United Way honors Buncombe County leaders, volunteers at West Asheville dinner

Nearly 200 people gathered at The Barn at Honeysuckle Hill in West Asheville on May 14 as United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County honored six local leaders and organizations whose work keeps the county’s volunteer and nonprofit network moving. The Community Impact Awards Dinner ran from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., cost $65 per person and included a buffet dinner.

The evening was less about ceremony than about the daily civic labor that often goes unnoticed. Kevin Montgomery, United Way’s vice president of resource development, opened the program by emphasizing belonging, service and resilience, telling attendees that staff feel fortunate to work alongside people who are caring, creative and dedicated enough to go the extra mile even when the road is long and bumpy. That framing matched United Way’s broader focus areas, Youth Opportunity and Community Resiliency, and it came as the organization continues to channel storm recovery money into Buncombe County, including $800,000 distributed among nine organizations in March as part of a total Helene-related commitment that had reached $5,332,547.

Steve Shoaf was named Hands On Asheville-Buncombe Volunteer of the Year for what United Way described as outstanding volunteerism and extraordinary commitment. His service stretches back about 50 years to the Peace Corps, and United Way says he has been part of its workplace campaign since 1988, sometimes as a donor and sometimes as a volunteer. The organization said Shoaf’s role has included fundraising leadership and encouraging other retirees to get involved, the kind of steady participation that often makes the difference in long-running community projects.

Legerton Architecture received the Spirit of the Mountains award, which United Way tied to financial investments, employee engagement and volunteer participation. The company’s support has included critical building improvements and leadership on the UWABC Community Hub, showing how a local business can shape the physical and organizational backbone of service work. Amy Hanks received the Women United Taylor Foss Award, a recognition United Way says was renamed in 2018 to honor founder Taylor Foss and highlights extraordinary leadership, creativity and compassion.

United Way says it has operated in Asheville and Buncombe County since 1921, and its Hands On Asheville-Buncombe volunteer center has connected volunteers with nonprofits for more than 50 years. For residents looking for a practical way to plug in, that volunteer network is still one of the clearest entry points into the county’s recovery, education and neighborhood support work.