Nine Dare County residents receive 2022 N.C. Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards

The 2022 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards were presented to nine Dare County residents at the Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting that was held at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, 2022.

Each year, the Governor of North Carolina recognizes individuals and groups of people who have made a significant contribution to their community through their dedication to volunteer service.

Nominations are submitted to the governor’s office for the various types of volunteers, (senior, youth, faith-based, family, group, and business), as well as for various categories that are based upon the area of service a nominee volunteers within, (such as animal, environmental, preservation, youth, disaster, etc.).

Once award coordinators for the 100 counties around the state have submitted their top 10 volunteer nominations for their individual county, these recommendations are reviewed by the commission, and awards are given out in each of the counties.

This year, there were two Hatteras Island-based recipients of the North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards: Dennis Carroll and Jay Phillips.

About Dennis Carroll

Dennis Carroll received his 2022 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Award in honor of his volunteer service as president of the Cape Hatteras United Methodist Men (CHUMM), who serve the Hatteras Island community and beyond. Carroll was nominated by Lynne Foster and colleague Amberly Dyer.

“Over the nearly 15 years I have worked with Dennis, both personally and professionally, I most admire four significant qualities that make him and CHUMM stand above other organizations,” Dyer wrote in her nomination form. She continued by detailing these four qualities Carroll exhibits through his volunteer service to the community.

“First, integrity. While this may be presumed, it goes beyond financial integrity to include living his personal values and in steering the organization. Dennis exhibits kindness, compassion and willingness to walk in another’s shoes when considering how to help support their needs. He also consistently upholds the privacy of those the organization serves. In a rural area (Hatteras Island’s population is less than 6,000) with many families considered ‘working poor,’ privacy is critical to those served.

“Second, respect. Dennis treats clients, professional colleagues and volunteer collaborators with esteem and regard. Seeing the humanity in all people, he also understands the living and working knowledge we all possess. When differing points of view might result in a disagreement, Dennis works to find common ground and shared vision to achieve the goals of service to the community.

“Third, collaboration. The legacy and profound success of CHUMM results from the willingness of its leader and members to collaborate with government agencies (such as the Dare County Department of Social Services, Health Department and Emergency Management), other nonprofits (including the Hatteras Island Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Cape Hatteras Electric Foundation), and funding resources (including varied local churches and the Outer Banks Community Foundation).

“Fourth, creativity. Our community faces more than just electric cut-off notices, medication needs and food scarcity. Multiple weather events, including hurricanes, are a routine part of living on Hatteras Island. CHUMM worked with grants and donations to find solutions to stabilize housing for local working families that keep our community vibrant and strong. During long-term recovery efforts, CHUMM designated case managers to support families through the myriad of processes for success and stability.

Dyer went on to highlight several specific endeavors Carroll has undertaken in his volunteer work as the president of CHUMM in recent years, including the organization’s efforts to stabilize existing workforce housing on Hatteras Island by raising multiple mobile homes to prevent future losses to flood damage while stabilizing working families in our community.

Dyer also noted that, in the past five years, CHUMM has increased its preparedness for disasters by helping to create and support training for emergency response teams (ERTs), which are led by the Methodist churches but open for all in the community to participate. CHUMM has also collaborated more deeply with the Hatteras Island Community Emergency Response Team (Hatteras CERT) to streamline roles and share resources in emergency preparedness and response. In 2021, more ERT members were trained in disaster response preparedness.

In addition to these efforts, CHUMM also serves the gap needs in the community, which includes providing medical support, assistance with utility turn-offs, addressing food scarcity through its food pantry, helping senior citizens with home maintenance and continuing to help fund an online grief group for Dare County residents.

According to Dyer, “Dennis directs resources to the places where others cannot assist, allowing CHUMM’s flexibility to meet community needs in a profound and loving way. I have worked with Dennis as a county social worker, an ERT volunteer, a member of the Hatteras Island CERT board and a grief group facilitator. In every role and interaction, Dennis brings calm, a bit of humor, but most of all a deep caring and love for his community and beyond. Any and all recognition is readily deserved and highly recommended.”

About Jay Phillips

Jay Phillips received a 2022 Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for his volunteer service to the Hatteras Sailing Organization, a member-based nonprofit community organization that was created to encourage sailing and competitive opportunities for Hatteras Island youth. Phillips was nominated for the award by Jennifer Dunleavy, who is the parent of a Hatteras Sailing Organization participant.

“Jay Phillips, as the head of Hatteras Sailing Organization—and with his wife Meg’s assistance and even that of his young children—showed exceptional dedication to educating the youth of Hatteras Island on sailing,” Dunleavy wrote in her nomination form. “Historically a fishing community, Hatteras Island doesn’t have many sailors. Jay is giving a generation of Outer Banks kids a lifetime skill and appreciation for the sea-based economy and environment of Hatteras Island. Jay taught the kids to rig their own boats, how to navigate the tides and winds, how to participate in a regatta, and taught them about safety, teamwork and responsibility.”

Additional Dare County winners of the 2022 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards are as follows:

• Nancy Caviness, nominated by Don Kingston for her work with the Duck Volunteer Fire Department as well as various boards in Dare County.
• Phil Daniels, nominated by Taylor McConnell for his work with the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island.
• Andy Hatzigeorgiou, nominated by Spencer Gregory for his work with Dare County Parks and Recreation Department.
• Kathy Hershey and R.J. Mills, nominated by Jennifer Wooten for their work with the Dare County Friends of Youth Program.
• Rendy King, nominated by Elaine Reed for her work with Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church.
• Linda Palombo, nominated by Jenniffer Albanese for her work with Interfaith Community Outreach.

For more detailed information about each of Dare County’s 2022 award recipients and their dedication to the community through their volunteer service, visit https://www.darenc.com/government/governor-s-volunteer-service-award/2022-governor-s-volunteer-service-awards.

Any individual, group or business from the public, the nonprofit sector or the private sector can be nominated for the Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards.

If you know an individual or a group of people who have given substantial amounts of their time and talent to help others in the Dare County community, be sure to submit an application for the 2023 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards when nominations open later this year.

For more information about the North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards, contact Shannon Glaser at 252-475-5753 or Shannon.Glaser@DareNC.com.