Governor Stein to Honor Hurricane Helene Heroes During North Carolina Awards

Today Governor Josh Stein will join the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources at the historic Grove Park Inn in Asheville for the 2025 North Carolina Awards. In addition to celebrating six North Carolina Award recipients, the Governor will recognize eight Helene Heroes. Proceeds from this year's North Carolina Awards will go to benefit Hurricane Helene relief. So far, nearly $200,000 have been raised to support Hurricane Helene recovery efforts through the North Carolina Community Foundation.

"In the face of incredible loss, thousands of Helene Heroes stepped up to serve their neighbors in ways large and small and to rebuild their communities," said Governor Josh Stein. "I'm honored to recognize some of these inspirational Helene Heroes - North Carolinians whose resilience, service, and creativity embody the best of our state. Tonight we honor their leadership by reaffirming our commitment to helping them recover and thrive."

The Helene Heroes are:

• Claire Neal, CEO of MANNA Food Bank. MANNA Food Bank operations were completely devastated by Hurricane Helene. In the face of that loss, Claire Neal and her team worked quickly to establish emergency distribution hubs at the Western North Carolina Farmers Market so they could continue getting food to the people who needed it most. In the first five months after the storm, MANNA distributed 9.2 million pounds of food to those in need.
• Matt Martinka and Nathan Curlee, Duke Energy. Matt Martinka, a Journeyman lineman in the Asheville area, and line apprentice Nathan Curlee hiked nearly two miles through storm-damaged terrain to perform the difficult work of restoring power to the Asheville VA Medical Center, which serves veterans in western North Carolina.
• Amanda Watts, Burnsville Field Hospital. Yancey County nurse Amanda Watts joined local colleagues to set up a field hospital at the Burnsville Fire Department to provide medical care to those in need after the storm.
• Pastor David Lewkowicz and DeLaina Lewkowicz, The Bridge Church. In Hendersonville, The Bridge Church worked with Mercy Chefs to serve thousands of hot meals to families whose homes were devastated by Hurricane Helene.
• Katherine and Eric Church, co-founders of Chief Cares. Award-winning singer-songwriter Eric Church and his wife, Katherine, raised millions of dollars through their nonprofit, Chief Cares, to build homes for people in western North Carolina who lost theirs due to Helene. Eric Church is also a 2022 NC Awards winner

The North Carolina Award was created by the General Assembly in 1961 to recognize significant contributions to the state and nation in the fields of fine arts, literature, public service, and science. Since the award's inception, more than 300 people have been honored by the state. Past recipients include William Friday, James Taylor, Etta Baker, Maya Angelou, Lee Smith, Eric Church, Selma Burke, and Branford Marsalis.

Related Topics: