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10 local young men were recognized for their dedication and service to the community
KENANSVILLE — A group of young men with the Faison Sea Scout Ship 55 was recognized for their selfless dedication and volunteerism to Duplin County at the June 3 County Commissioners meeting held at the Ed Emory Auditorium in Kenansville.
The group, comprised of Michael Stempek, George Carr, Samuel Carr, Genaro Pacheco, Benjamin Bullard, Frank Manuel-Tomas, Victor Chilel, Julio Perez, Dante Santibanez, and Jose Lopez, was nominated for the 2024 Governor Volunteer Service Award in the Veteran/Military, Youth Service, and Health & Human Services group categories.
“These young men have worked together to maintain and enhance the Town of Faison Community Garden by planting, fertilizing, watering and cultivating crops that are given freely to anyone in the community,” said Melisa Brown, Duplin County Senior Services director, asking the Sea Scouts and Brian Bullard, Sea Scout Ship 55 committee chair, to come forward for the recognition.
“They provided bi-lingual signage for the Faison Community Garden so as to be welcoming and inclusive to the entire community. They worked together to build an 8-by-10 storage building for tools, as well as two benches that convert into a picnic table. The adoption of the Faison Community Garden is vitally important to the health and wellbeing of the town residents since the town lost their only grocery store some years ago and people would have to otherwise travel elsewhere to purchase fruits and vegetables.”
Brown shared that the Sea Scouts volunteer their time coaching the youth soccer and basketball programs with the Faison Recreation Department. The group also repaired a picnic table and built two others for the park, so parents can have a place to sit and watch their children and people can have a spot to enjoy their lunch at the park.
“Realizing the need for central places for citizens to drop off tattered US flags that needed proper retiring, members of Ship 55 created and decorated flag retirement drop boxes that were placed at Faison Town Hall and in front of the Faison Library and Wellness Center. A considerable number of US flags have been collected and will be retired in a respectful ceremony on Flag Day,” said Brown, adding that at the request of North Duplin Elementary, the Sea Scouts built a wooden gaga-ball pit at the school for the children to play and burn energy. The group also pressure-washed and repaired existing picnic tables at North Duplin High School and donated two new picnic tables they built for the students.
“Sea Scouts worked together to construct and landscape new signs for two Faison-area churches that needed signage. This was greatly appreciated by the congregations,” Brown added.
Chair Dexter Edwards then presented the young men with a volunteer pin award and certificate from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
