2021 Governor's Volunteer Service Award Program

Spring, 2021

2021 forsyth County governor’s V OL UN T EER SERVICE AWARDS

“Thank You” to our sponsors for their generous support of the Governor’s Awards.

PRESENTING SPONSORS

RECOGNITION SPONSORS Casey Capstick- In Honor of Ella-Brooke Morgan Shannon M. Stokes Natalie Webb The Winston Salem Foundation

2021 forsyth County governor’s VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS NOMINEES

Dr. Betsy Armentrout

Rosa Johnson

Karen Bass

Sarah Joyner

Yvonne Beard

Robin Kennedy

Sunny Calhoun

Victoria Latham

Wednesday Crew

Marc Madrigal

Christi Case

Robert "Bob" Manizza

Ron and Joan Cox

Ella-Brooke Morgan

Luis Dimas

Cliff and Debbie Northrop

Annie Fullwood

Damien Reynolds

Henry Harper

Trevor Whitehead

Hispanic Task Force of the Piedmont

Christie Willow Williams

2021 governor’s

VO LUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS WINNERS (In alphabetical order by category)

Luis Dimas - Disaster

“Indispensable” is how Luis Dimas’ nominator describes him. Luis first arrived at The Shalom Project to educate the organization’s Food Pantry and Clothing Closet clients about Medicare, Medicaid, and health insurance. Bilingual and instantly likeable, Luis quickly developed a rapport with clients by helping where needed and being a calm, stabilizing force.

His skills were a natural fit for the medical clinic and he quickly became the front line screener at the door to the clinic, welcoming and organizing the patients, interpreting for triage nurses and doctors, and helping to keep everyone safe and calm. As his nominator writes, “Luis is an integral part of The Shalom Project’s weekly success.” Always ready to serve, it’s easy to see why Luis is a recipient of a Governor’s Volunteer Service Award.

Annie Fullwood - Environment As an AmeriCorps VISTA this past year, Annie has overseen Piedmont Environmental Alliance’s (PEA) environmental education programs that introduce underserved classrooms to conservation and environmentally related topics in an effort to create environmental leaders for the future. Typically, Annie would have recruited and trained volunteers to provide the training in person, but due to COVID, she converted the information into17 engaging videos, worksheets, and webinars while working with a team of volunteers and partners to deliver these materials to hundreds of students and teachers across the region. This spring, she’ll present more than 21 webinars to over 2,500 students in 18 Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools classrooms. In addition, Annie has been instrumental in the growth of PEA’s Environmental Debate Tournament, which recruits and trains local high school students to participate in free, competitive academic debates on leading environmental issues. This past year, Annie recruited more than 75 students from 10 local school in the region to participate in the virtual tournament and produced a series of educational videos, live training webinars, and written material to train these students, many of whom have never before participated in a debate tournament. Finally, Annie developed and launched Young Eco leaders, PEA’s newest education program, by creating a series of nature-based, educational, and advocacy activities for elementary-aged children while working with 38 students and families to become “certified” Young Eco Leaders.

Cliff & Debbie Northrop - Family

The SECU Family House provides a safe and affordable place to stay for adult patients and their caregivers who come to Winston-Salem for medical treatment. It is their mission to be a place of hospitality, compassion, and support-- Debbie and Cliff Northrop, embody that mission. Debbie and Cliff rolled up their sleeves in 2020 and dived into supporting the SECU Family House in new ways due to the pandemic. Throughout 2020, Debbie faithfully weeded and gardened, maintained the planters at the front doors, and handmade birdhouses and welcome signs that constantly receive comments on how beautiful they are. Cliff helped with maintenance efforts, he carefully cleaned PTAC filters and sanded, painted, and updated the outside picnic tables. Cliff and Debbie went “above and beyond” to keep the building and grounds well maintained, providing a welcoming facility for the guests.

Wednesday Crew - Group/Team The Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County Wednesday Crew has been an integral part of the organization for more than 15 years, but their service truly shined throughout in 2020. The Wednesday Crew is comprised of 11 individuals, who come to Habitat’s woodworking shop once a week on a regular basis and are the premiere example of teamwork.

Even during the pandemic, the Wednesday Crew safely volunteered 1,200 hours and built or assembled 1,156 pieces of furniture. In all the years they’ve been with Habitat there is not a single project that was brought to them (that is within their capacity,) to which they’ve said “no.” If something is broken, they repair it or they’ll construct it. Volunteers are the life blood of Habitat for Humanity, and these individuals’ expertise and passion go above and beyond their peers.

Robert ‘Bob’ Manizza - Health & Human Services Bob is a volunteer that really puts the human connection at the heart of this health and human services category. Coming to Senior Services as a volunteer when he was new in town, Bob has quickly become a fixture in both their Meals on Wheels and Aging with Purpose program. Towards the end of 2019, as part of the Aging with Purpose program, Bob was matched one-on-one with an isolated senior who struggled with limited eyesight. Bob went above and beyond in building rapport and creating support for his new friend “John”—whether that meant bringing in and going through the mail, doing odd jobs around his house, or, most especially, helping in the care and feeding of Cadillac, a dearly beloved pet. On Christmas Day, 2019, Bob and his wife searched far and wide for an open fast food joint in order to bring “John” a much loved treat—a delicious cheeseburger! When COVID changed the world in March 2020, Bob continued to step up for others, asking to deliver two different routes of weekly frozen meals, serving and connecting (while remaining socially distanced, of course!) with more than twenty-one people each week, and this past Christmas, he and his wife made crystal bead ornaments for each person on their route. Bob was also one of the first volunteers to sign up for the Lawns of Love program, helping seniors keep their lawns neat and tidy when health issues make this difficult for them to do themselves. Even through a pandemic, Bob has been able to continue to demonstrate that it’s truly the human-to-human touch that makes life worthwhile.

Hispanic Task Force of the Piedmont - Latino Collaboration is often the key to success and the Hispanic Task Force of the Piedmont is no exception. Although the members of the task force are employed full-time by different organizations, their working relationships and community knowledge enables them to collectively leverage their resources to educate the Hispanic community on important issues and ensure equal access to programs and services. This past year has been a case in point. With confusion and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, the Hispanic Task Force of the Piedmont created flyers, answered phones, held several events, and partnered with other organizations to provide current information to the Hispanic population about the pandemic and steps to follow in order to properly safeguard themselves and their families

Ron & Joan Cox - Lifetime Achievement Winston-Salem simply would not be as caring a place to live if Ron and Joan weren’t in it. For decades, this husband and wife team has worked tirelessly (and quietly) behind the scenes, putting their individual skill sets to work for our community. As a Master Gardener, Joan uses her skills to maintain the Shepherd’s Center of Greater Winston-Salem’s vegetables gardens, which produces hundreds of pounds of produce each year. These fresh, locally-grown veggies have been a true blessing for local food pantries as well as the Shepherd’s Center’s clients. Joan has also spent years coordinating the Shepherd’s Center weekly Knitting and Crocheting group, making items that find homes with the clients of Newborns in Need and well as other local organizations. Meanwhile, Ron, a RJR retiree, has shared his technical skills by creating a new data base system that allows them to better track their programs and clients, helping them to ensure their effectiveness while increasing their efficiency. Ron continues to volunteer his time to train staff, and provides maintenance and guidance as needed. While incredibly crucial, none of the roles that Ron and Joan fill are traditionally “client facing”, and, thus, can sometimes be overlooked. But their lifetime of service still has made a significant difference to individuals all over the city.

Victoria Latham - Marginalized Populations All VISTA members spend a year in service helping others overcome the challenges presented by living in poverty.

Victoria, however, has gone above and beyond in her role with The Forsyth Promise, working to increase the overall level of community and volunteer engagement with a local Title I school. Holding a virtual “Open House”—in the middle of the pandemic—Victoria was still able to engage more than 35 parents, new volunteers, and new businesses to each other, the school, and the historically marginalized students. In addition, she created a newsletter that keeps the community informed about upcoming events and highlights the efforts to support these students in multiple ways—all to help ensure that they can continue to succeed in school.

Sunny Calhoun - National Service

The pandemic has turned everyone’s world upside down and this is no different for AmeriCorps VISTAs. Despite the program looking different this year, it did not stop Sunny from providing valuable services to students and their families.

Sunny was able to connect parents to community services and support as well as connect students to remote learning centers where they were able to use the internet and receive additional tutoring support. Sunny has gone above and beyond to support The Forsyth Promise that their mission to advance cradle-to-career educational equity for impoverished students and their families living in Forsyth County. Not only is Sunny dedicated to the work, but her cheerful personality has allowed The Forsyth Promise to further expand services to address the needs of students in the district.

Henry Harper - Perseverance in Volunteerism You’d never know that Henry Harper wasn’t a paid employee for the American Red Cross. Each and every week, for more nearly thirty hours each week, Henry is there to help when his neighbors need him most. He’s certified to drive their Emergency Response Vehicle, he’s charged with supervising other volunteers as part of their shelter operations, and he’s also a Mass Care team leader. Since joining the team in 2016, Henry has been “on call” for twelve hour shifts, every other week, even when forced to undergo surgery TWICE in recent years. Each time, Henry has only taken the bare minimum of “time off,” finding ways to continue to serve that didn’t violate his doctor’s orders! So it should come as no surprise that a little thing like a global pandemic didn’t even put a hiccup into Henry’s exemplary record of service, continuing to serve not only virtually, but going out on in-person calls as needed—always fully masked and socially distanced, and making sure that their clients had the PPE they needed, too.

Rosa Johnson - Senior For the past three years, Rosa Johnson has planted a community garden to feed her neighbors, allowing others access to space to grow their own gardens, free of charge. Not only has the garden provided fresh produce and inspired others to begin gardening, it has become a way to build community, encourage creativity, and even provide therapy. One lady who suffered mental trauma weaned off her medications as a result of working in the garden. Rosa also shares her knowledge of nutrition and gardening with the students at Kimberley Park Elementary School, located across the street from the garden. Seeing her outside has inspired them to help by painting benches and surfaces around the garden. Described as a pillar in the area, her neighbors agree that Rosa’s garden has produced more than vegetables; it’s produced a renewed sense of community and provided a creative and therapeutic space for the Boston Thurmond community.

Marc Madrigal - Serving Youth Some volunteers seem just too good to be true…almost “magical.” That’s what the youth at Hoops4L.Y.F.E. (Low Income Youth Families Everywhere) call Marc Madrigal. Filling in wherever and whenever needed, “Magical Marc” does it all! From coordinating teachers, volunteers, food assistance, and reviewing grants to serving breakfast, lunch, snacks, being a reading buddy, and transportation driver, “Magical Marc” is there like…magic! The youth at Hoops4L.Y.F.E. know Marc is committed to them and they’ve developed a strong bond with him that provides needed support and accountability— something that most children in low income communities lack.

Ella-Brooke Morgan - Youth

Ella-Brooke is the ideal recipient for the 2021 Forsyth County Governor's Volunteer Service Award. During the pandemic, Ella-Brooke realized many students were falling behind in their studies; this led to creating V.I.P (Virtual & InPerson Tutoring) Services. VIP Tutoring offers free academic assistance and mentoring, helping over 100 students who are academically falling behind. V.I.P tutors is a true youth-led organization--all of their tutors are high-achieving high school students who have a passion for educational equity. Over the past year, Ella-Brooke has spent countless hours tutoring students, managing and organizing other volunteers, and building collaborations with community organizations like Crosby Scholars, Wake Forest University, and Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools. Ella-Brooke’s heart and inspiring leadership are a large part of how V.I.P Tutoring Services has grown to become an organization that high school students want to be a part of.

THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD The People’s Choice Award is voted upon by members of the public through a portal on The Winston-Salem Journal’s website after reviewing brief profiles of all of our nominees. This process is separate and different from the category winner selection process. Many thanks to the hundreds of our neighbors who voted—and, as happens many years, chose a winner who was not a category winner! We are excited to announce that People’s Choice Award winner is Christie Willow Williams.

A volunteer with Love Out Loud, Christie serves in both community leadership as well as client-facing roles.

Love Out Loud is perhaps best known for their large “Christmas for the City” event at the Benton Convention Center, which, unfortunately, could not be held in the traditional fashion in 2020 due to COVID-19. However, as the volunteer leader of the Gift Mart part of the event, Christie designed a multi-day, in-person, COVID-safe shopping experience as well as a drive-through experience to ensure that Christmas gifts would still be provided to more than 500 families. Despite brand-new logistical hurdles to overcome, she was still able to connect local nonprofits and their clients with donations from community volunteers and local businesses, ensuring that this vital program continued when it was needed most. Earlier on in the pandemic, Christie also helped oversee the distribution of “blessing bags” that were given out at local food distribution events. In addition to her service with Love Out Love, Christie is active with other community organizations, such as Leadership Winston-Salem and the Creative Corridors Coalition.

the president’s volunteer serviCe aWard The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation (the Council) was established in 2003 to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our communities and to encourage more people to serve. The Council created the President’s Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service. The program continues as an initiative of AmeriCorps (formerly the Corporation for National and Community Service,) and recognizes United States citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States who have achieved the required number of hours of service over a 12-month time period. Congratulations to the following Governor’s Awards nominees who have also received one of these national awards.

Lifetime Achievement: Henry Harper and Ron & Joan Cox Gold: Karen Bass, Christi Case, Luis Dimas, Hispanic Task Force of the Piedmont, Rosa Johnson, Sarah Joyner, Robin Kennedy, Marc Madrigal, Ella-Brooke Morgan, Christie Willow Williams, Wednesday Crew Silver: Robert ‘Bob’ Manizza Bronze: Dr. Betsy Armentrout, Yvonne Beard, Cliff & Debbie Northrop, Damien Reynolds

2021 governor’s VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS WINNERS SELECTION COMMITTEE A special “thank you” to our volunteer selection committee for their attentive and thoughtful consideration of the nominations to determine each of our category winners.

Sarina Horner Tamisha Keith April Durr

Torry Reynolds Shannon Stokes Ryan Peters

Sharee Fowler Shantele Williams Tahja Gaymon

Thank you to Steve Bird for his donation of graphic design expertise. A special thanks to Tahja Gaymon, Director of Community Engagement at United Way of Forsyth County, and Sharee Fowler, Assistant Professor and Director, Nonprofit Management and Community Leadership Program at Salem College for lending their expertise to the planning committee. Special thanks goes to the Salem College students who volunteered their time and talents to create the social media images and edit the virtual acceptance speeches that served as the driving force behind this year’s online celebration of our nominees and category winners.

Salem College's Volunteer Management and Engagement class: Augusta Graham Hannah Escala Amy Stutzer Kenny Arnold Cathy Robertson Cara James Jeremiah Burns Keegan Sullivan Scott Earthman Angela Gallagher Mary Cancellieri To learn more about Salem College’s academic programs, visit www.salem.edu.

The mission of HandsOn Northwest North Carolina is to mobilize people and organizations that inspire community change. To learn more about HandsOn Northwest North Carolina and our services, please scan the QR Code or visit www.HandsOnNWNC.org