Catawba County Health Partners (CCHP) hosted their 2nd Annual Spring Meeting on Thursday, May 10th from 4- 6 pm at Holiday Inn Select.  The theme was “Celebrating Our Partnerships” because it takes all of our community partners to be successful.  Volunteer awards were given to Boni Killian, a Lenoir Rhyne College Student for the “Youth Excellence Award” and to Sam Moffitt, Family Day planner for the “William Pekman Volunteer of the Year Award.”

Both of these individuals went above and beyond the call of duty to help promote healthy behaviors in our community.    The William Pekman award, which embodies leadership, commitment, and energy, is named after Dr. William Pekman one of the co-founders for CCHP. 

The CCHP Board of Directors added two new members including: James Tilton, Application Specialist at Alex Lee Inc and The Rev. Vincent Ross from Maiden Chapel Baptist Church.  Other board members include: Dr. Tom Foster, Board President; Susan Witherspoon, Vice President; Gloria Hemphill, Secretary; Kevin McIntosh, Treasurer; Rosemary King, Access Chair; Dr. Tom Warren, Eat Smart Move More Chair; and Louise Ackerman, Substance Abuse chair.

The keynote speaker was Karen McNeil Miller, President of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in Winston-Salem.  “Kate B. Reynolds has been a leading supporter of Healthy Carolinians around the state and their focus areas align nicely with ours which include; access to care, chronic disease, and mental health,” says Maria Reese, Healthy Carolinians Coordinator for CCHP.

CCHP is a non-profit organization with a Mission of “Partners joining together to improve the health and well being of Catawba County residents by identifying and addressing health priorities and disparities through public awareness and education, community involvement, maximizing resources, and influencing public policy.” 

For more information about the partnership and its activities contact Maria Reese, Healthy Carolinians Coordinator at 695-5818 or visit www.catawbacountyhp.org.