Oct 8, 2018
On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, our guests are Chris Skabo (Director of Athletics and Healthful Living, Wilkes County Schools), Mark Byrd (Superintendent of Wilkes County Schools), Dennis Huggins (Director of Development for Wilkes County Schools), and Marty Hemric (Wilkes County Hall of Fame President). They joined us to talk about the Wilkes County Hall of Fame, which they all played an integral part in creating in 2012.
The Wilkes County Hall of Fame’s goal is to recognize the human capital of Wilkes County and remind the citizens of the stories and excellence of the individuals’ lives, inspiring students to pursue their goals by being encouraged by the accomplishments of those before them. In the past 6 years, 48 individuals have been inducted into the Wilkes County Hall of Fame in 4 categories: Leadership, Enterprise, Athletics/Sports, Performing and Cultural Arts. The inductees go through a nomination process and then are assessed by the Hall of Fame Board members before being chosen out of the dozens of applications received every year. Those involved with the Wilkes County Hall of Fame have found that an extraordinary number of the inductees have maintained connections in the area, which could be attributed to the entrepreneurial spirit, drive, and inspiration that were instilled in them in their formative years by living in the cohesive community of Wilkes County. Another commonality between the inductees is their focus on doing good for the sole purpose of doing good, not for the recognition or to receive any benefits from it.
In addition to recognizing these individuals for their contributions to society, the Wilkes County Hall of Fame foundation manages a grant program for Wilkes County teachers and athletics personnel to improve the student experience and further push them to achieve greatness. In fact, on November 5th of this year, they will be holding the Youth Leadership Forum breakfast to inform student leaders about the accomplishments of the Wilkes County Hall of Fame inductees and provide them with the firepower to inspire their peers at school as well.
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