Each week, 97.9 The Hill WCHL celebrates a Hometown Hero for the work they do — big and small — to help others in our community. On February 4, the Hometown Heroes nominated from 2022 gathered for a special luncheon to continue celebrating their altruism and efforts.
The event was held at the Blue Hill Event Center at Extraordinary Ventures and was sponsored by Hendrick Southpoint Auto Mall — who has supported the Hometown Heroes feature since its inception. Gerald Ramoin, the market area vice president of Hendrick, shared his thoughts on the program and Chapel Hill Police Chief Celisa Lehew delivered a keynote address to attendees. Additionally, former Chapel Hill Poet Laureate and poetry performer CJ Suitt opened the meal with his poem “in the Aftermath,” and Jesse Fox of local americana band Love & Valor performed several solo songs, while 97.9 The Hill show host Aaron Keck served as the master of ceremonies.
Click on photos from the event in the gallery below, including portraits of the Hometown Heroes who attended the luncheon!
Hometown Hero CJ Suitt (right)
Hometown Hero Aaron Bachenheimer
Hometown Hero Paul Burgess
Hometown Hero Holly Reid (right) and Cherie Rosemond
Hometown Hero Alex Protzman (left) and Alys Protzman
Hometown Hero Luis Royo (right) and Alexandra Romero
Hometown Hero Drew Coleman (right) and Sharia Coleman
Hometown Hero Dr. Erica Pettigrew (right)
Hometown Hero Donovan Zimmerman (left) and Jan Berger
Hometown Hero KJ Mack (center) and family
Hometown Hero Karen Shelton (right) and Willie Scroggs
Hometown Hero Sandy Rasnake
Hometown Hero Jim McNeely (left) and Danita McNeely
Hometown Hero Aarya Potti (right) and Robin Thompson
Hometown Hero Blossom Damania (left)
Hometown Hero Anita Brown-Graham (left)
Hometown Hero Kimberly Jones
Hometown Hero Fran DiGiano (right)
Hometown Heroes The Fitch Family
Hometown Hero Margo MacIntyre
Hometown Hero Fletcher Daniels (left) and Carolyn Daniels
Hometown Hero Brenda Stephens (right)
Hometown Hero Katrina Mattison-Chalwe (center)
Gerald Ramoin and Poonam Nandani of Hendrick Southpoint Automall
Master of Ceremonies Aaron Keck (left) and Brad Bednar.
The 97.9 The Hill WCHL / Chapelboro staff!
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