A Helping Hand was recently named a Founding Partner by the Veterans History Project for its role and contribution in their history and story collecting project. The mission of the Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress is to collect, preserve and make accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. To date, the VHP collection numbers more than 68,000.

More information about the Veterans History Project can be found at their website.

We are proud to announce that Durham Cares has awarded A Helping Hand their Success Grant and made us one of their new partners.

Durham Cares is a local organization focused on building a process and infrastructure for
meaningful volunteering and giving. They offer a personalized volunteer match program to place people in opportunities based on their interests, skills, and schedule as well as provide support to local non-profits.

With their support, we hope to increase our number of volunteers and expand our Service Learning Program in 2010.

Please take a look at our page on the Durham Cares website for more information about our partnership and goals.

A Helping Hand awards for excellence include the WCHL Village Pride Award and the NC Employment Network award for Distinguished Service (2002).

In February 2006, the prestigious Our State magazine featured A Helping Hand‘s annual Valentine delivery and serenade, a community-outreach project that involves over 2,800 volunteers who make or deliver  5,600 hand-crafted Valentines to older adults in the community.

A Helping Hand has also been featured in The Chapel Hill Herald and The Chapel Hill News.

A Helping Hand recently received the STAR award from the Beverly Foundation in a national competition as one of the outstanding senior transportation providers in the country.

AHH and 20 other organizations were selected out of 450 applicants. “While the selection process was exceptionally difficult, our national review committee contributed immensely in ensuring that the award recipients were the ‘best of the best’,” said the Foundation’s president, Helen Kerschner. A Helping Hand was the only organization in North Carolina to receive this unique award.

The Beverly Foundation, headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, undertakes research, education, and assistance to encourage and facilitate mobility and transportation for older adults. For more information about the Beverly Foundation and STAR Award, please visit: http://www.beverlyfoundation.org

Cathy Ahrendsen, founder and executive director of A Helping Hand, received the Ned Brooks Award for public service for improving the quality of life in North Carolina communities. The award honors the contributions and values of Ned Brooks, former University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provost, who has served the university since 1972, making significant contributions to the mission of service and engagement, including a leadership role in the development of the Carolina Center for Public Service.

In 2007, A Helping Hand was recognized by the UNC-CH Leadership Institute as one of the six outstanding non-profit organizations in the Triangle.