Hometown Heroes

Hometown Hero: Ivette Mercado

by Jordan Beyle | March 23, 2026 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, 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: Pat Richardson

by Jordan Beyle | March 16, 2026 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Pat Richardson. Richardson is the founder of the Monet Richardson Community Foundation. The MRCF is named after Pat's daughter Krissy, a hometown hero in her own right, who launched a program with the...

Hometown Hero: Carol Chandler and Cindi Ebert

by Jordan Beyle | March 9, 2026 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Heroes, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, are Carol Chandler and Cindi Ebert. Chandler and Ebert were both recently recognized with Chatham County's 6 Over 60 Award, honoring older adults who make their community a better place. They've both spent...

Hometown Hero: Nataliia Bondarenko

by Jordan Beyle | March 2, 2026 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Nataliia Bondarenko. Bondarenko is the outreach coordinator for the Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies at UNC. She came here after the beginning of the war in Ukraine. In her role at...

Hometown Hero: Paul Slack

by Jordan Beyle | February 23, 2026 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Paul Slack. Slack is the chief civil rights officer for Orange County. He and his team make sure all county services are equally open and accessible for everyone and that everyone in Orange County knows...

Hometown Hero: Christy Jones

by Jordan Beyle | February 17, 2026 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Christy Jones. Jones is a member of the East Chapel Hill rotary club and Christ United Methodist Church in Southern Village. She recently brought both groups together for a meal packing event last month...

Hometown Hero: Caroline White

by Jordan Beyle | February 9, 2026 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Caroline White. White is a senior at UNC and the president of Solar Equity, a student run nonprofit that's been around for four years. Solar Equity gives solar energy access to others who might not...

Hometown Hero: Sheryl Zimmerman

by Jordan Beyle | February 2, 2026 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Sheryl Zimmerman. Zimmerman is a distinguished professor at UNC whose work is directly and indirectly helping millions of people nationwide with the Center for Excellence in Assisted Living. The center...

Hometown Hero: Kirby Saunders

by Jordan Beyle | January 26, 2026 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Kirby Saunders. Saunders is Orange County's Emergency Services Director. He and his team are responsible for coordinating the local response to winter storm Fern. That effort includes setting up locations...

Hometown Hero: Joseph Megel

by Jordan Beyle | January 19, 2026 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, Town Square | 0 Comments

This week's Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Joseph Megel. After 22 years teaching in UNC's department of communication, Megel is headed into retirement. He's been a beloved teacher for many UNC students, but he's best known for the Process Series,...

Bernadette Pelissier: Hometown Hero

by Staff | May 2, 2016 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint | 0 Comments

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Timna Understein: Hometown Hero

by Staff | Apr 29, 2016 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint | 0 Comments

Timna Understein is Friday's Hometown Hero. She started Respect the Rays to raise her awareness about skin cancer. Timna is a two-time cancer survivor. She started the Respect the Rays Facebook page back in 2012 and it has grown into much more. More about Timna...

Tim Hucks: Hometown Hero

by Staff | Apr 28, 2016 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint | 0 Comments

Tim Hucks is Thursday's Hometown Hero. Tim has done great work in the community over the years for a number of causes. He has especially devoted a lot of time to Volunteers For Youth. The focus of Volunteers for Youth is delinquency prevention. Through the mentoring...

Bebe Smith: Hometown Hero

by Staff | Apr 27, 2016 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint | 0 Comments

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Shannon Gigliotti: Hometown Hero

by Staff | Apr 25, 2016 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint | 0 Comments

Shannon Ghigliotti is Monday's Hometown Hero. Shannon works with the Inter-Faith Council. She works closely with the Support Circles program. Support Circles partners with individuals and families who are experiencing - or at risk of - homelessness and who are...

Sam Odom: Hometown Hero

by Staff | Apr 22, 2016 | Hometown Hero, presented by Hendrick Southpoint | 0 Comments

Sam Odom is Friday's Hometown Hero. https://chapelboroaudio.s3.amazonaws.com/2016/April/22/HOMETOWN%20HERO_APRIL%2022nd%20SAMUEL%20ODOM%20(hometown%20hero).mp3 Sam is the director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. About the Frank Porter Graham...

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