WS Chronicle

Trellis Supportive Care is pleased to announce Wanda Starke, best known to many as a longtime news anchor at WXII 12, as the 2021 Best Life Leadership Award recipient for the sixth annual Living Your Best Life Speaker Series. Scheduled for Oct. 13, this year’s virtual event features nationally known journalist, public radio host, and bestselling author, Celeste Headlee. 

Each year our event recognizes a community leader with the Living Your Best Life Leadership Award. This special recognition identifies a trailblazer who elevates the possibilities and potential of lives in the Triad. We hope that attendees will be inspired and gain valuable insights from the award recipient who truly makes a positive difference in the world.  

This year, we are proud to recognize Wanda Starke, a WXII 12 news anchor who recently retired after 43 years in journalism. When Wanda was a child, she noted that there weren’t many African Americans on local newscasts, but that didn’t stop her. She made history as the first African American weekday evening anchor in the Buffalo, New York market before coming to Winston-Salem and WXII 12 News in 1994.  She began producing a weekly segment, “A Place to Call Home,” profiling children waiting to be adopted. It was a personal issue for Wanda, who was adopted as a young child herself. The segment sparked a 20% increase in adults wanting to get involved in foster care and adoption.  

When informed that she would be honored as the 2021 recipient of the Living Your Best Life Leadership Award, Wanda responded, “I am both stunned and honored to be considered for this year’s Living Your Best Life Leadership Award. It is a supreme privilege to be considered among the previous recipients – all extraordinary servant leaders. I will humbly accept the recognition with the challenge to do more to make a difference in our community.”  

Previous award recipients include Jeff Smith, best known for Smitty’s Notes; Clyde Fitzgerald of Second Harvest Food Bank; Emily and Keith Davis of Fleet Feet Sports and Mission: Feet First; and Lisa and Bob Gfeller who turned personal tragedy into a movement to help others. The Best Life Award was created to demonstrate how each of us can make a positive difference in the world.

“We named this event Living Your Best Life to help spotlight our mission. Although hospice care is the foundation of our services, it is important that people understand that Trellis Supportive Care is not about helping people die, but rather helping people live fully and comfortably, making the most of every day,” shared Linda Darden, president and CEO of Trellis Supportive Care. “I’m thrilled by the level of speakers we bring to the region for this event, and am always inspired by our Best Life Award recipients,” added Darden. 

Please visit www.BestLifeSeries.org for event information, sponsorship levels & benefits, and registration or contact Jordan Helms with Trellis Supportive Care, at 336-331-1323 or by email at JHelms@trellissupport.org to reserve your seat.