PARK SERVICE VOLUNTEER EARNS REGIONAL AWARD

Date: July 20, 2006
Contact: Outer Banks Group, [phone]

Cape Hatteras National Seashore congratulates volunteer Beverly Henson on recently receiving the Volunteer of the Year award for the Southeast Region of the National Park Service. Mrs. Henson is the second Seashore volunteer to receive this award since its conception in 2002. This prestigious award is given annually to one outstanding volunteer in the region whose contributions further the mission of the National Park Service.

Mrs. Henson, a local schoolteacher, was nominated by the Seashore for her outstanding work in involving students as volunteers in the park. Henson, who personally volunteered over 300 hours to the Seashore in 2005, led a special group of thirty students from Cape Hatteras Elementary and Secondary Schools. These students donated over 880 hours of work to the park. They were involved in a wide variety of projects including: participating in the annual beach cleanup, cleaning the lighthouse, aiding in turtle patrol and marine mammal strandings, maintaining the Buxton Woods trail, and many minor maintenance projects such as painting fences.

“Cape Hatteras National Seashore has truly benefited from Beverly’s service,” stated National Park Superintendent Mike Murray. “Not only has she given of herself but she has also encouraged children to learn from the experience of volunteering. Beverly is very deserving of this award.”