{"id":936,"date":"2020-10-21T17:22:04","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T21:22:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncdoj.gov\/testthekits\/?p=936"},"modified":"2021-03-05T11:15:37","modified_gmt":"2021-03-05T16:15:37","slug":"triangle-area-north-carolinians-honored-with-attorney-general-josh-steins-dogwood-award-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncdoj.gov\/testthekits\/2020\/10\/21\/triangle-area-north-carolinians-honored-with-attorney-general-josh-steins-dogwood-award-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Triangle Area North Carolinians Honored with Attorney General Josh Stein\u2019s Dogwood Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Immediate Release:
\nWednesday, October 21, 2020<\/p>\n

Contact:
\nLaura Brewer (919) 716-6484<\/p>\n

NOTE: Pictures available here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today announced that he has awarded 12 Triangle area leaders with Dogwood Awards. These awards are given annually to honor North Carolinians who are dedicated to keeping people safe, healthy, and happy in their communities.<\/p>\n

Sheriff Charles Blackwood<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSheriff Charles Blackwood\u2019s COORE initiative is making a real difference in Orange County\u2019s efforts to confront the opioid epidemic,\u201d said Attorney General Josh Stein. \u201cI am proud to partner with Sheriff Blackwood on this important work to help get people suffering from addiction out of the criminal justice system and into the health care system, where they belong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheriff Charles Blackwood spearheaded the Coordinated Opioid Overdose Reduction Effort (COORE), an initiative that brings together the Orange County Sheriff\u2019s Office, Orange County Criminal Justice Resource Department, Orange County Emergency Management Services, Freedom House, and local police departments. Under the program, people can dispose of drugs and drug paraphernalia and be guaranteed amnesty.<\/p>\n

District Attorney Satana Deberry<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA proactive district attorney like Satana Deberry can play a critically important leadership role in testing sexual assault kits,\u201d said Attorney General Josh Stein. \u201cDistrict Attorney Deberry\u2019s office has taken the initiative to work closely with the Durham Police Department to get the untested kits in her county tested \u2013 and the people of Durham County are safer as a result. I am proud to partner with her in this important work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Durham Police Department has made 11 arrests in 15 cases that date as far back as 1984. District Attorney Deberry has embedded an assistant district attorney in the team that is working to test untested kits, investigate cases, make arrests, and get convictions.<\/p>\n

Christian Due\u00f1as <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/strong>Dreamers are people who have grown up in America and are committed to helping build this nation,\u201d said Attorney General Josh Stein. \u201cI have been proud to support the DACA program in court and I\u2019m proud to award Christian Due\u00f1as with a Dogwood Award \u2013 because Dreamers like Christian make our communities stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christian Due\u00f1as moved to the United States from Venezuela when he was 9 months old. He has attended North Carolina schools and is now a banker in Durham.<\/p>\n

Peter Gilbert<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout this pandemic, keeping people in their homes has been one of my top priorities,\u201d said Attorney General Josh Stein. \u201cMy office has worked closely with Peter and his colleagues at Legal Aid to protect people from eviction. As thousands of North Carolinians have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, I appreciate all that Peter and other Legal Aid attorneys have done to keep them in their homes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peter Gilbert works at Legal Aid of North Carolina in Durham and focuses on housing law.<\/p>\n

Peter Gwaltney<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cProtecting our parents and grandparents from scams is a focus Peter Gwaltney and I share,\u201d said Attorney General Josh Stein. \u201cThroughout the pandemic, scammers have been taking advantage of confusion around COVID-19. I appreciate the work Peter and the Bankers Association have done to protect North Carolina\u2019s elderly population.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peter Gwaltney is the executive director of the North Carolina Bankers Association. The North Carolina Bankers Association is part of the American Bankers Association (ABA) Foundation\u2019s Safe Banking for Seniors campaign.<\/p>\n

Hayley Harris and Lara Purnell<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHayley Harris and Lara Purnell illustrate exactly what I want to honor with the Dogwood Award: people who see a problem in their community and take action to address it,\u201d said Attorney General Josh Stein. \u201cThese women saw a real need to restore dignity to victims of sexual assault. Undergoing a sexual assault nurse examination has got to be one of the hardest moments for a survivor \u2013 and it comes right on the heels of likely the worst tragedy a victim will ever experience. Hayley and Lara are helping to bring humanity to that difficult experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hayley Harris and Lara Purnell are sisters and nurses who co-founded Layers of Dignity, an organization that provides fresh clothes to survivors of sexual assault after they undergo a sexual assault nurse exam. Often the survivors\u2019 clothes are taken into evidence, leaving the survivor with paper clothes to wear home. Layers of Dignity provides tote bags with fresh clothes, survivor resources, and notes from other survivors of sexual assault.<\/p>\n

Beth Messersmith <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBeth Messersmith is a key advocate for a number of issues that impact North Carolina\u2019s families every day,\u201d said Attorney General Josh Stein. \u201cSpecifically, Beth has helped advocate for paid parental leave for employees after the birth or adoption of a child. Working parents need time to be with their new children, and I thank Beth for standing up on their behalf.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beth is the Campaign Director for MomsRising North Carolina. In that role, Beth focuses on state budget issues, the environment, work and family policies, and voter outreach.<\/p>\n

Sec. Michael Regan<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI am proud to work alongside Sec. Regan to protect the air we breathe and the water we drink,\u201d said Attorney General Josh Stein. \u201cIn particular, I appreciate the hard work he\u2019s led at the Department of Environmental Quality to protect North Carolinians from forever chemicals like PFAS. I look forward to continuing to hold accountable companies that put North Carolina\u2019s environment \u2013 and the health and jobs it sustains \u2013 at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sec. Michael Regan oversees the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, the state agency whose mission is to protect North Carolina\u2019s environment and natural resources. The organization has offices from the mountains to the coast and administers regulatory and public assistance programs aimed at protecting the quality of North Carolina\u2019s air, water and land, its coastal fisheries, and the public\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

Jessie Smith<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cJessie Smith is conducting important research into the way North Carolina\u2019s bail system treats people,\u201d said Attorney General Josh Stein. \u201cI believe people should be in jail pre-conviction based on their threat to public safety, not the size of their bank account. I appreciate the work Jessie has done on the issue of pre-trial release and am proud to honor her with a Dogwood Award.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jessie Smith is the director of the University of North Carolina School of Government\u2019s Criminal Justice Innovation Lab.<\/p>\n

Frank Timberlake<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2020, Frank has kept the doors of his store the Rich Square Market open through pandemics and power outages,\u201d said Attorney General Josh Stein. \u201cHe\u2019s gone above and beyond to make sure his customers had the food and supplies they needed to shelter in place. He is an essential worker and epitomizes the heroism we\u2019ve heard so much about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank Timberlake is the owner of the Rich Square Market in Rich Square.<\/p>\n

Dr. Anuradha Rao-Patel<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Patel played a critical role in Blue Cross NC\u2019s partnership in our public awareness campaign to prevent opioid misuse \u2013 More Powerful NC,\u201d said Attorney General Josh Stein. \u201cI appreciate all she has done to improve public health in our state and to fight the scourge of addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anuradha Rao-Patel, MD, is Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina\u2019s medial director. She worked previously in private practice in acute and chronic pain management.<\/p>\n

A full list of 2020 Dogwood Award Recipients is below:<\/p>\n