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: Kevin ‘Kaze’ Thomas

by Staff | Nov 8, 2021 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Kevin "Kaze" Thomas! Host of "Inside Voices" on 97.9 The Hill, owner of Vibe House 405, director of Arts & Culture for the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, Kaze is a well-known local artist,...

Hometown Hero: Delores Bailey

by Staff | Nov 1, 2021 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Delores Bailey! Delores Bailey is the recent recipient of the NAACP's Lorie L. Graham award, and is known in our community for her involvement in EmPOWERment, Inc as executive director, and her...

Hometown Heroes: Brenda McGhee and Brian Lutz

by Staff | Oct 25, 2021 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Heroes, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, are Brenda McGhee and Brian Lutz! Both Brenda and Brian are retiring after years of service at the Timberlyne post office, and their nomination as Hometown Heroes comes from the folks they've worked...

Hometown Hero: Deborah Stroman

by Staff | Oct 18, 2021 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Heroes presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Deborah Stroman! A frequent guest on 97.9 The Hill, columnist on Chapelboro and figure in the University of North Carolina community and beyond, Deborah Stroman is this week's Hometown Hero...

Hometown Heroes: Kari Hamel and Seiji Stanford

by Staff | Oct 11, 2021 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Heroes, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, are Kari Hamel and Seiji Stanford! Kari and Seiji volunteer with Food For Students, and have been active participants in the program for several years, donating their time and effort on "Free Book...

Hometown Hero: John Sanders

by Staff | Oct 5, 2021 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is John Sanders! A posthumous Hometown Hero recipient, Sanders died on Wednesday, September 22, at 94. He was director of the UNC School of Government from 1962 to 1973, and again from 1979 to 1992...

On Air Now: 97.9 FM