N.C. Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services honors statewide ‘All-Stars’

Release Date: December 5, 2008
Contact: Jim Jones, 919-733-9190
 
RALEIGH – The N.C. Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services honored staff members Friday in Pinehurst, Asheville and Raleigh with its seventh statewide “VR All-Star Awards.” The three were chosen from nine recipients of the division’s regional “Superstar Awards.”

Employee volunteers manage the awards program in which agency staff nominate and vote on their co-workers. The categories and winners are:

• Leadership — Thelma Cox, a business relations representative in the agency’s Pinehurst office, was cited for outstanding achievement in leadership. The award praises Cox for “developing relationships and inspiring others,” particularly in her lead role of helping the agency develop a major new direction in marketing its services to business.
• Customer Service — Lori Massey, a human services coordinator in the Asheville Independent Living office, was cited for her customer service. The award notes “her ability to go above and beyond her job duties” to meet the needs of consumers “with an attitude of excellence and true concern,” and her individual efforts at organizing volunteers to make homes more accessible for their occupants with disabilities.   
• Creativity — Paige Bennett, a professional relations officer with the agency’s Disability Determination Services office in Raleigh, was cited for her creativity. The award honors Bennett for developing a computerized system that eliminates manual printing and distribution of routine reports at an estimated annual savings of $44,500.

Linda Harrington, director of the division, thanked the honorees and congratulated them “on achieving the greatest honor this agency bestows…. With this highest statewide recognition, you have been honored by your co-workers as ‘the best of the best.’”

Health and Human Services Secretary Dempsey Benton also congratulated the recipients, noting that “the work of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services is an integral, important part of the department’s mission to serve the people of North Carolina, most especially those with disabilities. The contributions for which you’ve been recognized are indispensable in carrying out that work.”  

(For digital photos of award recipients, e-mail Ed.Bristol@NCMail.net
For local office contact and other information: http://dvr.dhhs.state.nc.us)