Author: Laura Nozedar
DPS employees do it all. They help people get back on their feet after a disaster and help strengthen families by supporting and educating juveniles. They help keep our highways safe and protect the public by supervising our prisons.
When their busy days are done, they go home and help their communities. The latest examples of that selflessness came during National Volunteer Week, April 7 through 13.
“I love volunteering within my community and seeing the impact it has on others,” said Jennifer Adams, chief of Support Services for Community Corrections. “When dealing with people who come from much different circumstances, it’s so humbling to see their appreciation and know you’re making a difference.”
This week, DPS employees showcased their volunteer spirit and used community service hours to make a difference in North Carolina.
A team of DPS employees, including leadership, joined work crews in Spring Lake, N.C., a small community that is still recovering after being hit hard by Hurricane Florence. They joined other volunteers with the North Carolina Baptists on Mission to rehabilitate two homes as part of the Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power (STEP) program. STEP provides repairs to houses to make them livable, so residents can return home while full repairs continue.
The State Highway Patrol partnered with the Wake County Salvation Army to collect food for the hungry and participated in a “truck fair” put on by Wake Young Men’s Leadership Academy middle school. The event gave the students a chance to see SHP vehicles up close and learn about the job of a state trooper.
Prisons Director Kenneth Lassiter and his leadership team served meals at the Raleigh Rescue Mission and the New Bern House. They prepared and loaded up the food to go out, and then served the main course and dessert onsite.
DPS employees represented the true spirit of giving during National Volunteer Week. From feeding the homeless, to supporting the Special Olympics, to volunteering time to disaster relief, they do it all. Our people go beyond the call of duty to make a difference in the lives of others not just this week, but year round.
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