Hope Awards
The Hope Award is presented to honorees who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to their community through service and a commitment to the greater good.
Each year, the Appalachian Center for Civic Life is pleased to honor individuals and community groups who embody in extraordinary ways a sense of civic commitment and who are engaged in work that leads to the common good. For over two decades, we have celebrated and recognized the honorees at the annual Hope Awards ceremony.
We are accepting nominations for the 2025 Hope Awards.
Award Categories and Past Recipients
Hope Award for Faculty
Hope Award for an Emory & Henry Faculty Member honors a person who works to integrate citizen service and community issues into the curriculum of the University. The award honors a faculty member in either the undergraduate or graduate program who utilizes the tools of critical reflection and dialogue between communities and the classroom, understanding the long and interrelated processes of education, citizenship, justice, and community building.
Past Honorees
Ron Diss, the faculty of the Environmental Studies Program, Joe Reiff, Bob Raines, Fred Kellogg, John Lang, Joy Scruggs, Chris Qualls, Ed Davis, Jack Roper, Rebecca Buchanan, George Stainback, Ed Damer, Celeste Gaia, Alma Ramirez, Doug Arnold, Shelley Koch, Kelly Bremner, Beth Funkhouser, Amanda Blevins, Dennis Cobler
Hope Award for Staff
Hope Award for an Emory & Henry Staff Member honors a person who graciously gives of their talents and skills to strengthen the common good, not just on this campus but in the larger community, living out the mission of Emory & Henry, to be an active and engaged citizen.
Past Honorees
Marie Brown, Claudia Duffy, Monica Hoel, Anita Coulthard, Robin Walton, Jill Smeltzer, Nancy Sullins, Lucy Frye, Dirk Moore, Denise Asbury, Greg McMillan, the Facilities Management Staff, Angela Brink, Suzanne Riley, Mary K. Briggs, Brent Treash, Todd Stanley, Deni Peterson, Tracey Wright, Terri Adkins
Hope Award for Undergraduate Students
Hope Award for an Emory & Henry Undergraduate Student honors an undergraduate student who willingly, freely, and daily lives a life of service to the community and who regularly engages in honest self-reflection, is an eager collaborator, and who understands the work of citizenship as part of responsibilities beyond the individual.
Past Honorees
Alice Funk, Thuy Nguyen, Andrea Bowman, Rachel Dunne, Laura Yoder, Jared Dutton, Rebecca Madill, Sarah Fitzgerald, Sarah Moore, Joni Ritter, Noah Hayden, Mary Beth Tignor, Courtney Halsey, Fred Self, Ali Hillman, Jake Caudill, Katherine Meyers, Elysia Moreta, Kate Prager, Haleigh Cooper
Hope Award for Graduate Students
Hope Award for an Emory & Henry Graduate Student honors a graduate student who willingly, freely, and daily lives a life of service to the community and who regularly engages in honest self-reflection, is an eager collaborator, and who understands the work of citizenship as part of responsibilities beyond the individual.
Past Honorees
Lindsay White, Emmitt Kasey, Kelly Hayes, Paul Pham
Hope Award for Community Members
Hope Award for a Member of the Community honors an individual who serves a place through a deep sense of commitment to others.
Past Honorees
Kathi Lowe, Susan Seymore, Robert and Elizabeth Hill, Jan Coughlin, Claire Rasor, Buckey Boone, Howard Chapman, Prince Coleman, Andy Kegley, Jimmy Wallace, Sarah Gillespie, Rees and Kathy Shearer, Margaret Fieraband, Tom O’Neil, Nancy Williams, Elle Large, Anne Maio, Ginny Moorer, Tom Hanlon
Hope Award for Community Projects or Organizations
Hope Award for a Community Project or Organization honors the work of a community group which daily demonstrates a profoundly visionary commitment to justice and the common good, joining citizenship to service and the long processes of building healthy communities.
Past Honorees
Meadowview Civic Club, Migrant Health Network, Big Creek People In Action (McDowell County, West Virginia), Washington County 4-H Program, Meadowview Elementary School, Highlands Educational Literacy Program, Crossroads Medical Mission, Housing Programs of People, Inc., American Chestnut Foundation (Meadowview Research Farm), Mt. Rogers Combined School, Child’s Advocacy Center, Washington County Long-term Recovery Group, Project Glade, Habitat for Humanity, Project Real, Holston Rivers Chapter-Virginia Master Naturalists, Southwest Virginia Legal Aid, Partners for Stronger Communities, Blue Ridge Discovery Center, Appalachian Independence Center