The 2024 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards were presented to 10 Dare County residents at the Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting that was held at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 7, 2024.
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 (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.
Dare County’s winners of the 2024 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards are as follows:
Lee Goldman, who was nominated by Bonnie Rowe, received a 2024 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for his work as volunteer for the Colington Volunteer Fire Department, Toys for Tots of Dare County and the annual Outer Banks 9/11 Memorial Walk.
Karen DeBellis, who was nominated by Jenniffer Albanese, received a 2024 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for her work as a volunteer for Interfaith Community Outreach and Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church.
Colette Mainardi Walker, who was nominated for the award by Elaine Walls Reed, received a 2024 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for her work as a volunteer for Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church, Monarch Lighthouse Club of Currituck and Monarch Beach Club of Manteo.
Lisa Minerich, who was nominated by Kelly Lambroff, received a 2024 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for her work as a volunteer for the Thomas A. Baum Senior Center in Kill Devil Hills, Meals on Wheels program and the Town of Southern Shores/Southern Shores Civic Association.
Marvin “Fred” Parker, who was nominated by Roanoke Island Volunteer Fire Department Chief William Walker, received a 2024 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for his work as a volunteer for the Roanoke Island Volunteer Fire Department.
Cathy and Paul Lesiewicz, who were nominated by Taylor McConnell, have each received a 2024 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for their work as volunteers for the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island.
Susan Lee, who was nominated by Molly McGinnis, has received a 2024 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for her work as a volunteer for the Children & Youth Partnership for Dare County.
Virginia “Ginny” Flowers, who was nominated by Outer Banks Community Foundation President and CEO Chris Sawin, as well as her fellow volunteer Patricia Bourexis and her friend MaryAnn Toboz, received a 2024 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for her work as a volunteer for Dare Arts (formerly the Dare County Arts Council), the Town of Nags Head Arts and Culture Committee and Coastal Humane Society.
Deborah “Debbie” Swick – North Carolina Governor’s Medallion Award
Deborah “Debbie” Swick, who was nominated by fellow volunteer Lisa Minerich, fellow volunteer and friend Wanda Gail Sitterson, and friend and neighbor Latisa Head, received the prestigious North Carolina Governor’s Medallion Award for Volunteer Service.
The North Carolina Governor’s Medallion Award for Volunteer Service—which is North Carolina’s highest volunteer honor—was implemented in 2006 and is held in conjunction with the North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards each year. The award is designed to recognize the top 20-25 volunteers within the entire state, and Swick was one of only 25 recipients of the prestigious award for 2024.
Swick received the award in recognition of her work as a volunteer for numerous local organizations, including the Southern Shores Civic Association, Town of Southern Shores, Chicahauk Property Owners Association, Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (N.E.S.T.), Beach Food Pantry, Better Beaches OBX, Town of Kill Devil Hills Trash Attack, Dunes of Dare Garden Club, Outer Banks Woman’s Club, Mammal Stranding NPS, Outer Banks Seafood Festival, Outer Banks Anglers Club and Ban Balloons N.C.
For more detailed information about each of Dare County’s 2024 award recipients and their dedication to the community through their volunteer service, please click here.
Any individual, group or business from the public, the nonprofit sector or the private sector can be nominated for the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award. 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 2025 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, please contact Shannon Glaser at 252-475-5753 or Shannon.Glaser@DareNC.gov.