Every year, the Sierra Club presents awards for volunteer leaders from across the country. This year, two of the award recipients - Henry Fansler and Jim Reynolds - are from North Carolina, and their accolades are well-deserved! The award ceremony will be held in September in San Francisco. Here are profiles of the award recipients and profiles taken from their nomination letters, which were also composed by volunteers.
Henry Fansler of the Foothills Group (Winston-Salem) will receive the National Sierra Club Special Service Award. This award honors a Sierra Club member, committee or group for strong and consistent commitment to conservation or the Club over an extended period of time.
Those who know Henry will recognize how fitting this award is. Henry exemplifies Sierra Club volunteerism, leadership and a strong and consistent commitment to conservation in North Carolina. His dedication to the Club’s ideals, the results he has achieved, and his good humor and consistent performance make him a perfect awardee.
Since 1994, Henry has served the Foothills Group as Group Vice Chair and Chair for three terms. He has also served as Outings Chair, where he has taken the time to become certified for both land- and water-based outings. Henry leads at least one outing each quarter and he is always prepared with informative material about the area of the hike.
Henry works tirelessly on the local and state level to protect clean air and water, support public parks, provide leadership for the Foothills Group, mentor upcoming leaders, and speak out when needed. He has a confident and inspirational leadership style which has consistently earned recognition for the Foothills Group as one of the strongest groups among the dozen in our state. He is persistent in the face of opposition and convincing when change is needed.
Jim Reynolds of the Pisgah Group (Brevard) will receive the National Sierra Club Special Achievement Award for his efforts to convince Brevard College to divest itself from investments in fossil fuels.
As a professor at Brevard College in North Carolina, Jim was the driving force behind a campaign to make the school the first college to commit to divesting from fossil fuels in the southeastern United States.
The campaign began in the fall of 2013 when Dr. Reynolds proposed the idea of divestment to students and the faculty. With his guidance and encouragement, the Brevard College environmental club started a petition drive for students and faculty to sign on to the proposal, organized educational events, held a sit-in in the school library to build awareness and led a rally for divestment. The efforts led Brevard College President David Joyce to invite the students to make a presentation about divestiture to the Brevard College Board of Trustees. On February 13, 2015, the Board of Trustees voted to divest by 2018.
Jim's work to educate students about the need for divestiture from fossil fuels, his encouragement and support for student activism and for the leadership and passion that he demonstrated in accomplishing an important environmental goal make this award a fitting recognition for his service.