Four Oaks resident receives honor

Pictured are Dr. Mildred Summerville, past award recipient, Dr. Kenneth Curry, Nicole Clagett and Dr. Lenora Peterson.

Photo by Jennifer Robertson

CARY — Nicole M. Clagett, Dr.h.c., a resident of Four Oaks since 2016, received the 2019 Global Humanitarian Award from the Corporation for National & Community Service in a private event at SearStone Retirement Community recently.

Through an initiative of the Corporation for National and Community Service and in conjunction with The Global International Alliance, the President's Volunteer Service Award honors the hundreds of thousands of people across our nation who have volunteered innumerable hours over their lifetime.

This award was created by President George W. Bush in 2002 when, after the

atrocities of September 11, he saw the need to renew the interest in helping our neighbors and called upon all Americans to help by volunteering their time.

Dr. Lenora Peterson, goodwill ambassador and certifying chief executive director of the Global International Alliance Program, presented Clagett with the certificate and accompanying doctorate of humanitarianism and leadership.

Clagett, who is a co-founder and executive director of Guiding Lights Caregivers Support Center/Transitions GuidingLights, began her career in her native upstate New York as a social worker. In this capacity, she experienced the need for specialized care for older adults with cognitive impairments.

Upon moving to North Carolina in 2008, Clagett worked as a caregivers’ advocate and caregiver for her grandfather before co-founding Guiding Lights, whose vision is to assist family and professional caregivers in obtaining relevant, timely and comprehensive information about and from area vetted organizations.

Commensurate with her passion for all aspects of caregiving, Clagett has increased her caregiver support reach via the Aging Matters radio show (WPTF), the Edge of Aging podcast and Caregivers Corner segments (WTVD).