community board as well as internal postings. His credit union has also participated in several fundraising events in the past, and will be sponsoring bowlers again this year at our agency’s annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake.
In addition, Murray has volunteered alongside our Development Coordinator at various recruitment events, sharing his positive volunteer experience as a mentor.
Early on in their match, Murray made a promise to Jolen, and that promise was—to never break a promise. If Murray says he will be there, he’s there. As a mentor, Murray has remained consistent, dependable, and sincerely invested in providing his Little with the tools he needs to be the best person he can be. Because of Murray’s commitment to being that positive male influence that every young boy deserves, Jolen’s life has been changed for the better, forever!
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Nominee Name:  David Gall
Nominator Name:  Happy Hill Cemetery Friends
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Throughout Forsyth County there are many private grave yards, or as some prefer to call them, “cemeteries.” The Moravians designed acreage southeast of Salem for agricultural purposes beginning in 1768. The Salem congregation subsequently erected housing for their slaves and the area became known as “the quarter.” By the late 1920s it was a thriving community where blacks were first allowed to buy land. Early property owners and tenants included those formerly enslaved in and around Salem and Winston.
It was inevitable that the residents needed a resting place as they lost loved ones, including many still-born infants. The Happy Hill Cemetery was established by several churches and church trustees who sold graves for $2.50. It is now the resting place for over 113 persons. There were many more, however, when the State Highway Commission acquired a portion of the cemetery to construct U.S. Highway 52, some remains were extracted and re-interred near Oak Grove Baptist Church in Walkertown, NC. Thus, it is a very historical cemetery.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  As a teenager, I was shown the burial sight of my grandparents in Happy Hill. After being out of the city for nine years, locating their stone was difficult because the site had become extremely overgrown. In an effort to remedy that problem, I summoned the help of volunteers and we named the group, Happy Hill Cemetery Friends. Some veteran, alumni and civic groups were approached for assistance. One of the groups was Preserve Historic Forsyth. David Gall, an architect and a member of PHF took particular interest in the possibility of tackling the on-going task. Along with volunteers, some men from Rising Ebenezer Baptist Church, college students and teenagers, weather permitting, the work has continued two Saturday mornings each month. Some students work to earn community service hours with Mr. Gall serving as the supervisor. With extensive research, we discovered that Rising Ebenezer owned a small portion of the cemetery. A gentleman from the church now cuts the grass and the church will be the perpetual caretakers of the site. Consistent and dedicated effort has really made a difference.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  In addition to helping with the monumental task of working at the cemetery 4 to 6 hours a month, during 2017, Mr. Gall developed a mapping system of where various stones are located. He also placed flags at the stones of Veterans. The hope is to identify and encourage local residents to locate the stones of their ancestors. David’s diligence and hard work has helped to make the Happy Hill Cemetery not just a “dead” issue, but a decent final resting place for loved ones.
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Nominee Name:  Earl Byers
Nominator Name:  Happy Hill Cemetery Friends
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  Throughout Forsyth County there are many private grave yards, or as some prefer to call them, “cemeteries.” The Moravians designed acreage southeast of Salem for agricultural purposes beginning in 1768. The Salem congregation subsequently erected housing for their slaves and the area became known as “the quarter.” By the late 1920s it was a thriving community where blacks were first allowed to buy land. Early property owners and tenants included those formerly enslaved in and around Salem and Winston.
It was inevitable that the residents needed a resting place as they lost loved ones, including many still-born infants. The Happy Hill Cemetery was established by several churches and church trustees who sold graves for $2.50. It is now the resting place for over 113 persons. There were many more, however, when the State Highway Commission acquired a portion of the cemetery to construct U.S. Highway 52, some remains were extracted and re-interred near Oak Grove Baptist Church in Walkertown, NC. Thus, it is a very historical cemetery.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Mr. Amos Byers, a neighborhood resident was the primary gravedigger. He served in that capacity for both white and black cemeteries and was often assisted by his son, Earl (b. 1938). Earl is a Deacon and Trustee Board Chairman at Rising Ebenezer Baptist Church and a member of the Happy Hill Cemetery Friends, the volunteer group whose primary mission is to keep the cemetery site clean and beautified. Upon intensive research, it was discovered that Rising Ebenezer actually owned a small portion of the cemetery and now owns the entire site (although there are no spaces available for burials) and serves as the perpetual caretaker of the cemetery. A member of the church mows the grass as needed. Weather permitting, volunteers from various organizations continue to work at the cemetery on the 2nd and 4th Saturday mornings. Occasionally, teenagers assist and earn Community Service credit.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  During 2017, Early Byers, son of the late Amos Byers, was responsible for having a sign erected to identify this historic cemetery located at Pitts and Willow Streets in the Happy Hill Community. He also had three wooden crosses erected to designate the crucifixion of Christ, therefore, the Happy Hill Cemetery Friends would like to nominate, honor and recognize the long-time dedication of Earl Byers.
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Nominee Name:  David Daggett
Nominator Name:  Piedmont Down Syndrome Support Network
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  I personally know of no greater volunteer in this community or beyond than David Daggett. He is driven by an unmatched altruism and a commitment to others. He is a well-known attorney in our community, but I believe that few people truly appreciate the selflessness with which he approaches volunteerism. He has founded and grown the Safe Sober Prom Night campaign in our community which has touched thousands of youths in our area over the years and has volunteered his time to countless road races. However, I’m nominating David primarily for his work with the Piedmont Down Syndrome Support Network.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Three years ago, I asked David if he would serve as master of ceremonies for an upcoming 5k, the 3-2-1 Deacon Dash for Down syndrome supporting the PDSSN. He not only agreed to serve as emcee, but he has since completely devoted himself to our organization and to our cause. Over the past three years, in countless ways, David has promoted the values of awareness, acceptance, and inclusion for people with Down syndrome with a passion and a consistent commitment which has proven extraordinary. He now serves as master of ceremonies for all of our events throughout the year, most notably our Deacon Dash for Down Syndrome and our Buddy Walk. These events raise tens of thousands of dollars for our organization and touch the lives of thousands of people in our community. David’s energy and compassion bring a priceless value to these events and to our organization. It is impossible to estimate the degree to which he has elevated the profile of our cause in the past three years.
In addition to being the face of our organization, David has donated his name and his platform consistently to promote our ideals of acceptance and inclusion. Specifically, he continuously employs his avenues of social media and traditional media contacts to espouse the mission of the PDSSN. He has also regularly volunteered his Triad Today television segment to promote the PDSSN organization and events.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  David has not only volunteered extensively with his time and his voice, he also has given to our organization by way of donations. To all of our PDSSN events, David has donated extensively whatever items we may need, including signage, banners, audio/visual equipment, water bottles, etc. He consistently offers up his resources to help fill any gaps that might arise in our events.
Most importantly, David’s biggest contributions to our organization are his unique set of personal qualities and skills that make him an unparalleled volunteer leader. David approaches everything he does (family, law, Ironmans, Safe Sober prom, volunteerism) with an extraordinarily consistent commitment to excellence. He is a selfless, altruistic, and relentless volunteer leader in our community. His personal characteristics have earned him a loud megaphone, and we at the PDSSN are fortunate he has devoted that megaphone so completely to spreading a message of acceptance and inclusion to all people with Down syndrome.
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Nominee Name:  Diana Gray
Nominator Name:  Diaper Bank of North Carolina
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  It is my great pleasure to nominate Ms. Diana Gray for consideration for 2018 Governor Volunteer Service Award in recognition of her outstanding leadership and tireless efforts in addressing and raising awareness of the issue of diaper need in our community.
The numbers are staggering. For 1 in 3 families, the majority of whom live below the poverty line, every month can bring with it challenging decisions. Too often, families must choose whether to pay the rent, seek needed medical care, put gas in the car, buy food, or purchase diapers to keep their children clean, dry, and healthy. Since opening its doors in 2014, the Diaper Bank of NC – Triad Branch has provided over 400,000 diapers and diapering supplies to family focused groups in Forsyth County and across the Greater Triad.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  What is amazing is how the efforts of one passionate person can truly make a difference. Her passion, hard work, an astronomical amount of volunteer hours and love, has helped us succeed in creating one of DBNC’s most successful branches, serving over 2,000 babies a month, distributing dignity to women and girls, and providing comfort to hundreds of elderly every year.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  At DBNC, Ms. Diana has provided support in multiple ways, from sorting and repacking donations, organizing diaper drives, training dozens of new volunteers, and rallying the Greater Triad community around the issue of diaper need. Ms. Diana is an engaged member of her community and is always looking for ways to help us cover babies’ bottoms across the Triad.
It has been my great honor to work with Ms. Diana weekly to distribute basic needs and dignity to so many families in North Carolina, and I am proud to nominate her for 2018 Governor Volunteer Service Award.
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Nominee Name:  Rosemary Spraggins
Nominator Name:  Catholic Charities
Nominee's outstanding commitment:  In her career as a school principal, Rosemary recognized the importance of giving back to others and started projects where every classroom provided a family in need with a meal during the holidays. Being a woman of strong faith, Rosemary is inspired by the stories of Jesus providing food and nourishment to others. Rosemary believes people must be fed first before they are able to learn and thrive. Feeding hungry people is a #1 priority and mission for Rosemary. For 10 years, Rosemary has been an active Catholic Charities food pantry volunteer. Prior to that position, she volunteered at a soup kitchen for 8 years. Rosemary volunteers at Catholic Charities on Thursday mornings, except one per month, when she volunteers with Extension Community Association, where she has volunteered for the past 18 years. Loyalty and commitment to a volunteer position is not something Rosemary shies away from. She is dependable, reliable and hardworking. Many people volunteer with an agency for one or two years, then move on to a new position. Rosemary, on the other hand, has stayed in multiple volunteer positions consistently for 10-15 years at a time. Examples of her significant contributions include her one on one weekly literacy tutoring sessions she did for 10 years and also her gardening club volunteer activities that lasted for 15 years. Not only do we benefit at Catholic Charities from her hard work and generosity, other community organizations have received tremendous service from her lifetime of volunteerism.
Nominee's outstanding accomplishments:  Rosemary Spraggins has contributed over 1,000 hours of volunteer service to Catholic Charities. This past year our agency moved to a new and bigger location. Rosemary’s input and ideas for our food pantry were helpful in making a successful transition. We are now able to serve more clients each week. In January 2018, Rosemary helped us serve over 800 individuals with our food pantry services.
For the past 10 years, Rosemary and her family have also provided a beautiful holiday meal to a family served by Catholic Charities. Rosemary takes the time to add special touches to brighten someone’s holiday season. Not only are the regular items of turkey, vegetables, and stuffing included in their basket, but extras things like candles and candlesticks, decorative napkins, dish detergent, coffee, plus more. Rosemary has a gift for making others feel special.
Another of Rosemary’s accomplishments include when three years ago she started a tradition of “Love Notes”, which are simple handwritten messages given to our food pantry clients, that let them know their food was packed with love. This card ministry has expanded beyond Rosemary, and now youth volunteers and other adult volunteers are writing “love” notes for people visiting our food pantry. The “Love” note idea has also expanded to other Catholic Charities service areas like our Wee Care Infant Clothing Shoppe.
We are blessed to have Rosemary as part of our volunteer team and appreciate all of her contributions to better client service.
Nominee's special skills/qualities:  Rosemary Spraggins is a dedicated and energetic woman with a very big heart. She is very well organized and can handle busy and stressful situations in a productive manner. We love her wonderful sense of humor and she works well with others on our team. Rosemary possesses many artistic talents such as sewing and knitting. She has used these artistic gifts to make beautiful items for many local charities. Whether it is baby hats for premature newborns or caps for cancer patients, she is always giving back to those around her. She also is a reading specialist and a gardener, having used both of these skills in prior volunteer situations.
At Catholic Charities, we feel Rosemary Spraggins is an outstanding candidate for the Governors Service Award and is an exemplary role model for other volunteers to follow. She is an inspiration. Rosemary has gone above and beyond in her fight against hunger and giving back to the community. Her volunteer jobs are not tasks to be checked off, but instead a personal mission to improve the lives of others. Catholic Charities would like to extend our greatest thanks and appreciation to Rosemary Spraggins for her volunteer contributions.
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2018 Governor's Volunteer Service Awards

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