Hometown Heroes

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: Mary Lucas

by Jordan Beyle | June 15, 2026 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by the O. Max Gardner Foundation, is Mary Lucas. Mary Lucas is the founder of Long Leaf Animal Rescue in Hillsborough. After less than a year in operation, Long Leaf already has dozens of volunteers and and foster families rescuing...

Hometown Hero: Melissa Driver Beard

by Jordan Beyle | June 8, 2026 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by the O. Max Gardner Foundation, is Melissa Driver Beard. Driver Beard is the executive director of the CORA Food Pantry. They have been fighting hunger and food insecurity in Chatham County for years. CORA Food Pantry now has two...

Hometown Hero: Suzanne Tormollen

by Jordan Beyle | June 1, 2026 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by the O. Max Gardner Foundation, is Suzanne Tormollen. Tormollen is the director of marketing at TABLE, a beloved local nonprofit helping kids with food insecurity in Chapel Hill and Carrboro since 2008. Tormollen has been with...

Hometown Hero: Ivette Mercado

by Jordan Beyle | March 23, 2026 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Ivette Mercado. Mercado is a full time administrator at Glenwood Elementary School and for the last 23 years she has run the after school program at Dobbins Hill Community Center, helping hundreds of kids...

Hometown Hero: John Claude Bemis

by Jordan Beyle | Jul 28, 2025 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is John Claude Bemis. Bemis is an acclaimed writer, musician, and visual artist and is on the board of the Orange County Arts Commission. After the damage the Eno Arts Mill suffered in Tropical Depression...

Hometown Heroes: Damian Hoffman, Alex Nickodem, and Brian & Linda Sanders

by Jordan Beyle | Jul 21, 2025 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Heroes, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, are Damian Hoffman, Alex Nickodem, and Brian & Linda Sanders. Brian and Linda have picked up 1200 bags of litter around our community since the pandemic so they're no strangers to cleaning up around...

Hometown Hero: Steph Bryant

by Jordan Beyle | Jul 14, 2025 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Steph Bryant. Bryant is the organizer of the Carrboro Run Club. It started 15 years ago connected to Fleet Feet, but Bryant revived it independently when she moved to a new position. Since then, she has...

Hometown Hero: Mark Bell

by Jordan Beyle | Jul 7, 2025 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Mark Bell. Bell's quick thinking recently saved a life. Bell saw someone lying on the ground and immediately went to check on them, finding them unresponsive and convulsing. He called 911 and emergency...

Hometown Hero: John Badgett

by Jordan Beyle | Jun 30, 2025 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint is, John Badgett. Badgett has been the long time leader of a local nonprofit Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC Crime Stoppers. After 24 years, he is stepping down as the chairman of the nonprofit. Chapel...

Hometown Heroes: Owen Duffy and Grant Pierce

by Jordan Beyle | Jun 23, 2025 | Hometown Heroes, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Heroes, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, are Owen Duffy and Grant Pierce. Duffy and Pierce are members of the UNC men's lacrosse team and they were just named teammates of the year by the nonprofit Team Impact. Team Impact matches college teams...

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