The 2023 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards were presented to three Dare County residents at the Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting that was held on May 1.
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 2023 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards are as follows:
Kaye White, who was nominated by Taylor McConnell, received a 2023 Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for her work as a volunteer for the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island.
Paula Donaghy, who was nominated for the award by Cady Breslin, received a 2023 Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for her work as a volunteer for the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island.
Patricia “Patti” Bourexis, who was nominated by Mary Ann Williams and Kathleen Brehony, Ph.D., received the prestigious North Carolina Governor’s Medallion Award for Volunteer Service for her work as a volunteer for the Coastal Humane Society.
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 Bourexis was one of only 25 recipients of the prestigious award for 2023.
To learn more about this year’s winners, visit https://www.darenc.gov/government/governor-s-volunteer-service-award/2023-governor-s-volunteer-service-awards
