Nominate a deserving volunteer: Wake County seeking nominations for 2024 Frank Eagles Award

Wake County Health and Human Services is looking for nominations for the 2024 Frank Eagles Award.

The award recognizes a local volunteer who demonstrates “outstanding service to an organization and/or extraordinary individual volunteerism.”

The honor was first presented to the family of longtime Rolesville Mayor Frank Eagles, who passed away in October 2021. Before he died, Eagles served as the town’s mayor for more than a decade. Before and after his tenure he was an active volunteer in his community.

“Mayor Eagles was all about doing that right thing. He was all about getting people, especially families in historically marginalized communities, access to the resources they need to make a difference in their lives. He just refused to accept any excuses for why it couldn’t be done,” said Wake County Northern Regional Center Director Ross Yeager.

Yeager explained the board decided to open applications for nominations earlier in the year to coincide with national volunteer week in April.

“Mayor Eagles did a lot of good things for a lot of people,” Yeager shared. “Often you don’t have to do something that’s huge. A small gesture can make a huge difference in somebody’s life and just let them know there is support out there.”

James Parham received the award in December 2023. The longtime teacher was nominated for his work addressing food deserts in eastern Wake County.

Parham said he was very shocked to learn he had been nominated and feels honored to have won.

“I was very pleased because I had no idea I would receive this award. I was just going about my business, doing the things I usually do in the community, not even knowing I would be considered,” he said.

Parham said he has received other awards in his life for his career in education but considers the Frank Eagles Award his highest honor.

“It’s at the very top of my trophy shelf because this is one that I earned, not job related, and it means a lot because I was doing exactly what I wanted to do: helping people become better,” he said.

The nomination form is now active on the Wake County Health and Human Services website.