WS Chronicle

HandsOn Northwest North Carolina, in partnership with the United Way of Forsyth County, Salem College, and The Winston-Salem Journal, presented the 2022 Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards to 15 recipients from across Forsyth County.  Hands-On, whose mission is to mobilize people and organizations that inspire community change, presented the awards at an in-person breakfast on April 26 at Salem College’s Bryant Hall, for the first time since 2019.

Winners were selected by a volunteer committee from a diverse pool of nominees. Award recipients are: Dollie Jo Steelman (Animals); Ethan-Sharman B. King (Cultural); Camry Wilborn Mercer (Directors of Volunteers); Dinah Ashcraft (Disaster); Luis Nixon (Faith-Based Entity); Teresa Hampton, Keith Fowler, and Anne Morehead (Group/Team); Sara Quandt (Health and Human Services); Karla Mounts (Latino); David Roddick (Lifetime Achievement); Tiffany Parms (Marginalized Populations); Peter Jennings (Senior); Cindy Bay Wall (Serving Youth); Stan Shuman (Veteran/Military); and Ashley Silva Martinez (Youth).

The People’s Choice Award winner, chosen from among all of the nominees by voters at JournalNow.com, was Tiffany Parms, marking one of only a few times in the history of the People’s Choice Award that they chose a category winner. 

The program featured the winners sharing their individual and inspirational stories of service. The emcee was Shellie Sizemore of Wake Forest University’s Office of Civic and Community Engagement.

These volunteers give their time to a variety of different organizations. Dollie Jo Steelman works with individuals with disabilities and the horses they ride at Riverwood Therapeutic Riding Center.  Mr. King instills a sense of pride in the cultural history of the at-risk students enrolled in the SURGE program. Camry Wilborn Mercer mobilized the volunteer power of Wake Forest University students to create a 200-member strong virtual tutoring program during the height of the pandemic that continues today. 

Dinah Ashcraft worked tirelessly to share COVID-related information with her neighbors and other clients of Whole Man Ministry in order to keep others as safe as possible during the pandemic. Luis Nixon was honored for “loving the often unlovable” unhoused clients served by City with Dwellings. While the team of Teresa Hampton, Keith Fowler and Anne Morehead were recognized for helping SECU Family House more effectively make the house a home for families facing medical crises, one line of data at a time, Sarah Quandt does the same by providing home-cooked meals.

Karla Mounts redirected her life’s work to increasing the entrepreneurial spirit among Latinx students with her 2009 founding of Soy Emprendedor. David Riddick has culminated a lifetime of service by co-founding the The CARes Project as a non-profit community development financial institution that ensures credit-challenged adults can own their own cars. Tiffany Parms, who also won the People’s Choice Award at the event, works with LEAD Girls of NC to make sure that middle-school girls of color have what they need to succeed. Peter Jennings leads tough conversations that build relationships with his peers at The Shepherd’s Center of Greater Winston-Salem. 

Cindy Ball Wall knows first-hand the benefits of a school like The Center for Exceptional Children and works to create a high-quality learning experience for the children enrolled there. “Sweet” Stan Shuman understands the power of fresh-baked goods to spark joy within the clients of Trellis Supportive Care. High school student Ashley Silva Martinez works to recruit her Spanish-speaking peers to serve as part of the ViP Tutoring and Peer Guides Program. 

The Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards have been awarded by the Governor’s Office and its Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service for nearly 40 years. The award honors citizens who have shown significant concern and compassion for their neighbors through volunteer service. In Forsyth County, the awards were coordinated for over a dozen years by the United Way. Since 2007, the United Way and Hands-On NWNC have worked together to co-host the awards breakfast. Salem College joined the planning team in 2013, and, in 2014, The Winston-Salem Journal helped launch an online nomination and voting system for the awards, including a “People’s Choice Award.”