260 Volunteers Participate in 2010 Cherokee Day of Caring
SUBMITTED By NANCY FOLTZ
CHEROKEE PRESERVATION FOUNDATION
Volunteers in the Snowbird Community help with garden work during the annual Day of Caring. (Photos courtesy of Nancy Foltz/Cherokee Preservation Foundation)
Cherokee Preservation Foundation, the Office of the Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), and Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel announced on Monday, June 7 that a total of 260 community volunteers participated in the 2010 Cherokee Day of Caring held May 20 within the ten communities of the EBCI. The annual event begun in 2005 that builds on the gadugi tradition of community service.
Volunteers in the Tow String Community
Volunteers helped ten neighbors selected by their communities for assistance and pitched in to help with painting, yard clean-up, gardening, and fix-it projects. The volunteers received significant support from the EBCI Facilities Department, the EBCI Housing and Community Development Division and Turner Construction Company, which helped assess needs, compiled lists of the materials needed, and supplied project leaders.
A highlight of the Cherokee Day of Caring is the honoring of Quiet Heroes who have served their communities unselfishly, as well as a Good Neighbor who does not live in one of the EBCI communities, but has significantly helped members of the Tribe. This year, eight communities chose Quiet Heroes:
Big Cove – Samuel “Snake” Panther
Big Y – Nancy Long
Cherokee County – Herman Green
Painttown – Travis Climbingbear
Snowbird – Louise Reed
Tow String – Dewey Cochran
Wolftown – Ernest “Bud” Sneed
Yellowhill – Don Smiley
Mark Jones, who manages the KOA Campground in Cherokee, received the 2010 Good Neighbor Award.
