Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Wilmington, N.C. - The 5th Annual Public Service Recognition Reception will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, June 8, 2007, to recognize, honor and celebrate those who serve the Cape Fear region as government and nonprofit employees.

The reception will be held in the City of Wilmington Council Chambers, 102 North 3rd Street. Admission is free to all public and nonprofit employees. Tracy Wilkes, executive director of DREAMS of Wilmington, will be the keynote speaker. Awards will be given to honor Public Servants of the Year and Public Organizations of the Year.

The 2007 nominees for Public Servant of the Year are:

Barbara Biba, Cape Fear Literacy Council

Barbara Birkenheuer, Habitat for Humanity

Bill Bryden, Landfall Foundation

Gwendolyn Kellam, Girls, Inc.

Brent McAbee, City of Wilmington

Connie Parker, Wilmington Health Access for Teens

Margie Parker, Cape Fear Council of Governments

Sylvia Raynor, Town of Burgaw

Dale Smith, Northside Neighborhood Resource Center

Captain Rhonda L. Smith, New Hanover County Sheriff's Office

Lois Cook Steele, Lower Cape Fear YWCA

The 2007 nominees for Public Organization of the Year are:

Cape Fear Citizens for a Safe Environment

Child Advocacy and Parenting Place

Pender Adult Services, Inc.

The UNITY Group

Wilmington NC Chapter of The Links, Inc.

The 5th Annual Public Service Recognition Reception is presented by the University of North Carolina Wilmington Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program, the Southeastern North Carolina Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (SENCASPA) and Quality Enhancement for Nonprofit Organizations (QENO). It is sponsored by Southern Corrosion, Inc. and the UNC Wilmington Division of Public Service and Continuing Studies.

Media contacts:

Tom Barth, chair of the Department of Political Science, UNC Wilmington, 910.962.3385 or bartht@uncw.edu.

Dana Fischetti, manager of news and media relations, UNC Wilmington, 910.962.7259 or fischettid@uncw.edu