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: Nabarun Dasgupta

by Jordan Beyle | Nov 17, 2025 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Nabarun Dasgupta. Dasgupta is an epidemiologist who heads up UNC's opioid data lab. They help people with substance use by giving them information about what substances they're actually using by analyzing...

Hometown Hero: Fred Black

by Jordan Beyle | Nov 10, 2025 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Fred Black. Black is a military veteran who spent three decades in the US armed forces who now dedicates his time to advancing veterans' interests and supporting their needs. He has worked to promote...

Hometown Hero: Skye David

by Jordan Beyle | Nov 3, 2025 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Skye David. David is the staff attorney for the NC Coalition Against Sexual Assault. NCCASA. They work across the state to prevent and respond to sexual violence, including on the UNC campus. David...

Hometown Hero: Desirée Davis-Omburo

by Jordan Beyle | Oct 27, 2025 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Desirée Davis-Omburo. Davis-Omburo has taught choral music and piano at East Chapel Hill High School for the last three decades and she's heading into retirement after this year. She's also taught at...

Hometown Hero: Janice Tyler

by Jordan Beyle | Oct 20, 2025 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Janice Tyler. Tyler is the director of Orange County's Department on Aging and has spent decades making our community a welcoming place for seniors. She's helped create and improve our two award winning...

Hometown Hero: Tammy Finch

by Jordan Beyle | Oct 13, 2025 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Tammy Finch. Finch is the co-founder and director of The Expedition School in Hillsborough, located in the Eno River Mill. It's a STEM focused school that's also full of art, music, poetry, and more. The...

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