Hometown Heroes

Nominate a Hometown Hero!

Hometown Hero: Danita Mason-Hogans

by Jordan Beyle | August 24, 2026 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by the O. Max Gardner Foundation, is Danita Mason-Hogans. Mason-Hogans recently took a team of local students across the American south as part of her own nonprofit Bridging the Gap centering on starting conversations based in...

Hometown Heroes: Madeline Blobe and Allison Worthy

by Jordan Beyle | August 17, 2026 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Heroes, presented by the O. Max Gardner Foundation, are Madeline Blobe and Allison Worthy. Blobe and Worthy are with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation. Every year since 2008, the Public School Foundation has hosted a teacher supply...

Hometown Hero: Kathy Allee

by Jordan Beyle | August 10, 2026 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by the O. Max Gardner Foundation, is Kathy Allee. Allee is a volunteer and parent mentor for Family Reading Partners. She is first in line for every need both big and small, from making treats for weekend getaways to organizing a...

Hometown Hero: Emily Sutton

by Jordan Beyle | August 3, 2026 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by the O. Max Gardner Foundation, is Emily Sutton. Sutton is the executive director and river keeper of the Haw River Assembly, a nonprofit whose mission is to restore and protect the Haw River, Jordan Lake, and the entire...

Hometown Hero: Mike Naglich

by Jordan Beyle | July 27, 2026 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by the O. Max Gardner Foundation, is Mike Naglich. Naglich is a retired nurse with a long career of heroic efforts around the world and his latest is a trip to Ukraine to deliver supplies for residents in the war zone. He's making...

Hometown Heroes: Todd LoFrese, TJ Laughrey, Andy Olson, and Jim Ray

by Jordan Beyle | July 20, 2026 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Heroes, presented by the O. Max Gardner Foundation, are Todd LoFrese, TJ Laughrey, Andy Olson and Jim Ray. They've spent the last few weeks biking across the country to raise awareness and money for the Be Loud Sophie Foundation in Chapel Hill....

Hometown Hero: Jennie Knowlton

by Jordan Beyle | July 13, 2026 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by the O. Max Gardner Foundation, is Jennie Knowlton. Knowlton is the founder of the Quilt Maker Cafe in Pittsboro. They first launched in 2021 as a mobile restaurant, but they just opened their first permanent location in May. The...

Hometown Hero: Andrew Taylor-Troutman

by Jordan Beyle | July 6, 2026 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by the O. Max Gardner Foundation, is Andrew Taylor-Troutman. Taylor-Troutman is the author of "Little Big Moments" on Chapelboro.com and the pastor at Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church. They've teamed up with a national...

Hometown Hero: Charles DeBose

by Jordan Beyle | June 29, 2026 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by O. Max Gardner Foundation, is Charles DeBose. DeBose's work supports not just one nonprofit but many. He serves as the director of operations for the Extraordinary Thrift Store where he does many different things. He also works...

Hometown Hero: Amy Slaughter

by Jordan Beyle | June 22, 2026 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by the O. Max Gardner Foundation, is Amy Slaughter. Slaughter is a realtor who works with the nonprofit Community Home Trust. Slaughter completes the home buying transaction, making sure the buyers are able to work with their...

Hometown Hero: Aaron Bachenheimer

by Staff | Oct 10, 2022 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week’s Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Aaron Bachenheimer! Bachenheimer is the executive director of off-campus student life and community partnerships at UNC and an organizer of the Good Neighbor Initiative, a program that welcomes students...

Hometown Hero: Willard Cotton

by Staff | Oct 3, 2022 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week’s Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Willard Cotton! Celebrating five decades of service with Piedmont Healthcare, Cotton has worked in several programs and capacities since 1972 and has -- without exaggeration -- personally helped thousands...

Hometown Hero: Ashton Tippins

by Staff | Sep 26, 2022 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week’s Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Ashton Tippins -- executive director of TABLE and celebrating her 10-year anniversary with the nonprofit this year! Tippins stands out for guiding TABLE's efforts to accomplish their primary mission of...

Hometown Hero: Aarya Potti

by Staff | Sep 19, 2022 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week’s Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Aarya Potti -- a Chapel Hill High School senior who launched Project Asha, a foundation inspired dedicated to improving lives across two continents. The inspiration and purpose behind Project Asha is...

Hometown Hero: Frances Shetley

by Staff | Sep 12, 2022 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week’s Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Frances Shetley -- longtime Carrboro resident, former member of the town's Board of Aldermen, founder of the beloved Community Garden Club, frequent volunteer, and recent recipient of North Carolina's...

Hometown Hero: Barbara Driscoll

by Staff | Sep 6, 2022 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week’s Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Barbara Driscoll – Audubon Society local chapter president, career retiree from decades of work with the Environmental Protection Agency, photographer, conservationist, and friend to pollinators of all...

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