Charlotte Woman Receives North Carolina’s Highest Civilian Honor
I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve been around a lot of charities in my 30+ years in broadcasting. If you were ever skeptical about these organizations in terms of “where the money goes,” or “do they really do good for people?” let me put your mind at rest about one for sure: The Salvation Army. There is no dirt on that group’s boots. And one of their own was recently given North Carolina’s highest civilian honor. Deronda Metz was given the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Governor Roy Cooper.
Deronda Metz truly epitomizes the motto on the picture above: “doing the most good.” For more than two decades (25 years), she served as leader of the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope Emergency Shelter for women and children in need. Metz recently retired after thirty-three years of service to the organization as the Director of Social Services.
According to WCNC, In her over 30-year career, Metz and her team expanded emergency housing and turned their overnight shelter into a 24/7 program with wraparound day programs, including employment assistance, substance abuse, and physical and mental health services. Along with partners they created dedicated access to 60 affordable apartment homes for families moving from the shelter and helped crack down on human trafficking in Mecklenburg, Union, and Anson counties.
The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is the state of North Carolina’s highest civilian honor. Major Jason Burns is the Area Commander with the Salvation Army. He said the organization applied for this prestigious award on behalf of Deronda Metz.
My favorite part of this story is that you’d think with more than 30 years of service to her fellow man in the rear-view mirror, Deronda would be hanging up her Salvation Army hat, right? A job well done, right? Wrong. Metz says she intends to continue to volunteer with The Charlotte Salvation Army’s advisory board.
