Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Recognizes ‘Unsung Heroes’

Three North Carolinians Win Prestigious Nancy Susan Reynolds Awards for Grassroots Leadership

Winston-Salem, NC (Nov. 20, 2004) – The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation today awarded its prestigious Nancy Susan Reynolds Awards to a man who led a campaign to block the development of a large, pristine lake in western North Carolina, to a retired corporate executive who is working to close the achievement gap among the races in Alamance County, and to a Latino woman who turned her own agonizing experience with domestic violence into a career of reaching out to and counseling other battered Latino women.

The winners of the 19th annual Nancy Susan Reynolds Awards are Paul Braun, of Morganton, for advocacy; Tony Foriest of Graham for race relations; and Maria Pavón, of Siler City, for personal service.

The awards, given at a luncheon attended by more than 500 people today in Durham, include prizes of $25,000 each. Recipients personally get $5,000 in cash and $20,000 to designate for qualified nonprofit organizations of their choice. The awards, which honor special leadership at the grassroots level, are believed to be the only ones of their kind in the nation. Writers have dubbed them “North Carolina’s Nobel Prizes.”

Mary Mountcastle, president of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, said, “These recipients represent what is best about North Carolina. In the face of adversity, whether it involved the environment, race relations, or domestic violence, they stood strong and provided leadership to solve problems and make our state a better place.”

“Our Foundation gives the awards to recognize such exemplary leadership,” she said, “but we also give the awards to hold these courageous North Carolinians up as role models for the rest of us. Their stories are powerful and inspiring.”

The awards were established in 1986 in memory of Nancy Susan Reynolds, one of the three founders of the foundation who served for many years as one of its trustees. Ms. Reynolds believed that the most effective change in society begins at the grassroots level, and she also recognized that true leaders often fail in their early attempts, so she encouraged perseverance and daring.

Paul Braun, who received the Nancy Susan Reynolds Award for Advocacy, has devoted most of the last eight years to saving Lake James from uncontrolled development. Lake James, the uppermost lake in the Catawba River chain of lakes, was created early last century by Duke Power (now Duke Energy). It is located in Burke and McDowell counties in the North Carolina foothills and is considered one of the most beautiful and pristine lakes in the eastern United States.

But eight years ago Braun, now 42, spotted a bald eagle at Lake James and that caused him to reflect on the importance Lake James has as a natural resource. Without any background in leading a public campaign, Braun decided it was up to him to “save Lake James.” He began writing letters to the editor and circulating petitions and in the process gathered more than 7,000 signatures of like-minded citizens. At times his campaign, which pitted him and his grassroots movement against one of the most powerful corporations in America, was contentious and costly.

In the end, though, his fight proved victorious, as he brought divergent and often opposing groups together to protect 9,000 acres of land around the lake. Duke Energy’s real estate subsidiary, Crescent Resources, joined local officials and grassroots leaders at the table, and Braun’s dream of protecting Lake James for future generations is coming true.

Tony Foriest, recipient of the Nancy Susan Reynolds Award for Race Relations, could have taken it easy after retiring from the Xerox Corporation. Instead, he was troubled by the wide differences in achievement scores for white students and black students in his native Alamance County and set out to do something about it. He led in creating an organization called Closing the Gap, and as co-chair, he has provided the vision and energy to make it a vital and successful effort.

Through a variety of initiatives, including tutoring programs and recognition ceremonies, Closing the Gap is well on its way toward achieving parity of student achievement scores. In the process, he has brought together parents, students, educators and civic and business leaders from all walks of life and all racial and ethnic groups in Alamance County.

Foriest’s efforts to bridge racial and ethnic differences and build better understanding among all groups go beyond Closing the Gap, however. Involved in a broad range of civic groups, he is known as someone who works hard for unity, cooperation, and reconciliation.

Maria Pavón, who received the Nancy Susan Reynolds Award for Personal Service, is a survivor of domestic violence who turned that abuse, according to a friend, into “a miraculous story of hope.” She came to the U.S. from Mexico with an abusive husband and, in part because she was an illegal resident, was afraid to go to authorities about the violence. It was only after her young daughter insisted that she report the abuse that she had the courage to do so.

That step began a healing process that led her to an organization in Siler City called the Coalition for Family Peace, where she received counseling. Pavón’s inner strength and compassion so impressed the staff at the coalition that they offered her a position counseling other Latino women. Very soon, the number of women who sought counseling increased dramatically.

Pavón has become a courageous and inspiring leader of the Latino community in Chatham County, and because of her success in helping survivors of domestic violence locally, she has been sought after as a speaker and facilitator in other parts of North Carolina and beyond.

Recipients of the 2005 Nancy Susan Reynolds Awards will be chosen from nominations submitted to the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation before June 1, 2005. The award for advocacy is given annually to someone who has advocated on behalf of people, issues, or concerns that otherwise may be without effective voices. The award for personal service recognizes inspired service under difficult circumstances and often at substantial personal sacrifice. The award for race relations is given to someone who has acted in ways to bring about improvements in multi-culturalism in a community and served as a role model for racial understanding and cooperation.

The Z.  Smith Reynolds Foundation, headquartered in Winston-Salem, was established in 1936 as a memorial to the youngest child of R.J. Reynolds. During its history, it has made grants of almost $335 million to projects in all 100 counties in North Carolina. Although it makes grants to a wide range of projects, it now gives special attention to five focus areas – community-building and economic development; the environment; governance, public policy and civic engagement; pre-collegiate education; and social justice and equity.

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For more information, please call:
Carroll Leggett at Ralph Simpson & Associates 336.761.0711 carroll@ralphsimpson.com
Tom Ross at the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation 336.725.7541 or tomr@zsr.org