Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / May 19, 2016, edition 1 / Page 10
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Submitted ptuxo The Winston-Salem Foundation (WSF) pre sented the 2016 ECHO Awards to five recipi ents, who are shown with others in the photo. On the front row (L-R) are Laurie Coker, WSF Committee Member Silvia Ramos, Robin Embry, Sylvia Oberle, Dr. Carolyn Pedley of Goler Community Garden. On the back row (L-R) are WSF Committee Chair Stan Kelly, Chris Dyer and . Drew Dixon of F3 Winston-Salem and Robert Jones of Goler Community Garden SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE The Winston-Salem Foundation hosted its annual Community Luncheon on May 4 with a record-breaking crowd of over 1,200 community members in attendance. The Foundation also announced the recipients of the 2016 Winston-Salem Foundation Award and the 2016 ECHO Awards. The keynote speaker was Jamie Vollmer, an engaging speaker, author, and public education advo cate working to raise public support for America's schools. Once a harsh crit ic, he has become an artic ulate champion of America's public schools. In 2010, he published the book "Schools Cannot Do It Alone." Over the past 20 years he has worked with educators, parents, and community leaders across the country to secure the understanding, trust, and support they need to help local school systems increase student success. The Winston-Salem Foundation Award was established in 1996 and is* given to individuals who demonstrate the Foundation's values of generosity, excellence, inclusion, and integrity along with visionary leadership in a community activity or on behalf of a community organization, particularly in the recent past. 2016 Winston-Salem Foundation Award winner Sylvia Oberle recently retired as executive direc tor of Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County, a posi tion she has held since 2006. Foundation officials said in a news release that under her leadership, Oberle has redefined what Habitat has been able to accomplish, expanding its impact throughout the community in innovative ways and positively impacting Habitat and non Habitat homeowners alike. Oberle has led Habitat's Neighborhood Revitalization program, transforming blocks in the Boston-Thurmond neighborhood, where now new Habitat homes and families are complement ing newly-renovated and remodeled homes. She led the opening of the new Habitat ReStores in Winston-Salem and Kernersville. Through pri vate fundraising efforts steered by Oberle, a former furnishings building and warehouse were remodeled to serve as Habitat's new headquarters, with Oberle, staff, and the board deciding to locate in the very neighborhood in which so much of Habitat's work is taking place. Its new education center now offers space for hands-on workshops on home repairs - both Habitat homeowners and community members are now benefitting from these classes .Oberle is a transformative leader who has opened dialogue about how to improve neighbor hoods .She brings together people of diverse back grounds, ethnicities, and faiths. She has made sure homeowners have a voice in the rehabilitation of their areas .With this recognition comes a $10,000 Foundation grant, which Oberle has designat ed to two organizations - Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County and to the Bethesda Center. 2016 ECHO Awards The Foundation pre sented the 2016 ECHO Awards to five recipients who are creatively building social capital. Each recipient is uniquely connecting people and building trust among people in order to make our community stronger and each will receive $1,000 to grant to a nonprofit organization of their choice. ^Laurie Coker - Embry is a social capital builder for individuals with mental health challenges. In 2012, she founded the GreenTree Peer Center, a peer-operated support center where diverse community members form meaningful relation ships ? finding hope, health, and mental wellbe ing. Lasting bonds have also formed between serv ice providers and clients who are homeless or in transition. ?Robin Embry - In 2011, Embry founded the Carolina Center for Cognitive Rehabilitation, which empowers individu als living with cognitive and communication disor ders resulting from brain injury or stroke. She uses a group and peer mentor model that breaks down walls of isolation while creating lasting relation ships among a diverse pop ulation, spanning race, age, gender, and income level. *F3 Winston-Salem - Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith is an informal group connecting men of all ages, backgrounds, and fitness levels through free outdoor workouts. According to its nominator, "sweat is a great equal izer" no matter who you are, and since 2014 the group has created relationships and a strong physical, mental, and spiritual support sys tem for a very diverse group of men, including homeless guests at Samaritan Ministries. ?Goler Community Garden at the Downtown Health - Founded in 2009, this garden is located on the campus of the Downtown Health Plaza. Initially led by six physicians, it has flourished to become a community-led gathering space where the medical community, patients, neighborhood residents, and community groups are working together and building community. Diverse city residents are connecting ? sharing sto ries, gardening tips, and healthy recipes as they tend the garden. ?Sylvia Oberle Oberle has led the transfor mation of neighborhoods and built innumerable trusting relationships in our city thanks to her inclu sive leadership. From Habitat's Unity Buildsthat intentionally includes many faiths and ethnicities, to its neighborhood revital ization programs, Oberle has purposefully led the effort to bridge social capi tal among diverse commu nity members, whether vol unteers, homeowners, or neighbors, while empower ing residents to create change based on their own assets, skills, and talents. (Note: Oberle also received The Winston Salem Foundation Award.) City approves airport deal with County BY TODD LUCK THE CHRONICLE ' The Winston-Salem City Council approved an agreement with Forsyth County to provide capital funding for the Smith Reynolds Airport during its Monday, May 16 meeting. Approved last week by Forsyth County Commissioners, the inter local eight-year agreement has the city and county each providing $150,000 annually for capital uses at the airport, which is located off Liberty Street. It's the result of negotiations between the city and coun ty, after stormwater fees and city property taxes had become a source of tension between the two govern ments. The county, which owns the airport, and Airport Commission, which runs it, said the taxes and fees made it less com petitive and had begun to explore the idea of de annexing the airport. The new agreement is contin , gent on the airport remain ing part of the city. At last week's finance committee meeting, City Council members said they were glad they'd resolved the airport issue. "We have an airport that survives and that's what it does, it survives," said finance committee chair Robert Clark. "This challenges the airport authority to give us an air port that thrives." I During the committee meeting. Airport Commissipn chair Scott Piper also said he was ?The council approved a $13 million no-interest ioan for S.G. Atkins Community Development "I can't think of another time in history that the coun ty and the city got together in an economic development light for the benefit of the airport." -Scott Piper, Airport Commission chair "excited" about the deal. ' "I can't think of another time in history that the county and the city got together in an economic development light for the benefit of the airport," said Piper. .. Now it's incum bent on us to get creative and think of ways that we can grow this." The city's public works committee is still exploring the possibility of stormwa ter fee credits for business es that install stormwater reduction measures. Also during Monday's meeting: i->? "The city sold a 7,500 square foot building in Brook wood Business Park for $525 000 to Dr. Cullen Taylor of Carolina Tissue Initiative LLC, whose trade name is GLAS. GLAS pro vides human tissue for research. The business park is located off Liberty Street and is near Piedmont Park and the airport. \ Corporation for the construction of ten addi tional houses in the Ridgewood Place subdivi sion. ?Dan Besse was the sole "no" vote on a speed cushion for Kingstree Neighborhood, which was supported by most resi dents, because he said that such traffic-calming meas ures are being overused and may hinder some emergency vehicles. ?During the public comment session, two speakers asked for a ban on wild circus animals like the ones used by Ringling Bros. Circus, saying that the treatment of those ani mals is unnatural, inhu mane and can result in dan gerous situations for humans who come in con tact with them. City Council Member James Taylor said he'd research the issue and bring a reso lution. Have an Opinion? Let us Know letters@wschronicle.com The north Carolina Black Repertory Company. Inc. HanesBrands Theatre ** 209 It Spruce Street** Winston-Salem, NC - fcr KM NKtam ad aore Wo. 01 (336) 7234266 * vM mjAlMtomort BIACK THMTM IS FOR eVERyONB Minr r ? n^nmr n n i i * \ n tu*?iw<*r^?arfy < n1 ? | ? (jcxnct n ? -j *- i ? ? ?-"??W* : "? . js ?
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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May 19, 2016, edition 1
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