George Kegley Award for Volunteerism
The award recognizes those individuals who embody the spirit of the late Mr. Kegley, a tireless volunteer for dozens of causes who impacted countless lives in southwest Virginia and beyond. George was a long-time land conservancy volunteer and supporter.
2024 Recipient
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Helen Burnett (right)
Originally from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, Helen Burnett settled in Roanoke and spent over 20 years in advertising, circulation and marketing management at The Roanoke Times followed by 15 years in sales and marketing at local retirement communities. As a cycling enthusiast, she is especially attracted to the beauty of rural back roads and this is what drew her to learning more about the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy and ultimately becoming a volunteer. Helen especially enjoys trips into the field, whether to meet a potential new donor and visit their property or to do a monitoring visit on an existing easement. There is always something beautiful to see, birds and wildlife, a scenic view, a stream to protect, wildflowers in bloom, or discovering a nest of goose eggs while checking out an island in the James River! As a retiree, Helen enjoys travelling, book clubs and volunteering at her church, Second Presbyterian where she serves as Elder, is a member of the Bell Choir and participates in a variety of committees and outreach and mission projects like Habitat for Humanity. Among other past community activities she served as Board Member and President for Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia, Trustee for Taubman Museum of Art, and WVTF reader for Radio Reading Service. |
2022 Recipient
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2022 Recipient: The first recipient of the George Kegley Award is Linda Pharis of Roanoke. A former board member and past
president of the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy, she also served on the Boards of the Richmond Printmaking Workshop and Habitat for Humanity. |
