A community member dedicated to enriching the lives of others will be honored this week by having a room named after her in the Richmond County Community Support Center.
The center, at 393 W. Highway 74 business in Rockingham, will name a room after Mary Patterson, a board member and volunteer.
Director of the center Gladys Broome said Patterson has been active in the community since the center’s beginnings 17 years ago. According to Broome, Patterson has also been active with the Richmond County Democratic Women as well as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Planning Committee.
The dedication will take place on Thursday, beginning at 11:30 a.m. and will last until 1:30 p.m., and will be an informal ‘drop-in’ celebration with light snacks. A dedication prayer will be held at 11:30 a.m.
The Richmond County Community Support Center is a non-profit organization that runs programs such as the Workforce Investment Act and the Parenting Wisely program.
According to Democratic Women President Pam Dillman, Patterson was influential in the county’s party.
“She’s a phenomenal woman,” said Dillman. “What a mentor. She supports everyone. I’m so proud of her. She was president for four years and won all kinds of awards. She was so good to me and taught me so much about working with people. I love her and I’m so blessed to know her.”
Patterson said she wasn’t an active community volunteer until she retired from the North Carolina Mutual Insurance company. She said her career in insurance helped her connect to people, and Patterson learned that she loved working with people to help them.
“I’m excited,” said Patterson about the room being dedicated in her honor. “I do a lot of volunteer work; it keeps me energized. We deal with a lot of kids that are delinquents. I like working with young people and helping to improve their lives. I like working with the underprivileged. I don’t get rusty, sitting around.”
Patterson said she was surprised to hear about the room dedication.
“I can’t believe they are naming a room after me,” said Patterson. “I’m enjoying the attention.”
“We (are dedicating) the Mary Patterson Room with sincere appreciation of her outstanding contributions in making our organization as successful as it is today,” said Broome.
— Staff Writer Dawn M. Kurry can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 15, or by email at dkurry@civitasmedia.com.
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