The Hope Awards are presented by the Appalachian Center for Civic Life to six outstanding members of Emory & Henry College’s faculty, staff, a graduate and an undergraduate student, a community member and an organization or service project.
The recipients were honored by the Appalachian Center for Civic Life on Thursday, April 13, in the Copenhaver Lobby of the McGlothlin Center for the Arts. The Hope Award is presented each year to honorees who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to their community through service and a commitment to the greater good.
“Each year, the Appalachian Center for Civic Life is pleased to honor individuals and community groups who embody in extraordinary ways a sense of civic commitment and who are engaged in work that leads to the common good,” said Coordinator of Civic Engagement Projects at the Appalachian Center for Civic Life Megan Hamilton.
The recipients honored during the Hope Awards by the Appalachian Center for Civic Life on Thursday, April 13, 2023 are, from left to right, (top row) Madison Reeser, Kate Prager, Amanda Blevins, Lisa Benish, Keely Doyle, Oliva Jackson, Hermalla Legesse, (bottom row) Haleigh Cooper, Ginny Moorer, Tracey Wright, Allison Reilly, Kelly Hayes and Hayley Ritter.
The Hope Award for a member of the faculty was presented to Dr. Amanda Blevins, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Occupational Therapy Department. Blevins is a native of Southwest Virginia and attended Mary Washington College and King University and received her doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Belmont University. Prior to entering academia, she worked as an occupational therapist and rehab director in a local skilled nursing facility and with various home health agencies. While at Emory & Henry, she has sought to incorporate service learning in many of her classes. She is currently completing research on the effect of implicit bias on the delivery of healthcare services in rural areas in an effort to mitigate existing health disparities.
The staff recipient for the Hope Award was Tracey Wright, Dean of Student Affairs and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging at Emory & Henry College. Wright’s position allows her to utilize experiences from all of her higher education professional experiences as she works with students to create an inclusive and excellent learning environment, helps ensure that the campus is safe and secure, and engages with the broader community to ensure that the needs of Emory & Henry’s students are being understood and met.
Kate Prager, ‘23, was recognized as the undergraduate student recipient of the Hope Award. “My aspiration to serve others has been a driving factor in both my academic and extracurricular paths,” said Prager. Prager has led the civic engagement group, Civic Leader Scholars (CLS), started a Girl Scout troop at a local elementary school, became an active changemaker as senator and chief of staff for the student government association (SGA), and worked to plan the free Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic on Emory’s campus through the Pre-health club.
Kelly Hayes was the graduate student recipient of the Hope Award. Hayes returned to graduate school in 2021 and will be in the inaugural cohort in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in August of 2023. Since 2011, she has worked in the mental health and addiction field in some capacity. “It’s a humbling experience and honor to win this Hope Award. To me, being civically engaged in our community means paying it forward,” said Hayes.
The community member honored by the Appalachian Center for Civic Life with a Hope Award was Ginny Moorer, a graduate of Emory & Henry College. Ginny joined Mount Rogers Community Services Prevention and Wellness Team in 2021 as the Trauma Recovery Coordinator, which has led her to collaborate with the Appalachian Center for Civic Life on developing the C.H.A.T.S (Connecting Humans and Telling Stories) program. Ginny is also on the Resilience Council for the SWVA Trauma-Informed Community Network and chairs the Appalachian Community Connectors. She serves on Virginia’s Partnership for Equity Advisory Council and is a member of multiple regional coalitions.
The organization honored with a Hope Award was the Blue Ridge Discovery Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring, discovering, and sharing the natural history of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The group offers a variety of programs and projects including school programs, summer camps, naturalist rallies, research, and habitat restoration. With a world-class residential education facility, biological field station, and soon-to-be interpretative Visitor Center at the base of the highest mountain in Virginia, “we are the catalyst to reconnect our community with one of the greatest natural treasures in North America,” says executive director, Lisa Benish.
In addition to the Appalachian Center for Civic Life Hope Awards, the College Community Club sponsors a student project every year and awards that project with the Community Club Award which is worth $300. The student project awarded by the College Community Club was the E&H Thrift Store. Provided for Emory & Henry students, the E&H Thrift Store is unlike any other shopping experience. The store does not accept money for the exchange of clothing; instead, students can choose to “pay” for items in one of four ways: volunteering to work a 30-minute shift at the store, donating a gently used item for the store, sharing a social media post about the E&H Thrift Store or filling out a quick survey about the store at check out. Madison Reeser, a student involved with the store says, “this thrift store provides students with a no-cost, easily accessible, second-hand shopping experience.”
Learn more about the Appalachian Center for Civic Life at www.ehc.edu/civic-engagement
