Rebecca Brenner and William Speller Smith Jr. Named Wake County 2007 Volunteers of the Year

9/28/2007

Rebecca Brenner, a dedicated student and top fundraiser for mental health research, has been named the 2007 Wake County Larry B. Zieverink Volunteer of the Year. William “Bill” Speller Smith Jr., an avid reader and coordinator of the Wake County Public Libraries booksale, has been named the 2007 Wake County Government Volunteer of the Year.

Brenner and Smith accepted their awards today during the Wake County Board of Commissioners’ third annual Volunteer Celebration at the RBC Center, prior to the Carolina Hurricanes’ preseason hockey game vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Brenner, a freshman at UNC-Chapel Hill and Smith, a retiree, were among 23 Commissioners’ Volunteer Awards nominees to be recognized at the event – Commissioners and County staff honored 22 individuals and one group nominated for their hard work and dedication to Wake County. Thousands of volunteers and their families were also treated to a reception, refreshments, and the hockey game.

“Rebecca and Bill are examples to all of us, that one person can make a difference in the lives of many,” said Wake County Commissioners’ Chair Tony Gurley. “I am proud to call both of them friends and partners in making Wake County an outstanding place to live.”

The Volunteer of the Year winners are chosen through a competitive process. Volunteers are considered for the impact of their volunteer effort, their length of service and their dedication. Twenty-three of the nominees captured Commissioners’ Awards, of which six garnered special recognition as N.C. Volunteer Awards winners, including Brenner.

Rebecca Brenner has volunteered with Walk for Hope for half of her life. She began participating in the local Walk for Hope event at the age of nine, while living in Texas. She raised over $1,200 that first year and enlisted friends and family to walk with her and support a friend with mental illness. After moving to Raleigh in 2001, her dedication and determination to help raise money for and awareness of mental health research continued to deepen.

Through Brenner’s vision of finding “A Thousand Friends for Hope” who would each donate at least $25 to the Walk, Rebecca has been able to help raise over $85,000 for the Foundation of Hope during the last nine years. In 2003 and 2006 she was the top individual fundraiser for the Walk. She also volunteers for the American Red Cross, Hayes Barton Baptist Church, and Friends of the Wake County Public Library.

Brenner was nominated by Kathe Garrison, a family friend and Wake County employee.

“Rebecca is a wonderful young woman,” said Kathe Garrison, a family friend who nominated her for the 2007 Wake County Volunteer of the Year. “I am amazed that she cares so much about others that she takes time away from her studies to volunteer and raise money for mental illness research.”

Smith has served as booksale coordinator for Wake County Public Libraries for 14 years. Under his leadership, the sale has grown from one that included less than 100,000 volumes with gross revenue of $20,000, to last year’s sale, which offered 517,000 books and grossed $170,000. Smith’s efforts helped the Wake County Public Library system shine in the eyes of readers and the county agencies that rely upon the materials sold.

His strengths are in organization and execution. He knows how to establish and maintain a rapport with the 400 volunteers he manages, to ensure a successful outcome each year. Mr. Smith has volunteered with Wake Enterprises for over 10 years, Haven House Services for 20 years, the Friends of Hope Committee for the Historic Hope Foundation, the West Raleigh Presbyterian Church, and the UNC-Chapel Hill Wilson Library.

Smith was nominated by Dale Cousins, Regional Library Supervisor at Cameron Village Library.

“Bill’s commitment to making a difference to public libraries has been unwavering,” said Dale Cousins, Regional Library Supervisor at Cameron Village Library. “He has grown the annual booksale into a much-anticipated event that is one of the library’s premier public relations efforts. Everyone in the community loves to find bargains at the sale, and they all love Bill.”

Other Commissioners’ Award winners:

• Thomas Adams, Triangle United Way
• Lou Beebe, who makes blankets for prenatal clinic patients
• Dr. Dianne Dunning, chair of the Affordable Housing Committee on the Wake County Human Services and Environmental Services Board
• Dr. David Filipowski, chair of the Wake County Human Services and Environmental Services Board
• George Hirman Fuller Sr., ambassador for the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority
• Joesefina Jones, a lay health advisor with two of Wake County’s breast health projects: Educate Our Women and Healthy Women, Healthy Wake
• John W. Miller Jr., vice chair of the Wake County Planning Board
• Charles E. Moody, Wake County Sheriff’s Office
• William Pearce, Rex Healthcare
• Miquel Quezada, Wake-New Hope Volunteer Fire Department
• Mary Rose Tully, who helps nursing mothers and their children

Of these, Adams, Brenner, Fuller, Quezada, Smith and Tully were named N.C. Volunteer Award winners.

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