GVSA Program 2025

Intergenerational Center for Arts and Wellness Gallery Theater May 7, 2025

2025 forsyth County

G O VE R NOR 'S V OL UN T EER S ERVIC E AWARDS Thank you to this year’s sponsors for their generous support of the Governor’s Awards.

Premier Sponsor

Lead Sponsors

Supporting Sponsors

2025 forsyth County

GOVERNOR'S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS Community Sponsors

Claudette Weston Crisis Control Ministries Community Care Center GreeNest Long Insurance Services One Love Strong Foundation Second Harvest Food Bank of NWNC

SECU Family House of Winston-Salem Sunnyside Ministries The WinstonSalem Foundation Wake Forest University’s Office of Civic & Community Engagement WinstonNet/ Digital Bridges Forsyth Winston Salem Ambassadors

2025 FORSYTH COUNTY

G OVE RN O R ’ S V OL UNT EER SERVIC E AWARDS RECEPTIO N INTRODUCTIONS and WELCOME Amy Lytle, Executive Director, HandsOn Northwest North Carolina OPENING REMARKS FROM THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE René Castellanos, Regional Outreach Advisor, Office of Governor Josh Stein REMARKS FROM THE PREMIER SPONSOR Lori Timm, Community and Financial Wellbeing Manager, Allegacy Federal Credit Union AWARDS PRESENTATION Kenneth Pettigrew, Executive Director, YMCA REACH Center at Winston Lake CLOSING COMMENTS/ADJOURNMENT Dr. Antonia Monk Richburg, President and CEO, United Way of Forsyth County

EMCEE BIO 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 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 received his Doctor of Ministry from the Columbia Theological Seminary (Decatur, GA) in 2024. He is a CoCurator of The Gathering—an emerging, inclusive worship experience curated for servant-leaders in helping professions.

2025 forsyth County

GOVERNOR'S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS NOMINEES Martha Allman

Jadina Hale

Deirdre Bland

Lucy Harrington

Karen Blaylock

Safa Jan

Jenny Braden Hobbs

Kim Johnson

Kay Bridges

Kristin Johnson

Karen Bush

Candide Jones

Campus Kitchen at Wake Forest University

Kay Snavely

Carolina Scrollers Mackenzie Cates Allen Antwaun Clemmons

Marcela Stamps Sid Subramanian Sustainability Team

Community Coat Closet

Troop 02665 Silver Award Cadettes

Mary Jane Dewees

Stacy Walters

Dinner Host Dream Team

Ruby Mae Webster

Karen Dorr

Winston-Salem State University Rams Softball Team

Kim Douglas

2025 FORSYTH COUNTY

GOVER NOR'S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS WINNERS (In alphabetical order by category)

Candide Jones – Animals As the founder of the Piedmont Animal Welfare Alliance, Candide Jones has demonstrated extraordinary dedication to animal welfare and social justice. The organization grew out of the 2017 New Leash on Life program, which pairs incarcerated men with shelter dogs for mutual rehabilitation. Though technically retired, Candide continues to lead the organization full time as a volunteer, strengthening programming, operations, and sustainability. Her visionary service continues to inspire all the members of PAWA in their work to ensure that both people and animals receive second chances.

Lucy Harrington – Disaster After moving to Forsyth County from Australia in June 2023, Lucy Harrington moved quickly to become an engaged and reliable volunteer with the American Red Cross. Drawing on her experience as a volunteer firefighter in Australia, she decided to join the Red Cross’s Disaster Action Team. After completing additional training to become a team supervisor, Lucy has led responses to numerous local emergencies, including a multi-family house fire. Over the past year, Lucy has served over 1,500 hours on call and responded to 15 different disaster events, including deploying to Western North Carolina to assist with shelter operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Lucy now also serves on the local Red Cross chapter board, where she leads efforts to improve volunteer recruitment and engagement, and contributes to regional sustainability through the Green Team. Her tireless energy and compassion have made her a valued and inspiring member of the Red Cross community.

Sustainability Team – Environmental Vick Fama and Laymon Idol comprise the “Sustainability Team” for our local American Red Cross chapter.

Together, the two have logged over 2,000 volunteer hours annually while leading a major effort to responsibly recycle outdated IT equipment used by the Red Cross—diverting 14,000 pounds of e-waste from landfills and reducing carbon emissions. Their work requires travel across the state, coordination with multiple departments, and meticulous sorting and repackaging to recover precious materials. Their successful teamwork amplifies the importance of not only meeting the Red Cross’s mission efficiently but doing so in an environmentally friendly manner.

Campus Kitchen at Wake Forest University – Group/Team In 2024 alone, hundreds of student volunteers with The Campus Kitchen at Wake Forest University rescued over 37,000 pounds of prepared, but never served, food from on-campus dining and local grocery stores.

They transformed food that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill into thousands of nutritious meals for local nonprofits and the community members they serve, including Samaritan Ministries, DEAC Clinic, The Shalom Project, Hope to Thrive, Azalea Terrace, Forsyth Backpack Program, Latino Community Services, Downtown Health Plaza, NC Faith Health, and Una Bendición. Entirely student-led, with a ninemember executive team and more than 60 shift leaders, Campus Kitchen exemplifies what it means to come together as a team and benefit the community in ways that no one volunteer could do alone. Their ongoing commitment to sustainability, hunger relief, and equitable community partnerships makes them an indispensable force for good in Forsyth County.

Karen Blaylock – Health & Human Services

Since joining greeNest as a volunteer shortly after they were founded in 2015, Karen Baylock has poured her people skills and creative talent into every facet of the organization—from sorting donations to chairing major fundraising efforts and nurturing partnerships that have generated over $1 million to support families in need. Her efforts have helped furnish over 2,000 homes of greeNest’s clients and provided nearly 3,000 children with beds of their own. With more than 10,000 hours of volunteer service given over the past 9 years–1,000 hours alone in 2024–Karen’s multiple threads of service are woven together in ways that allow greeNest to continue to offer comfort and dignity to those transitioning from homelessness.

Deirdre Bland – Historically Underserved Populations

As the sole Women's Health doctor volunteering with the Community Care Clinic, Dr. Deirdre Bland not only provides direct care to patients but also leads and supervises a team of nurse practitioners and a physician assistant to ensure comprehensive, compassionate gynecological care for uninsured and lowincome women. Her dedication to cancer prevention, early detection, and health equity has changed lives, most notably helping one high-risk patient receive a timely mammogram and critical treatment that led to a cancer-free outcome. Since 2019, she’s dedicated more than 500 hours to service. At a time when health care for the most vulnerable is under threat, Dr. Bland continues to provide accessible, quality healthcare for all.

Antwaun Clemmons – Individual Antwaun embodies the very definition of a top volunteer—reliable, passionate, collaborative, and always willing to go above and beyond to support his community. As a volunteer with the United Way of Forsyth County, Antwaun is passionate and deeply committed to the mission of the organization. Whether volunteering for over 30 hours at their Hurricane Helene Relief Donation Center, mentoring teens during HandsOn NWNC’s MLK Day of Service that promotes Dr. King’s message of service and literacy, or lending a hand at Moonlight Madness, the United Way’s annual 5K fundraiser, Antwaun shows up with enthusiasm, humility, and a spirit of generosity. His dedication, empathy, and consistent presence make him a vital and uplifting force in Forsyth County’s volunteer landscape.

Jenny Braden Hobbs – Lifetime Achievement As a co-founder and driving force behind Advocates for Medically Fragile Kids NC (AFMFKNC), Jenny has spent the past eight years fighting to preserve and strengthen the Medicaid waiver program, ensuring that thousands of medically vulnerable children remain safely at home with their families. Through her strategic stewardship and deeply personal commitment—often exceeding 40 to 50 hours a week—Jenny has helped shape state policy, educate families, and elevate the voices of these often-invisible neighbors. Her unwavering dedication has created an impact that continues to improve lives across North Carolina.

Sid Subramanian – National Service Over the past five years, including two as an AmeriCorps member with The Shalom Project and three as a college volunteer, Sid has shown extraordinary commitment to improving health equity for underserved populations. Noticing a rise in Hispanic/Latino patients in their free medical clinic, Sid sharpened his Spanish language skills to better serve the community, graduating with a double major, one of which was Spanish.

Sid’s ability to provide empathetic interpretation skills has bridged communication gaps to ensure every client is met with dignity and care. Whether supporting patient navigation or jumping in wherever he is needed, Sid's deep compassion, leadership, and maturity have left a lasting impression on The Shalom Project and the broader Winston-Salem community.

Mary Jane Dewees – Senior Volunteer Since joining as a volunteer in 2010, Mary Jane has become an integral part of the team at Sunnyside Ministry, where she leads critical outreach initiatives, including the successful fundraisers "Eggs for Easter," "Hot Dogs for the 4th," and "Hens for the Holidays." Her tireless commitment extends beyond Sunnyside, with her involvement in Home Moravian Church Women's Fellowship, the Mary Ann Fogle Candle League, and Forsyth Jail and Prison Ministry, where she has made a significant difference both in the lives of those incarcerated and their families. Mary Jane's unwavering compassion, organizational prowess, and ability to bring people together for a common purpose exemplify her deep devotion to serving our neighbors.

Karen Dorr – Service to Youth For the past four years, Karen Dorr has been a compassionate and dependable community representative in the Impact Circle program at Triad Restorative Justice, offering steady support to youth and their families.

Drawing from her life experience as a mother, teacher, and advocate, she brings deep empathy, insight, and presence to every circle she co- facilitates, qualities foundational to Triad Restorative Justice’s unique approach to crime that focuses on the violation of relationships between people. Karen also often goes beyond her role, connecting families with community resources and offering invaluable guidance and care.

Her thoughtful support of both staff and participants reflects a true commitment to restorative justice and community healing. Karen is a trusted and cherished member of Triad Restorative Justice, whose influence is lasting and profound.

Troop 02665 Silver Award Cadettes – Youth Volunteers Cady B. Dunn and Lily Brooks of Girl Scout Troop 02665 completed their Silver Award project by partnering with the Piedmont Animal Welfare Alliance (PAWA) to create an online manual for foster families caring for pets of domestic violence survivors. Recognizing the unique challenges temporary caregivers face, the girls conducted extensive research, including interviews with veterinarians, animal rescues, and foster families. The manual provides valuable guidance on pet care, helping foster families feel confident in supporting these animals during a critical time. After completing the project, Cady and Lily presented their work to PAWA’s Board of Directors, where it was adopted and is now featured on their website for use by current and future foster families.

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. Congratulations to the following Governor’s Awards nominees who have also received one of these national awards: Gold: Campus Kitchen at Wake Forest University, Candide Jones, Carolina Scrollers, Deirdre Bland, Jenny Braden Hobbs, Karen Blaylock, Kristin Johnson, Lucy Harrington, Mackenzie Cates Allen, Mary Jane Dewees, Ruby Mae Webster, Sustainability Team, Troop 02665 Silver Award Cadettes Silver: Kay Bridges Bronze: Antwaun Clemmons, Community Coat Closet, Dinner Host Dream Team, Kim Douglas, Jadina Hale, Karen Bush, Kay Snavely, Kim Johnson, Marcela Stamps, Martha Allman

2025 FORSYTH COUNTY

GOVERNOR’S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS WINNERS SELECTION COMMITTEE Special thanks goes to our volunteer committee members for their attentive and thoughtful consideration of the nominations to determine each of our category winners.

April Durr Alexa Edwards Sharee Fowler Shawan Gabriel Mary Herbenick

Katherine Hoffman Latasha Lane Nanu Pardo Renee Rohrer Lori Timm

Thank you to Steve Bird for his donation of graphic design expertise.

A special thanks to Sharee Fowler, Associate Professor at Salem College, and her student, Katherine Hofmann, for their help with communication and social media promotion of this year’s nominees.

And lastly, a big thanks to Alan Shelton, Mixxer Community Makerspace Founder, who created an original design and then handcrafted the physical awards.

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