Local honoree receives state award
At a recent meeting of the Davidson County Board of Commissioners, Lexington resident, Reverend Dwight Cartner was recognized by the Deputy Director of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging, Jill Simmerman, as recipients of the 2024 Elizabeth Welch Award.
Each year, the NC Division of Aging presents awards to recognize individuals, organizations, programs and communities that have made significant contributions to the division’s efforts to enhance resources, services and opportunities for our state’s older citizens.
The Elizabeth Welch Award recognizes an older adult who has effectively advocated for the needs of other older adults as either a volunteer or employee. This award honors Dr. Elizabeth Welch, who served as Chair of the psychology department at Salem College. She was often quoted as saying we should not “retire” but “reinvest.” At age 89, she published her personal account of growing old and the challenges and gifts that age can bring. Her book “Learning to be 85” made her a popular speaker across the state. At 92, she was a congressionally appointed delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Aging, where she was the only delegate from North Carolina to have a resolution passed by the conferees. Welch believed in the power laid at the feet of baby boomers to bring about social justice for older adults, women, people of color, and other historically marginalized populations. Nominated by Senior Services Director Thessia Everhart-Roberts, she states, “Reverend Cartner works tirelessly to improve the lives of seniors. His passion and commitment to aging services serve as a beacon of hope and inspire us all to champion the rights and well-being of our elderly community. We should all rally behind him to continue the vital work of supporting our seniors with dignity and respect.“
In her presentation of the Award, Simmerman noted that since his retirement as a United Methodist Church Pastor of over 50 years, Rev. Dwight Cartner has focused on the needs of older adults. In his work on the Davidson County Department of Senior Services Advisory Board, 2013 to present, Rev. Cartner has served as Chair since 2020 in an advisory capacity to the Director of Senior Services on multiple projects and initiatives. In his work on the Davidson County Planning Committee for Aging Services, 2011 to 2022, Rev. Cartner served as committee Chair from January 2021 to December 2022, where he led with unwavering dedication and a profound commitment to the well-being of aging adults in Davidson County.
From 2013 to the present, Rev. Cartner has served as the county’s alternate or delegate to the North Carolina Senior Tar Heel Legislature, where he has made every effort to advocate for and act on issues affecting local seniors by making their voices heard in the state capitol.
Former board member colleague Jim Wikle states about Cartner’s nomination, “Dwight is a volunteer who has advocated for older adults for many decades. His service to others is known not only through his career as a teacher, pastor, and various boards but in very quiet, unassuming activities only a few of us know about.”
In 2017-2018 and 2021-2022, Rev. Cartner is credited with serving on the local preparatory committee for the National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC), which made the Davidson County Senior Centers nationally accredited. This status afforded the senior centers triple General Purpose funding over non-certified centers in North Carolina.
NC Senior Tarheel Alternate, for Davidson County, and former DC Planning Committee for Aging Services colleague Rithia Ford, describes Cartner as, “by nature a very engaging person. He always makes a newcomer feel welcome and is very supportive of helping others flourish.”
