Wake County volunteers honored at Capitol for statewide service awards

At the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh, Wake County volunteer Angie Yilling was among the people honored for service that reaches far beyond a single neighborhood or nonprofit. The 2026 Governor’s Medallion Award for Volunteer Service put a state spotlight on the kind of work that helps with food access, tutoring, disaster recovery, senior support and youth mentoring across North Carolina.

The Governor’s Medallion is North Carolina’s highest award for volunteer service. VolunteerNC says it launched the program in 2006 to recognize the state’s top 20 to 25 volunteers each year. The selection process starts locally, with nominees put forward at the county level, and each county may submit only one Medallion nomination.

This year’s ceremony recognized 23 people and three organizations representing 24 counties. VolunteerNC Chair Dr. Joe Blosser emceed the event, while VolunteerNC Executive Director Briles Johnson and External Affairs Officer Christy Venable presented the awards. Families and guests attended alongside VolunteerNC commissioners and staff, members of the General Assembly, county award coordinators and Governor’s Office staff.

Governor Josh Stein said the recipients’ service strengthens communities across North Carolina. The governor’s office said the honorees’ work touched some of the state’s most pressing needs, including Hurricane Helene relief, food insecurity, literacy, health care, tutoring, mentoring, youth development, and services for seniors and people with disabilities.

One of the clearest examples of that reach came from Greene County’s Samantha Gay, founder of Fishers of Kids Anglers Academy. Her organization provides free fishing education, outdoor experiences and life-skills mentoring to at-risk and underserved youth across Eastern North Carolina. The program ties recreation to a broader civic purpose, giving young people structured support and exposure to the outdoors while building confidence and practical skills.

For Wake County, the recognition of Yilling underscored how local volunteer leadership feeds into a statewide system that depends on county-level nominations and community knowledge. The Medallion awards do not just honor service after the fact. They also show how Raleigh, Wake County and the rest of the state rely on volunteers who keep schools, food programs, recovery efforts and mentoring networks moving when public needs grow.