News

United Way honors community leaders

Elizabeth and Bill Moss along with their 2-month-old granddaughter, Elliott, accepted the Rob and Ginger Cranford Community Service Award from the United Way of Henderson County.

By Amy McCraw, Published: September 17, 2025

The United Way of Henderson County on Tuesday celebrated the people and organizations who make Hendersonville a better place through their hard work and dedication to the community.

The work of those honored during the United Way’s Community Impact Celebration was more important than ever as the area fought over the past year to recover from Hurricane Helene, Executive Director Kat Carlton said.
“As we celebrate each of these honorees, let us remember that their stories reflect the best of who we are when we come together,” Carlton said during the celebration held at the Trailside Brewing Co. “Every contribution, every volunteer hour, every act of leadership helps create lasting change. This past year proved to be a challenging year for us all. However, it also revealed our collective strength and the deep love and care we genuinely share for one another as a community.”
About 65 people attended the event that included food, drink and music by DHB Trio and Friends.
Individuals honored for their outstanding service to the community included Kathryn McConnell, who received the Edward C. Brisley Jr. Award and Elizabeth Willson Moss and Bill Moss, who received the Rob and Ginger Cranford Community Service Award.
McConnell serves as the director of philanthropy at Blue Ridge Health. Before taking on the job at Blue Ridge in 2015, McConnell worked for 22 years as the Vice President of Community Philanthropy at the Community Foundation of Henderson County. She was also the volunteer center director of United Way from 1985 to 1991. A member of Women United for several years, McConnell actively contributes her time and event planning skills to United Way and various other non-profit agencies in the community, Carlton said.
Carlton described Elizabeth Moss as an exceptional and experienced local leader who has “paved the way and steered the ship” as the executive director of Interfaith Assistance Ministry, which provides crisis support throughout Henderson County.
“Elizabeth’s background includes roles as a reporter and editor as well as various leadership positions within local organizations,” Carlton said.
Her husband, Bill Moss, is editor and publisher of the Hendersonville Lightning, “our local newspaper dedicated to high-quality journalism that informs the community. The Lightning is our local source for quality journalism, and in the aftermath of Helene they actively reported updates and how to get help, ensuring residents had access to vital local resources,” Carlton said.
Local businesses including Kimberly-Clark, Wilsonart, Cummins and Dampp-Chaser received awards for their corporate and employee support of United Way.
The United Way celebration also included Disaster Response Awards for individuals and businesses for their service to the community during Hurricane Helene.
The Heart of the Community Award was given to Stephen Curtis for his work volunteering in the community after the hurricane.
“This gentleman showed up to volunteer time after time, day after day, making a memorable impact on other volunteers and the people he helped to serve,” Carlton said.
Mark Warwick and Paige Posey, of WTZQ radio, received the Voice of the Community Award for their work during the storm.
“In the aftermath of the storm, Mark and Paige and the team at WTZQ sprang to action to keep the community as connected and informed as possible," Carlton said. "In a time of darkness, they provided much needed connection, hope and light, working to keep the community up to date on what was going on and where to get help. So many of us relied on local radio, and they made it happen.”
Describing it as probably the most essential of all the awards, Carlton presented Henderson County Emergency Services Director Jimmy Brissie with the Responsive Leadership Award.
The award recognized Brissie’s “exceptional leadership and courage in guiding our community through crisis,” Carlton said, adding that Brissie was the first to point out that Henderson County’s emergency response to Helene was a team effort.
Businesses that received United Way awards for their response and support for the community during the hurricane included First Citizens Bank, Publix and Vulcan Materials Co.
In remarks before the awards presentation, Carlton thanked United Way staff members and board members for their work during the community’s recovery from Helene.
“This past year, we have led and served through what just may be the biggest disaster and devastation Western North Carolina has ever seen,” she said. “And through it, we doubled down. We stood up. We reached out, and we expanded further and more deeply throughout Henderson County to meet local non-profits and neighbors where they are.”
Carlton also gave an update on the support the United Way has provided to the community over the last year.
In the last year, the United Way provided 42 Community Investment grants to support 25 local non-profit agencies that work to improve health, education, financial stability and basic needs for local people. The organization also funded 13 local food pantries.
After Helene hit, the United Way provided 35 local grants to community non-profit organizations that support Helene recovery.
The nonprofit also provided funding to the Henderson County Rescue Squad, doubling first responder access to mental health support.
The devastation Helene brought to Henderson County also required the United Way to work even harder to meet the needs of county residents, Carlton said.
“We were the go-to volunteer coordinator for all the resource distribution sites and the main distribution center and last October alone, we connected over 1,500 volunteers to donate over 6,600 hours to support Helene response and recovery,” Carlton said.
The United Way continues to assist the community with its recovery from the storm through the county’s Disaster Recovery Partnership, which connects more than 50 agencies to address Helene recovery needs, she said.