Press release from Buncombe County:
Every year, Buncombe County honors community volunteers through the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award program. The program honors the true spirit of volunteerism by recognizing individuals, groups, and businesses that make significant contributions to their community through volunteer service. Created by the Office of the Governor in 1979, the award honors those people who have shown concern and compassion for their neighbors by volunteering in their local community.
Each county will select up to 10 individuals, businesses, groups/teams, and one paid Director of Volunteers to be recognized for their outstanding contributions to their communities. Buncombe County is seeking nominations from the public through Feb. 15, 2024. Any person, group, or entity from the public, nonprofit, and private sector may be nominated for an award, and one of the nominees will be nominated for the Governor’s Medallion Award for Volunteer service, awarded to the top 20 volunteers in the state.
Do you know someone who goes above and beyond? Governor’s Volunteer Service Award nominations can be submitted for volunteers who have provided service in a variety of different areas, including:
- Veteran/Military: providing volunteer services to military families and/or veterans
- Serving Youth: demonstrating an outstanding commitment to mentoring or educating youth
- Disaster: providing volunteer service in disaster preparedness, response, recovery, or mitigation
- Animals: demonstrating an outstanding commitment to volunteering with or for animals
- Environmental: providing an exceptional commitment to environmental stewardship
- Historically Marginalized Populations: providing a noteworthy dedication to assisting members of marginalized populations
- North Carolina Preservation: demonstrating a remarkable devotion to restoring or preserving the state’s history, culture, or the arts
- Health and Human Services: showing a remarkable dedication to individuals or groups in need
- Lifetime Achievement: exhibiting a lifelong commitment of 20-plus years to volunteerism and community service
Nominators can also select one of several different categories for the type of volunteer being nominated, including family, youth, senior, Latino, faith-based entity, corporate/business, group/team, national service member, director of volunteers (paid staff) and perseverance in volunteerism (an individual or team who has overcome significant personal obstacles and/or a mental or physical disability).
Nominees can be nominated for more than one category, and nominators are encouraged to check all categories that apply to their nominees. However, only one individual and/or one company/group/team/family should be nominated. Self-nominations are not permitted, and previous award winners from the past 10 years are not eligible.
If you would like to nominate a deserving volunteer, group, or organization there are two ways. Find a link to the online submission or download the nomination form from the Buncombe County website. If using the form, please email your nomination forms to jennifer.aviles@buncombecounty.org by Feb. 15, 2024.
In 2023, Asheville-Area Habitat for Humanity volunteers Tricia and Charlie Franck were recognized with a Medallion Award. The pair have been volunteering with the local nonprofit for more than 15 years. During that time, they helped develop and implement the Student Build program. Over six years, this initiative has grown to include six schools that have collectively helped raise $55,000 to sponsor a Habitat home with the students helping build it. Charlie has also helped with building homes, working in Habitat’s Restore, and more. Tricia has also been instrumental working with the Women Build program and serves on the Board of Directors.
Congratulations to the 2023 Governor’s Volunteer Service Award recipients for Buncombe County:
- Land of the Sky Association of REALTORS
- Medallion Award winners Tricia & Charlie Franck
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