Visit NC Honors Helene Heroes, Hoteliers

HICKORY, NC (April 7, 2025) — At a luncheon today with Gov. Josh Stein and Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley attending, Visit North Carolina presented Spirit of North Carolina awards to seven individuals, organizations and communities for Hurricane Helene relief and the Esse Quam Videri Award to James and Amanda Keith for restoring the historic NuWray Hotel in Burnsville. Award presentations are a highlight of the annual Visit NC Tourism Conference, whose 2025 edition is taking place at the Hickory Metro Convention Center.

The newly created Spirit of NC award is inspired by prodigious responses to the vast destruction from Hurricane Helene, which struck mountain communities on Sept. 29 and led to 27 counties being declared disaster areas.

“Communities came together and people from all across the state stepped up to help,” said Wit Tuttell, Visit NC’s executive director, in introducing the award. “But some people and places went beyond just helping and really made a difference with their sacrifice of time, effort and money.”

To honor that spirit, Tuttell presented the award to:

• Eric Haggart, marketing director for the Franklin & Nantahala Tourism Development Council. With hundreds of people missing in the hurricane’s aftermath, Haggart, an award-winning photographer and certified drone operator, used his equipment to assist with search and rescue operations in Henderson, Mitchell and Yancey counties. His efforts continued with collection and delivery of goods — including bicycles —and the sale of photographs with proceeds donated to relief. As a reflection of tourism’s value, Haggart also attended a series of consumer travel events to encourage attendees to visit Western NC.
• Thomas Salley, director of the Wilkesboro Tourism Development Authority. Salley mobilized local students to collect 20 trailer loads of supplies and raised thousands of dollars in financial contributions, which he personally delivered. He worked with North Wilkesboro Speedway to organize car haulers for transporting supplies to Western North Carolina. And with the innovative use of water totes from local wineries, he provided more than 3,800 gallons of clean drinking water to those in need.
• Tryon International Equestrian Center, Mill Spring. With Chimney Rock Village damaged beyond recognition, the Equestrian Center offered businesses space for temporary shops and extended the neighborly offer to others in the region. The presence of businesses from Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, Asheville and Hendersonville in the equestrian resort’s International Pavilion created the WNC Main Street experience. The initiative, which is still going strong, has provided a lifeline to the shops and given residents and visitors a place to support economic recovery with spirts lifted even higher by original Chimney Rock Village sign set up at the pavilion.
• Tepper Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, MLS’ Charlotte Football Club and Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Shortly after the storm hit, the David & Nicole Tepper Foundation, in partnership with the Panthers and Charlotte FC, donated $3 million to support relief efforts across the Carolinas. Support rose to $5 million with a grant program to assist high school athletic programs. Finally, the donation of Bank of America Stadium for the Oct. 26 Concert for Carolina led to proceeds of $25.5 million. The event was organized by NC natives Luke Combs and Eric Church, who headlined along with one-time Chapel Hill resident James Taylor.
• Nick Breedlove and the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority. After Jackson County’s swift recovery from the worst of the storm’s effects, the TDA redirected $56,411 in advertising revenue to support communities that were more seriously impacted by Helene. Many of the recipients — which included Samaritan’s Purse, MANNA Foodbank, Mountain Bizworks and Legal Aid of NC — serve populations beyond Jackson County. Breedlove is the TDA’s executive director.
• The community of Hickory. City hotels became base camp for emergency personnel, utility workers, doctors, nurse, and federal government organizations. The city provided 19 million gallons of water to affected areas with more than a dozen private companies transporting it to people in need. Hickory Regional Airport, the largest nearby airport that remained functional and accessible, served as a hub for efforts from federal, state and local agencies. The Hickory Metro Convention Center became a storage facility for the local United Way as it received goods from across the country, and the Visitors Bureau served as a connector in the hospitality industry.
• Cabarrus County. In the hurricane’s wake, real estate broker Leigh Brown heard a call to action and created a group called Patriot Relief to mobilize support for those affected by Helene. This true community effort included the Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau collecting goods, the JM Robinson High School football team helping load a truck donated by Shoe Show, and a retired police officer repeatedly volunteering to drive it. Also in Cabarrus, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports, Speedway Children’s Charities and other entities organized collection drives with supplies delivered to affected regions by way of the North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Tuttell noted that the “spirit of NC” extends far beyond the awards.

“Several destinations turned their spaces into donation centers,” he said. “Musicians and artists have donated time, talent and tunes. Sports teams and community groups have done recovery drives and donations. It has been a beautiful and inspiring outpouring of support and love that surpasses what can be recognized by awards."

Esse Quam Videri Award

James and Amanda Keith of Burnsville’s NuWray Hotel received the Esse Quam Videri Award, which takes its name from the state motto (translation: “To Be Rather Than To Seem”). They, too, played a role in Hurricane Helene recovery.

Built in 1833, the NuWray is North Carolina’s oldest continuously operating hotel with a guest list that includes Jimmy Carter, John F. Kennedy, Mark Twain and possibly Elvis Presley. By the time the Keiths purchased it in 2021, it had fallen into disrepair. As they addressed such major structural needs as all-new plumbing, electrical, HVAC and fire suppression systems, the Keiths maintained respect for existing materials, the hotel’s place in history and the stories of people who worked there.

Less than two months after the NuWray reopened, Hurricane Helene arrived. The hotel housed the New York State Fire and Swift Water Rescue team as well as displaced residents. It became a community hub with World Central Kitchen setting up to distribute hot food.

Tuttell, who stayed at the NuWray as he visited destinations in Helene’s path, praised the scope and scale of the Keiths’ labor of love, calling out their displays of such items such as carefully peeled wallpaper swatches and a late-1800s laundry machine.

“ ‘Esse Quam Videri’ are words to live by,” Tuttell said. “James and Amanda truly embody what it means — the dedication to bettering the community, to giving freely of time, energy and other resources for a greater good. We congratulate James and Amanda for what they’ve achieved and hold them up as an example of who we can be, of who we are when we’re at our best as North Carolinians.”

The Esse Quam Videri Award was established in 2019. The Keiths join Kinston business leaders Stephen Hill of Mother Earth Brewing and Vivian Howard of Chef & the Farmer; Bill Carson, co-founder of the Altapass Foundation; Old Fort’s trailblazing Catawba Vale Collective; the High Point Market Authority; and Halifax businesswoman Glenn Patterson Wilson as its recipients.

With more than 500 tourism leaders from across the state in attendance, the Visit NC Tourism Conference continues through Tuesday.

Note: Photos of the award recipients can be downloaded here.

About Visit North Carolina:
Visit North Carolina is part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, a private nonprofit corporation that serves as North Carolina’s economic development organization. The EDPNC focuses on business and job recruitment, existing industry support, international trade, tourism and film marketing.

As the official destination organization for the state, Visit North Carolina’s mission is to unify and lead the state in positioning North Carolina as a preferred destination for leisure travel, group tours, meetings and conventions, sports events and film production, maximizing economic vitality statewide. North Carolina welcomes approximately 43 million visitors annually whose spend more than $33 billion in the state. The tourism industry employs more than 216,000 jobs throughout the state and generates nearly $2.5 billion in state and local tax revenues. For more information about Visit North Carolina, go to VisitNC.com.

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CONTACT:

Veda Gilbert ǀ Suzanne Brown
media@VisitNC.com