Sig Hutchinson, chair of the Wake County Open Space Advisory Committee and a longtime advocate for land preservation in Wake County and throughout North Carolina, has been named the 2005 Wake County Volunteer of the Year. Hutchinson accepted his award Sunday during the Wake County Board of Commissioners' inaugural Volunteer of the Year Celebration at Five County Stadium in Zebulon.
Hutchinson, a Texas native, was one of 40 Commissioners' Volunteer Awards nominees to be recognized at the event – Commissioners and County staff honored 36 individuals and four groups nominated for their hard work and dedication to Wake County. In a competitive process, volunteers are considered for the impact of their volunteer effort, their length of service and their dedication.
Ten of the nominees captured Commissioners' Awards, of which five garnered special recognition as Governor's Volunteer Awards winners, including Hutchinson.
Often referred to as "Mr. Green Jeans" or "Mr. Open Space," Hutchinson spends many hours each year speaking out about environmental issues and open space initiatives for the County.
"Sig is one of our strongest ambassadors and often represents us in our quest for preserving land," said Commissioners' Chair Joe Bryan, who presented the award. "His enthusiastic work makes a great impact on our efforts today to protect open space and water quality and will have even greater meaning for our children and grandchildren in generations to come."
Joining Hutchinson as Commissioners' Award winners were Kay Carrington with the Citizens Well-check Program; Ken Jackson with Rex Healthcare; Nader Mahmoud with Make a Wish Foundation; Charity Penaloza, a teen volunteer for Rex Healthcare; Don Rich with the DuBois Center; Maxine Soloman, a 15-year volunteer with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle; the Literacy Council of Wake County; Saint Bernadette Catholic Church; and Save Our Sisters of Rex. Of these, Carrington, Hutchinson, Penaloza, Soloman and Saint Bernadette were named Governor's Award winners.