2023 Forsyth County Governor's Volunteer Service Awards

Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center Conference Center May 2, 2023

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2023 forsyth County governor’s V OL UNT EER SERVICE AWAR DS

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2023 forsyth County governor’s V OL UN T EER SERVICE AWARDS

Table Sponsors Blanco Tackabery Bookmarks Crisis Control Ministry Delta Fine Arts Center The Enrichment Center Landmark Builders Piedmont Opera Reynolda House Museum of American Art Second Harvest Food Bank of NWNC SECU Family House The Shepherd's Center of Greater Winston-Salem Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance Weston Associates The Winston-Salem Foundation Whole Man Ministries

23 FORSYTH COUNTY GOVERNOR’S VO L UN T EER SERVIC E AWAR DS B REAKFAS T INTRODUCTIONS and WELCOME Amy Lytle, Executive Director, HandsOn Northwest North Carolina GREETINGS FROM THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR Briles Johnson, Executive Director, VolunteerNC SPONSOR REMARKS Marcus Thomas, Director of Community Engagement, Truliant Federal Credit Union Katherine Caster, Manager of Community Engagement, Novant Health Abio Harris, President, Happy Hill Neighborhood Association AWARDS PRESENTATION Kenneth A. Pettigrew, Executive Director, Winston Lake Family YMCA & REACH Center CLOSING COMMENTS/ADJOURNMENT Mark Uren, Vice President of Resource Development, United Way of Forsyth County

Kenneth A. Pettigrew The Rev. Kenneth A. Pettigrew is a sought-after preacher, scholar, and nonprofit professional. Kenneth is the Executive Director at the Winston Lake Family YMCA & REACH Center, having previously served with the Winston-Salem Urban League as Chief Operating Officer and the United Way of Forsyth County in Faith-Based Community Engagement and leading the Place Matters Initiative. His work is dedicated to building relationships with faith communities, bridging the gap between sacred and secular for intentional partnerships for the building of strong communities. He holds both the Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, the Master of Divinity from the Wake Forest University School of Divinity, and is anticipating graduation with the Doctor of Ministry from the Columbia Theological Seminary (Decatur, GA) in 2024. He is a Co-Curator of The Gathering—an emerging, inclusive worship experience curated for servant-leaders in helping professions.

2023 forsyth County governor’s VOL UNTEER SERVICE AWARDS NOMINEES

American Heritage Girls Troop NC 0608 Abrea Armstrong “Attic Ladies”: Jayne Danner, Wanda Motsinger, and Debbie Newell

Marilyn Hedgpeth Marilyn Ingram Landmark Builders Isaac Merkel

Charmon Baker

Christopher Perdomo

Araceli Barcenas

David Pounds

Frank Allen Beasley

Tracey Putnam

Ida Lynn Blumenthal

Morgan Reitzel

Carolyn Britt

Don Roberson

Theresa Bryant

Susan Robinson

Logan Chidester

Amatullah Saleem

Donna Cowden

Shelton Stafford

Tom & Julie Dubuisson

State Employees Credit Union

Hal Garrison

Claudette Weston Cynthia Williams

2023 FORSYTH COUNTY GOVERNOR’S VOLU NTEER SERVICE AWARDS WINNERS (In alphabetical order by category)

Cynthia Williams – Animals

Volunteers often bring critical skills to the nonprofits they assist, and Cynthia is no exception. An avid volunteer with Riverwood Therapeutic Riding Center for the past ten years, her expertise as a community advocate and retired physical therapist are a perfect match for Riverwood, whose mission is to provide quality, professional, equine-assisted activities for both children and adults with disabilities. These activities help improve muscle tone, balance, posture, and coordination as well as emotional well-being. Cynthia’s unique training and background allow her to assist in the organization’s more specialized classes. She also has an innate ability (horse sense?) to engage with riders on a deeper, authentic, emotional level, making Cynthia not only popular with the students but with the horses, too!

Claudette Weston – Committee's Choice

At 84, Claudette Weston shows no signs of slowing down! Over her 60+ years of service to our community, Claudette has served on more than 60 state and local boards, while mentoring hundreds of at-risk youth, nonprofit leaders, and managers. Claudette continues to find time to handwrite notes congratulating others for their success and thanking them for their community service. Affectionately known as the unofficial Mayor of Winston-Salem, Claudette avoids attention —preferring to celebrate others when they are in the spotlight. In keeping with her joy in recognizing others, it should come as no surprise that she created The Weston Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management to honor her late husband. Based on the belief that nonprofit organizations should be well-managed and efficient, this highly competitive award acknowledges outstanding local nonprofit leadership and is yet another way Claudette highlights the work and service of others. For her selfless inspiration and encouragement to so many in our community, we are proud to brightly shine the spotlight on Claudette Weston as our first-ever Committee’s Choice winner.

Charmon Baker – Cultural Servant leadership is a term often used to describe outstanding volunteers, but for Charmon Baker, no better words can adequately describe her contributions to Delta Fine Arts (DFA.) During 2020 and 2023 when DFA was without an Executive Director, she diligently executed her role as Board Chairwoman by leading the board in ensuring good governance, while assuming aspects of the Executive Director’s position including overseeing fund development efforts, website updates, the organization’s budget and expenses, marketing, and volunteer programming. Charmon further performed tedious and often unseen aspects of DFA’s operations such as managing grants, communicating with corporate and individual donors, and carefully stewarding the organization’s financial resources. She even coordinated repairs to the facility, doing some of the work herself! As if that wasn’t enough, Charmon also found time to conduct a successful search for their new Executive Director and steer DFA’s re-opening and renewed programming—all while managing her responsibilities to her family and a full-time position as a financial advisor. Through it all, Charmon, “remained professional, focused, positive, and kind to all who played a part in Delta Fine Arts’ successes.” As her nominator writes, she has “captured the heart of the organization by supporting and staying dedicated to the mission and vision.” She also has captured the heart of volunteering.

Marilyn Hedgpeth – Faith-Based

The SECU Family House prides itself on providing “more than just a place to stay” for adult patients and their families that travel to Winston-Salem for medical treatment. A large part of the welcoming and homey atmosphere they provide is the result of the social bonds created between guests, staff, and–most importantly–community volunteers. At the start of 2021, Marilyn began volunteering at the Family House, making and providing dinner for all of the guests once a month, and serving as a dinner host on other evenings as well. As she settled into the rhythms of the House, she thought of ways that she could further share her unique skills and talents. As a recently retired minister, in 2022, Marilyn, in conjunction with staff, began the work to develop a new volunteer position: Spiritual Care Volunteer. She researched volunteer chaplain position descriptions from other nonprofits, interviewed professional chaplains in similar settings, and educated herself on best practices on how volunteers could offer excellent spiritual care and support to guests. Today, these Spiritual Care Volunteers represent a variety of faith traditions and provide counseling, comfort, and a listening presence to patients and caregivers who are facing illness and health crises. Marilyn not only created a new, impactful role for herself, but built a foundation for other faith-based volunteers to support the Family House for years to come.

Attic Ladies: Jayne Danner, Wanda Motsinger, and Debbie Newell – Group/Team Jayne Danner, Wanda Motsinger, and Debbie Newell, more commonly known as the “Attic Ladies,” are the epitome of selfless and dedicated volunteers. Their tireless efforts in supporting Crisis Control Ministry have not gone unnoticed, as they volunteered an impressive 652 hours in 2022! This inspiring trio established a consignment program–selling items sourced from other people’s attics– to raise funds for the ministry, which has been a resounding success. Their hard work as a team and determination in sorting through donations, pricing all items, setting up displays, transporting items, advertising new inventory each week, and managing the Crisis Control Ministry Thrift Shop is truly commendable. Their passion for helping others and making a difference in their community is an inspiration to all!

Araceli Barcenas – Health & Human Services Araceli, known for her passion, enthusiasm, and big smile, has volunteered tirelessly with Public Health of Forsyth County, promoting good habits to ensure healthy pregnancies,, helping moms with food insecurities find resources, and providing information about family planning. As a volunteer bilingual health educator, she is always the first one to jump in and offer her assistance as an interpreter and has also volunteered with the Hispanic Task Force of the Piedmont by organizing and executing events. Arcaceli loves to help the community and says, “If I can help, I will do with these hands and the skills that God gave me.”

Amatullah Saleem – Historically Underserved Populations A native of the Winston-Salem area, Amatullah has been instrumental to building the “City of Arts and Innovation” by co-founding the first African musical dance group here in the 1980s. She’s also been pivotal in revitalizing the Happy Hill Neighborhood Association and worked to restore their community garden. Combining her love for the neighborhood with her passion for the arts, Amatullah went on to co-found The Happy Hill Summer Arts Program, engaging youth aged 8-15 in traditional African dance and art creation, and even taught them boxing techniques! Her dedication to working with historically underserved populations, which continues to this day–even though she is well into her 90s!--has earned her admiration across the city.

Morgan Reitzel – Individual Morgan leads a busy life–she’s the mother of two young girls and is an active real estate agent and entrepreneur. Yet, for the past few years, including throughout the pandemic, she has spent significant time supporting the at-risk, pre-teen girls served by LEAD Girls of NC. Morgan wakes up early each Saturday morning to host their Saturday Community sessions, helping to set up, conduct safety screenings, assist the facilitator with each session’s activities, and then stays late to clean up the space after the girls leave. In addition to this weekly role, Morgan has also organized donation drives through her employer, helped with LEAD Girls’ STEM Exploration Day, planned and hosted holiday parties, and provided financial support. In addition to her outstanding service with LEAD Girls, Morgan is also an active volunteer with the Lewisville Chamber of Commerce’s Teacher Supply Closet and serves on the Leadership Lewisville-Clemmons program committee.

Morgan’s service with LEAD Girls has had a significant effect on the next generation of female leaders in Winston-Salem.

Hal Garrison – Lifetime Achievement For many volunteers, serving is a way of life and Hal Garrison is the perfect example! Hal has been a member of the Piedmont Opera (Theatre) Chorus for 45 years--since the company’s first production of Rigoletto in 1978. From that time until 1997, the chorus was composed entirely of volunteers. In 1998, chorus members began receiving a small honorarium, yet Hal hasn’t ever accepted any compensation. In addition to being a member of the Chorus, Hal served on the Board of Directors from 1977 to 2005, assuming the role of Secretary in 2002. He then became a founding member of the OPERAtors (the Piedmont Opera volunteer society,) for which he organizes all the volunteer activities around each production and serves as Secretary. To date, Hal has given over 5,000 hours of his time to the Piedmont Opera and fulfilled a variety of duties, including standing in front of the Stevens Center in costume during lunch to hand out promotional materials for their production of The Crucible and being an ambassador for Piedmont Opera to the community and to visiting artists. Beloved by the staff and everyone he meets, Hal exemplifies the commitment, passion, and giving mindset that are hallmarks of what a “lifetime of service” truly means.

Christopher Perdomo – National Service

Christopher Perdomo is a remarkable member of Americorps’ Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program and a valued team member of the Piedmont Environmental Alliance (PEA), a local nonprofit that educates, builds community, and inspires action for a more just, resilient, and environmentally sustainable region. As a dedicated, full-time service member with Wake Forest University’s Office of Civic and Community Engagement’s Community Action Coalition, Christopher has been placed for the past year with PEA, where he oversees their environmental education programs.

Through this work, he brings vital topics into underserved classrooms and creates the environmental leaders of the future.

Over the past year, Christopher has been instrumental in the growth of PEA’s Environmental Debate Tournament, which recruited and trained students from 15 different high schools to participate in a local debate tournament on environmental issues just last month. Christopher has also helped update PEA’s “Every Drop Counts” curriculum to include more experiential learning activities, working with other volunteers to then present this program to more than 750 students at 30 local high schools. Building on this success, Christopher, along with a volunteer team that he has recruited and trained, will be presenting their Energy Explorers curriculum to more than 3,000 students attending 7th grade in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County's Title 1 Schools. He is known for his fantastic attitude, determination, and commitment to growth, and PEA is grateful for his AmeriCorps service.

Carolyn Britt – Senior Volunteer With a personal mission to give back as much as she can, Carolyn has volunteered for decades within our community.

For the last twelve years, she has been a guiding light at Samaritan Ministries, selflessly serving not just their guests at Samaritan’s soup kitchen–but being a blessing to other volunteers and staff as well. During the pandemic, Carolyn logged nearly 500 volunteer hours of service, dedicating her time and talent to ensuring that a warm meal was provided every day through the soup kitchen. An obviously experienced and loyal volunteer, Carolyn can also be counted on to serve during the holidays, when many other volunteers are with their own families.

Frank Allen Beasley – Service to Seniors

Frank is a passionate and dedicated volunteer with The Shepherd's Center of Greater Winston-Salem, helping transport their senior clients so they can access medical care and perform needed errands, all while enjoying Frank’s friendly and caring companionship. This not only helps their senior clients stay physically healthy, it helps them mentally as well by battling any sense of social isolation. For more than six hours each week, you’ll find Frank in this particular service role– but that’s not all the volunteering he performs! In addition to his service with the Shepherd’s Center, Frank is also active in conservation efforts through his work with Blue Ridge Trout Unlimited (a cold water conservation group,) and is a regular volunteer with the Clemmons Food Pantry as well.

Tracey Putnam – Service to Youth

Tracy has been a dedicated “Big Brother” to his “Little,” Malcolm, since 2018, having been matched by Big Brothers Big Sisters Services when Malcolm was struggling with the challenges of middle school. After being matched, they soon realized that the two actually lived within just a few minutes of each other. This close proximity established a bond between the two and allowed Tracey to encourage Malcom to try a variety of new experiences that helped pull him out of his shell. Throughout the pandemic, Tracey made sure that he and Malcolm stayed connected through phone calls, text messages, and in-person meetings as soon as it was safely possible. However, the pandemic hit close to home when, in 2021, Malcolm’s mother died as a result of COVID complications. Tracey stayed by Malcolm and his family’s side as they processed this loss. Today, through Tracey’s significant emotional support and generous donation of time, Malcolm is a successful high school junior, and is looking forward to a bright and prosperous future.

Tom and Julie Dubuisson – Veteran/Military This selfless couple has dedicated themselves to ensuring that our veterans have access to safe, stable, and affordable housing. Partnering with Whole Man Ministries, Tom and Julie dedicated more than 2,100 hours last year renovating two homes from top to bottom. This included demolition, carpentry, design, scheduling, purchasing, and fundraising for supplies–all of which they performed themselves. After completing the first house over the course of 2022, Tom and Julie agreed to renovate a second house, putting in extra hours to make sure that the veteran occupant would have a warm home for Christmas. They truly demonstrate what it means to get “hands on” in tackling issues like chronic homelessness!

Shelton Stafford – Volunteer Mobilizer For almost five years, Shelton has been a solid presence at The Enrichment Center. Deeply passionate about working with the intellectually/developmentally disabled community, Shelton strives to keep their clients safe by deep cleaning event spaces before they are occupied by dozens of people. Logging over 60 hours annually, his service has been especially impactful and appreciated following the pandemic. But it’s not just Shelton’s individual service alone that has made his nomination stand out: since 2017, Shelton has successfully recruited others to join him in service by mobilizing and leading a team of volunteers from RAI through United Way of Forsyth County’s "Days of Caring" partnership.

Through this partnership, participants have enjoyed the pleasure of multiple dance parties and cookouts over the years.

Currently, Shelton is in the process of planning another cookout for participants this spring. The Enrichment Center is grateful for all of Shelton’s meaningful work on behalf of their clients!

American Heritage Girls Troop NC 0608 – Youth Volunteers

For 11 years, the American Heritage Girls Troop NC 0608 has helped The Shepherd’s Center of Greater WinstonSalem pack gift bags for their Saturday Night Fellowship holiday project. These bags contain donated gift items and are distributed annually to over 100 older adults who live in subsidized housing communities. Some of these bags contain an extra-special gift: hand-crocheted items that the girls from the troop make during the year. What would be a huge task for The Shepherd’s Center to undertake on its own has been made much easier with the enthusiastic and efficient help of the girls and their leaders. In addition to volunteering with The Shepherd’s Center, the troop serves throughout the community including cleaning up in the food area at the Carolina Classic Fair, assisting children with finding Easter eggs at the Beeping Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by the Winston-Salem Police Department, picking up trash along local waterways during Big Sweep events, and assisting with recycling events in Lewisville. Yet their service doesn’t even end there! Even while camping, they pick up trash or help maintain trails—truly fulfilling their mission to “build women of integrity through faith, service, and fun.”

THE PRESIDENT’S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD In 2003, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation founded the President’s Volunteer Service Award to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity.

This award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too. The PVSA has continued under each administration, honoring the volunteers who are using their time and talents to solve some of the toughest challenges facing our nation.

Led by AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light (HandsOn NWNC is a part of their Global Affiliate network), the PVSA 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: Hal Garrison, Amatullah Saleem, and Claudette Weston Gold: American Heritage Girls Troop NC 0608, Abrea Armstrong, Carolyn Britt, Theresa Bryant, Logan Chidester, Jayne Danner, Marilyn Ingram, Wanda Motsigner, Debbie Newell, David Pounds, and Susan Robinson Silver: Charmon Baker, Frank Allen Beasley, Ida Lynn Blumenthal, Don Roberson, and the State Employees Credit Union Bronze: Donna Cowden, Marilyn Hedgpeth, Landmark Builders, Morgan Reitzel, Shelton Stafford, and Cynthia Williams

2023 FORSYTH COUNTY GOVERNOR’S

VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS SELECTION C OMMITTEE 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.

Spring Duvall

Sarina Horner

Amanda Fitzgerald

Tamisha Keith

Sharee Fowler

Dianne Lytle

Renee Rohrer Sophie Russell Melissa Wilson

Thank you to Steve Bird for his donation of graphic design expertise. A special thanks to Spring Duvall, Associate Professor of Communication & Media Studies at Salem College, and her students for help with communication e and social media promotion of this year’s nominees. Additional thanks goes to Epic Event Essentials for their assistance with the centerpieces and Terri Burke for her event photography.

HandsOn Northwest North Carolina presents these awards each year as part of our mission to mobilize people and organizations that inspire community change. To learn more about HandsOn NWNC, our other services, and all of the different ways that you can make a civic commitment to our community, please scan the QR Code or visit www.HandsOnNWNC.org