Is it the hundreds or thousands of dollars they represent every week?
Is it additional services provided every day because of their presence?
Is it the technical, life and work experience they bring to a nonprofit?
Along with all of these reasons, the value of a Catawba County volunteer is also measured in every smile, handshake, hug and life changed because of the work they do for others.
On June 10, the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) hosted the annual Giving From the Heart (GFH) Volunteer Awards at Conover Station as a way to thank and recognize some of these local nonprofit heroes. Lunch was provided by Hickory Soup Kitchen.
This year’s group of 31 nominees was equally amazing as in the past with individuals who have donated their time for decades, to groups who never say no when presented a task and to youth who are setting a new standard for community outreach.
And once again, the winner of each nomination category received $500 from Piedmont Natural Gas to be paid to the non-profit organization of their choice.
Individual volunteer nominees
Ashley VanStry – The Kindness Project
Barbara Curtis – Women's Resource Center
Billy Howell, Jr. - Carolina Caring
Chris Oram – Safe Harbor Administration
Cynthia Martin – Sipe's Orchard Home
Dr. David Bost – Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry
Melissa Truesdale – Catawba Co. Long term Recovery Group
Phyllis Smith – Patric Beaver Learning Resource Center, Augustine Literacy Tutor
Randy Kauffman – Council on Adolescents of Catawba Co., Mentoring Program
Susan Underwood – Safe Harbor, Whole Woman program
Group and organizational nominees
Patrick Beaver Learning Resource Center – Augustine Tutors: Jim and Linda Nanney
Ashure Ministry – Authentic Church Volunteers: Too many to list.
Mary Doughty – Ashure Ministry
Sarah Huffman – Catawba Science Center
This content is sourced from
Catawba County United Way
. It reflects the author's views and has not been edited by our newsroom. It may have been generated using AI assistance.
