RALEIGH — Eugene Smith III “Tre” has been recognized by Gov. Roy Cooper as a recipient of the 2024 Governor’s Award for Volunteer Service. Recipients from other counties in the state started to receive their certificates and lapel pins notifying them of their designation this week.

The Governor’s Volunteer Service Award honors the true spirit of volunteerism by recognizing individuals and groups that make a significant contribution to their community through volunteer service.

An individual or group from the public, nonprofit, and private sector may be nominated for this recognition award by a community member to their county-designated coordinator.

There are categories for the type of nominee (individual, group, national service, and director of volunteers). Additional categories are based on the area of service (veteran, youth, seniors, education, animals, etc.).

Smith III, a Lumberton resident, works at Littlefield Middle School as an 8th-grade Social Studies teacher and attends East Lumberton Baptist Church, where he helps with the 7th- and 8th-grade youth. He is also in the midst of his term on the North Carolina Council for the Social Studies (NCCSS) Board of Directors, where he helps oversee the annual conference held annually in February in Greensboro.

“I was very surprised when I received the information in the mail,” Smith said. “I go to work with youth every day in the school system because it is my job and I like what I do. I want to help the youth at my church because I have two of my own children in the group and I want to be invested in their spiritual growth just as much as I am with their educational growth.”

“Even with NCCSS, I look at it as an opportunity rather than a volunteer obligation, Smith said. “Life is too short to just stand by and watch life happen. I like staying busy with various opportunities because you never know what doors can be opened in the process.”

In 2023, Robeson County didn’t have a Governor’s Award recipient, so the next stage is going to be the Governor’s Medallion Award for Volunteer Service. If chosen, Smith will be recognized in the top 20-25 volunteers in the state. Medallion recipients are nominated at the county level by the county award coordinator. Only one Medallion nomination is permitted per county. A statewide panel reviews and evaluates all these nominations to determine the award recipients. Medallion Award recipients are honored at an annual recognition ceremony later this year.