March 2013
BAND TOGETHER co-founder Danny Rosin 
Raleigh, NC

Mountaire Farms is proud to present Danny Rosin, co-founder of Band Together in Raleigh North Carolina with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for March 2013. His commitment to producing quality entertainment in order to raise money for local organizations in need has generated $2.1 million dollars in charitable giving since 2001.

The Mountaire Better Carolina Award is a monthly honor designed to highlight local individuals, businesses, civic organizations or classrooms who are going above and beyond in their effort to assist others in the community or to improve and protect the local environment.

What is Band Together? They are a volunteer led organization comprised of people of various ages and backgrounds who operate on 100% heart. The group was founded in 2001 with just 5 friends and now they have grown to more than 512 strong.

Their story began years ago in the wake of September 11, 2001, when a strong network of entrepreneurial friends led by Danny Rosin decided to rise up and take action to make a difference in the world. Together they formed Band Together and backed it with a mission to raise funds for select Triangle nonprofits through events that showcase and support musical talent.

Since then Band Together has evolved into fully recognized 501(c)(3) run entirely by volunteers. To date, they have donated $2.1 millsion to 12 deserving nonprofits like the Boys and Girls Club, Urban Ministries and the Special Olympics.

For his leadership and the continued support Band Together provides to non-profits in eastern North Carolina, Danny Rosin was presented with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for March 2013.

February 2013
Sandy Spooner & Horse Hugs


Mountaire Farms is proud to present Sandy Spooner and her Horse Hugs organization with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for February 2013. Her commitment to her animals and bringing joy to those in need of comforting is what this award is all about.

The Mountaire Better Carolina Award is a monthly honor designed to highlight local individuals, businesses, civic organizations or classrooms who are going above and beyond in their effort to assist others in the community or to improve and protect the local environment.

Sandy Spooner founded Horse Hugs in 2001, since then this all volunteer non-profit group has been using miniature horses to visit patients in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, assisted care centers, special needs children, at-risk teens, prisons and juvenile detention centers; their goal being to bring joy to the faces of those patients who might otherwise be lonely, bored or even depressed.

Not only does this benefit those who are visited, but teaching children at a young age to respect and treat animals with kindness is an important part of Horse Hug's work in the community.

In addition to Horse Hug's core mission of animal therapy, Sandy also provides safe haven for abused, neglected, abandoned or unwanted minis. After allowing them to recover from any abuse or mistreatment, Sandy trains them to be therapy animals. For more info visit the Horse Hugs web site at www.horsehugs.net.

For all of her efforts, Sandy Spooner was presented with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for February 2013 and will be featured on select WRAL-TV commercial vignettes in the hope her story will inspire others to Better Carolina.

January 2013
Suzanne L. Brown of Source Force
Raleigh, NC

(Raleigh, NC) Mountaire Farms is proud to present Suzanne Lewis Brown of Source Force with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for January 2013. Her unwavering commitment in support of the HIV/AIDS community over the past 20 years is what this award is all about.

The Mountaire Better Carolina Award is a monthly honor designed to highlight local individuals, businesses, civic organizations or classrooms who are going above and beyond in their effort to assist others in the community or to improve and protect the local environment.

The mission of Source Force, an all- volunteer 501©(3) organization, is to bring comfort into the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS who are at or below the poverty line by providing social activities each month along with necessities such as clothing, household items, and groceries--all free of charge.

Suzanne, who recently celebrated her 70th birthday, has not slowed down one bit. She is a strong, dynamic grassroots advocate for people with HIV/AIDS to live with dignity. Part storyteller, part mother figure, part insistent cajoler. . .and all heart, Suzanne consistently finds a way to give clients what they need--on a shoestring budget. She works tirelessly on behalf of a cause that matters deeply to her--from requesting donations to visiting homebound clients, she is working to make lives better.

Think back to the early days of the AIDS epidemic and you'll recall the fear and stigma associated with the disease; Suzanne fought the detractors because she believed it was important to look beyond the virus to see the heartaches and challenges of people living with the illness. That spirit of deep compassion still drives the organization today. Clients often say Source Force is the one (and only) place they feel valued and loved . . . that is a true testament to the impact of Suzanne's vision and her work.

For Suzanne and the other volunteers, the work is not done for the glory of awards but for the opportunity to touch lives in a meaningful way. A group of 10 regular volunteers helps more than 500 clients over the course of a year. And quite honestly, the organization is 100% dependent on the generosity of the community for its operational support, the opportunity to be recognized with the award would help bring awareness to Source Force at a time when HIV/AIDS has all but left the headlines, yet the need for support is still critical.

It would mean so much to give Suzanne the award she richly deserves because the recognition would also help ensure her life's work will have the support to continue for years to come. Most importantly, Suzanne leads an organization that seeks to give people self-esteem and encouragement to live their best possible lives — a gift to them and to the community at large and that is noteworthy indeed. For more information and to see words from clients about what Source Force means to them, please visit source-force.org. Thank you. – Melanie Davis-Jones

For all of her efforts, Suzanne Brown was presented with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for January 2013 and will be featured on select WRAL-TV commercial vignettes in the hope her story will inspire others to Better Carolina.

DECEMBER 2012
ANDRE J. GREEN - Stepping Stones Community Resources
Raleigh, NC 

(Raleigh, NC) Andre Green, a single parent with two children, works two jobs and still makes time to volunteer in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. His efforts to fight substance abuse and support and nurture youth sports go a long way in helping make his community a better and safer place to live. This is why Andre was chosen as the Mountaire Better Carolina Award recipient for the month of December 2012.

The Mountaire Better Carolina Award is a monthly honor designed to highlight local individuals, businesses, civic organizations or classrooms who are going above and beyond in their effort to assist others in the community or to improve and protect the local environment.

According to long time friend Courtney Williams, “Andre has always been the type to help others through volunteer work. He loves to give back to the community wherever he is needed. I feel like he goes above and beyond and it doesn’t get recognized enough…He works hard to support his children and still finds the time to give back”.

When he is not working or coaching his sons youth basketball team, Andre is spending countless hours helping to establish substance abuse programs for the Raleigh area. His efforts include the North Carolina Second Chance Association and the recent opening of Stepping Stones Community Resources, a substance abuse center serving eastern Wake County.

For all of his efforts, Andre Green was presented with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for December 2012 and will be featured on select WRAL-TV commercial vignettes in the hope his story will inspire others to Better Carolina.

November 2012
Rev. Hugh Hollowell and Love Wins Ministries
Raleigh, NC

(Raleigh, NC) Love Wins Ministries, a faith-based organization in Raleigh, has made it their mission to provide unconditional love and relationship to the homeless and housing insecure in the Raleigh area. By providing a sense of community and an environment conducive to learning life and job skills, they are placing many less fortunate individuals on a path to successful living. For their efforts Love Wins Ministries has been honored with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for November 2012.

The Mountaire Better Carolina Award is a monthly honor designed to highlight local individuals, businesses, civic organizations or classrooms who are going above and beyond in their effort to assist others in the community or to improve and protect the local environment.

By providing the essentials to make a better a life, starting with prayer and friendship, Love Wins has created an atmosphere of potential for those individuals who turn to them in times of need. Beyond prayer and friendship, Love Wins Ministries also provides essentials like Breakfast in the Park, a weekend gathering where hot coffee and sausage biscuits are made available to all. From their small sanctuary on West Jones Street they also provide a washer and dryer for laundry, provide hygiene packs, clothing and shoes, internet access for job hunting and counseling services when there is nowhere else to turn.

For all of this and so much more, Rev. Hugh Hollowell and Love Wins Ministries were presented with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for November 2012 and will be featured on select WRAL-TV commercial vignettes in the hope their story will inspire others to Better Carolina.
 

October 2012:
Suzanne Stott - 4th Grade Teacher
Wells Elementary School, Wilson, NC

(Wilson, NC) Preparing today’s youth for tomorrows America; that is the mission for Suzanne Stott of Wilson, North Carolina. The 4th grade teacher at Wells Elementary School, like teachers all across the country, is doing her part to better her community on a daily basis through her work in teaching and leading her students. It’s for these efforts Suzanne was chosen as the Mountaire Better Carolina Award recipient for October 2012.

The Mountaire Better Carolina Award is a monthly honor designed to highlight local individuals, businesses, civic organizations or classrooms who are going above and beyond in their effort to assist others in the community or to improve and protect the local environment. 

Becoming a teacher was a goal of Suzanne Stott’s since her days in high school. She attended East Carolina University on the Pee Wee and Myrtle Owens Scholarship, which requires the recipient to return to the Wilson County school system to teach upon graduation. That was over seven years ago. Today she has her Master’s in Education degree and specializes in working with the at-risk students in her school. Like most teachers Suzanne gives much of her time and money to buy supplies, decorations and treats for her classroom. She is also the Leadership Team Chairperson, the schools Heart Walk Co-Chair and the director of the Beaver News Network, which is the Wells Elementary internal news program.

“When is a teacher a leader? Every time she/or he enters a classroom of students. How very important to the students, families, school and the community in which they live, is the action and reaction from teacher to student during a day in the classroom. It’s life-changing for some, and energizing for most that live by the word and book of classroom study and professional caring and compassion. 

Suzanne Scott is a 4th grade educator who came to the Wilson County school system right out of college to begin her apprenticeship in the teaching trade and found a home and purpose more than seven years ago. She loves what she is doing and it is reflective in her work with at-risk students.
Like many educators who are passionate about their teaching Suzanne doesn’t adhere to an 8-hour day. She is constantly looking for ways, many times spending her own money to improve her classroom and its surrounding s to provide a better education and environment for her students. She’s a dedicated educator and friend to those who appreciate her outreach. 

Deserving and inspiring to all who know her, Suzanne Scott is more than entitled to receive the Mountaire Better Carolina Award.” - Roger Marino, Mountaire Corporate Communications and Community Relations Director. 

For her continuous efforts to provide a great atmosphere for learning and her penchant for helping teach at-risk youth, Suzanne Stott was presented with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for October 2012 and will be featured on select WRAL-TV commercial vignettes in the hope her story will inspire others to Better Carolina. 

September 2012
Scott Merritt of the Wendell United Methodist Church
Wendell, NC
 
(Wendell, NC)  Throughout America, as hunger continues to grow, it seems more and more brave souls are willing to step-up and fight the hunger that’s building up in their own backyard.  This month’s Mountaire Better Carolina Award recipient is one such individual.  Scott Merritt, a 63 year old self-employed house painter, saw the need in his small town community of Wendell, North Carolina, and has lead the charge in developing two outreach programs through Wendell United Methodist Church.  His work includes an emergency food pantry and Divine Tilth, a gardening ministry, both of which are providing food to those in need.  For these efforts and more, Scott Merritt was honored with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for September 2012.

The Mountaire Better Carolina Award is a monthly honor designed to highlight local individuals, businesses, civic organizations or classrooms who are going above and beyond in their effort to assist others in the community or to improve and protect the local environment. 

Without a reliable food pantry, Scott, along with his wife Debbie and other members of the church saw an ongoing and growing need for food.  Families within their own congregation as well as outside walk-ins were repeatedly asking for help with food.   The group did some research, secured funding from Missions and Outreach programs, had refrigerators and freezers donated, and set up their own Wendell UMC pantry with morning, evening, and weekend hours.   Since the day the pantry doors opened, Scott Merritt has been involved as a volunteer doing intake paperwork, bagging food, stocking shelves, and helping with the shopping.   The other volunteers are also quick to point out Scott’s gift for putting people at ease who are embarrassed about asking for help. 

Aside from the pantry, Scott has used his passion for gardening and music to help in other areas.  He took his love for gardening and turned it into a ministry, bringing fresh vegetables and fruits from his garden to the pantry for people to take home with them. He even created a second garden at the church's parsonage in order to grow more vegetables to give away.   And once a month during the church's free community dinner, Table of Grace, Scott provides free entertainment; singing and playing his guitar and harmonica for those at the gathering. 

“When you are a self employed house painter, every weathering minute of every waking day is a welcome contribution to the progress and production of your income and creative success.

For Scott Merritt, he has mastered the technique of balancing the good days and the not-so-good weather days to help those who are in need. Scott makes the time to reach out to those in his church community providing food from the garden to the plate. Nothing is too difficult for Scott and his ministry. At the drop of his paint brush and a leap from the ladder, Scott Merritt is always faithful to meet the charge for his fellow man. 

And for Scott’s continuous love, joy, peace and patience as a devoted community leader we publically recognize his outstanding efforts and contributions to the Wendell United Methodist Church and community.”  -  Roger Marino, Mountaire Corporate Communications and Community Relations Director

For his continuous efforts to help others in the Wendell community where he lives, works, plays and prays, Scott Merritt was presented with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for September 2012 and will be featured on select WRAL-TV commercial vignettes in the hope his story will inspire others to Better Carolina. 

August 2012
Vickie Curtis of the East Wake Relay for Life
Wendell, NC

(Wendell, NC)  Somewhere in Wendell, North Carolina, Victoria Curtis is undoubtedly giving her time the community she calls home.  Her dedication to the fight against Cancer and eagerness to volunteer at the Wendell Baptist Church to help others in need have earned her the honor of being named the Mountaire Better Carolina Award recipient for August 2012.

The Mountaire Better Carolina Award is a monthly honor designed to highlight local individuals, businesses, civic organizations or classrooms who are going above and beyond in their effort to assist others in the community or to improve and protect the local environment. 

For the past ten years Vickie Curtis has dedicated a part of her life to supporting, organizing and leading the East Wake Relay for Life event held at Five County Stadium, home of the Carolina Mudcats baseball team.  Each year both her participation and passion for the event has grown as she has gone from a team volunteer, to team captain, to honorary chair, to chair person of the entire event.  Through her leadership, encouragement and motivational efforts the East Wake Relay for Life has grown to include over 700 participants and raise more than $110,000 each year, all which goes to the American Cancer Society.  When she is not fully engulfed in organizing for Relay for Life, Vickie is known to give her time for various local fundraising events, usually working in the kitchen to help prepare the food to each one. 

Fellow Relay for Life volunteer Barbara Groves says, “Vickie would give the shirt off her back if it would help someone.”

“If it wasn’t for the efforts of non-profit organizations such as Relay for Life we wouldn’t have volunteers the calibre of Vickie Curtis who gives her all for the good of the community and organization.

Hard working, dedicated to the cause with a heart of gold, this young lady is more than a role model in the communities where she devotes her time and energy. More time and effort than most people spend on the job every day.

It isn’t easy managing 700 participants to raise well over a hundred thousand dollars each year. And she does it with the dedication of a surgeon who’s goal s parallel Vickie’s : to eradicate cancer. And  with the compassion of a member of the clergy and the exacting analysis of the doctor, Vickie Curtis organizes the army  of volunteers to march toward victory on the battlefield of science. A battle that needs to be won with the infusion of money from a caring community and its leader.”  Roger Marino, Mountaire Communication and Community Relations Director.

For her continuous efforts to help others in the Wendell community where she lives, works, plays and prays, Vickie Curtis was presented with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for August 2012 and will be featured on select WRAL-TV commercial vignettes in the hopeher story will inspire others to Better Carolina.

July 2012
Phil Cunningham - Raleigh Rescue Mission
Raleigh, NC 

(Raleigh, NC)  On Wednesday, June 20^th while volunteering at the Raleigh Rescue Mission, WRAL-TV and Mountaire Farms surprised Phil Cunningham with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for July 2012.  For the past six years Cunningham has given his time to help others in need at the Rescue Mission, working in the kitchen three and sometimes four days a week.  His dedication to serving others in the Raleigh community made him a deserving recipient of the Better Carolina Award.

 The Mountaire Better Carolina Award is a monthly honor designed to highlight local individuals, businesses, civic organizations or classrooms who are going above and beyond in their effort to assist others in the community or to improve and protect the local environment. 

Aside from his work with the Raleigh Rescue Mission, whose services include; serving the homeless, recovery and rehabilitation and child development, Phil Cunningham spends part of the year in Haiti with the organization Samaritan’s Purse as they work set-up relief programs in the region.

“Phil is one of our most dedicated volunteers.  He helps in the kitchen and is famous for his grilling and cooking techniques.”says Holly Cook, Director of Volunteer Ministry at the Raleigh Rescue Mission, “He is a wonderful ambassador for us, singing our praises wherever he goes.”

“When we speak of the Good Samaritan” we think of the biblical story and the good work of someone helping others around the world. When I see Phil Cunningham I see a man who is doing God’s work at home in North Carolina. 

We at Mountaire have always subscribed to the belief that you don’t have to go 7,000 miles from home to find people in need. You don’t have to travel 700 miles from home to find people in need. You don’t have to go 7 miles from home to find people in distress. Within 7 minutes from your church, or home there are people in critical distress and need of food and shelter. Phil Cunningham makes it his life’s work to accommodate those persons and families by reaching out to them with food, shelter and clothing. He cares and shows it by doing the right things every day of his life. 

Some people say that he has mastered the art of cooking for many with any utensil, apparatus and food source at hand. Phil has also mastered the art of reaching out with a comforting word and gesture to those who are hurting with the pain of hunger and grief. 

And so we at Mountaire Farms are grateful to all who sent us to Phil Cunningham and present him with the  BETTER CAROLINA AWARD. “   Roger Marino, Mountaire Farms Corporate Communications and Community Relations Director.

For his continuous efforts to help others in the Raleigh community and around the globe, Phil Cunningham was presented with the Mountaire Better Carolina Award for July 2012 and will be featured on select WRAL-TV commercial vignettes in the hope his story will inspire others to Better Carolina.

June 2012
Gloriesrenea Stackhouse
Fayetteville, NC

(Fayetteville, NC)  On Wednesday, June 6^th at an awards banquet in Lumberton, North Carolina, Gloriesrenea Stackhouse of Fayetteville, NC, was honored with the inaugural Mountaire Better Carolina Award for her efforts with special needs children and families in Robeson County. 

A mother of three and retired paramedic, Renea (as she is called by her friends) has never wavered in her desire to care for others.  Since retiring she has founded the advocate group Bringing About Change, which works with families and students with special needs in the hope of preventing school drop outs and other behavioral problems.  She regularly attends juvenile court as an advocate for juvenile justice and fairness for youth.  Renea also holds a North Carolina State license for therapeutic foster care and is actively caring for two therapeutic children.  Beyond her efforts to support local adolescence, she is also the first female to hold the office of President for the Unified Robeson County Branch of the NAACP.

“Gloriesrenea Stackhouse represents all the good things we are attempting to promote in the search for those who are doing the right things in the places where we live, work, play and pray. 

Gloriesrenea Stackhouse has devoted countless days and nights in the support and caring for young people who are at personal risk, in need of a mentor, nurse and helping hand. She is the pat on the back, the kind word in the hospital and the personal support in the educational institutions and in the courtroom for children who are at risk to fall short of making it without strong, caring leadership.

We are thankful and happy to present Ms Stackhouse with the first Mountaire Better Carolina Award and expect her advocacy for justice and therapeutic care will be the role model of excellence for others to follow in pursuit of this banner award. 

Also, we ask our readers to tell us, so that we can shout it out to others, about those individuals, or organizations that are doing the right (good) things in any North Carolina community.” Roger Marino, Mountaire Corporate Communications-Community Relations Director.

For her continuous efforts to help others in her local community, Renea Stackhouse was presented with the very first Mountaire Better Carolina Award and will be featured on select WRAL-TV commercial vignettes in the hope her story will inspire others to Better Carolina. 

About the Mountaire Better Carolina Award:

The Better Carolina Award is a monthly honor designed to highlight local individuals, businesses, civic organizations or classrooms who are going above and beyond in their effort to assist others in the community or to improve and protect the local environment.  

“Our goal is not only to recognize those who are already making a difference in the state of North Carolina, but to encourage others to take on a greater role in bettering their local communities or improving the local environment. A fireman, policeman, or anyone who is an active volunteer at community events, helping others in a local hospital, teaching in a classroom, providing for the homeless, or something as simple as cleaning up the trash along our roadways, can be a candidate for this award.”  – Roger Marino, Corporate Community Relations Director, Mountaire Farms