BRCO Newsletters On-line
Bethel students who demonstrated academic excellence and winning attitudes were recently recognized by Bethel Rural Community Organization (BRCO). BRCO's Education Committee annually grants awards to students at Bethel Elementary, Bethel Middle, and Pisgah High School.
BRCO recognized the following students at Bethel Elementary School: Eli Hidalgo for Highest Reading Average and Korbin Knox for Most Growth in Reading. Harper Golden for Highest Math Average and Sean Burnette for Most Growth in Math.
Noah Warren - Bethel Middle School David Cuphey Citizenship Award Recipient with Sherri Christopher, BRCO Education Committee member
BRCO News and Events
BETHEL MIDDLE SCHOOL CITIZENSHIP AWARD
The BRCO David Curphey Citizenship Award recipient was chosen by eighth grade teachers at Bethel Middle School based on attitude, behavior, civic-mindedness, and treating others with care and respect. Eighth grader Noah Warren received the Award and $50.
PISGAH HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP
BRCO Scholarship Winner - Autumn Woodley
BRCO's Education Committee selects the winner of the $1000 BRCO Scholarship from the applications of graduating high school seniors who reside in Bethel community. Autumn Woodley is the scholarship winner for 2024. Woodley, a Certified Nursing Assistant, will be attending Western Carolina University to pursue a degree in nursing.
Autumn Woodley - BRCO Scholarship Winner
2024 Pigeon Valley Award for Historic Preservation - Douglas Chambers
Bethel Rural Community Organization's Historic Preservation Committee recently granted its tenth Pigeon Valley Award for Historic Preservation to videographer Douglas Chambers. BRCO video projects under Chambers's direction have received three North Carolina Society of Historians' multi-media awards: Walking in the Footsteps of Those Who Came Before Us (2012), From New College to Springdale (2016), and Sunburst and Other Logging Operations in the Bethel and Cold Mountain Region (2019). Chambers also produced The Fertile Fields of Bethel DVD and two CDs for the organization: Cold Mountain Heritage Driving Tour and Possum on a Whale's Sunburst Sessions. In addition, Chambers filmed individual topic recordings.
Historic Preservation Committee members Frances Adamson, Roxanna Billings, Ted Carr, Evelyn Coltman, Carol Litchfield, and Phyllis Vance enumerated the reasons Chambers is deserving of recognition - the videographer's flawless skill of incorporating hundreds of hours of filmed sessions into ordered, enjoyable, and exceptional works of artistic accomplishment. Steve Frazier, Pastor of Riverside Baptist Church, also praised Chambers for his professional production honoring the 100th Anniversary of Riverside Baptist Church. To cap the program, Chambers presented a preview of the upcoming Historic Schools of Bethel video production.
2024 Bethel Rural Community Organization Awards and Scholarships
BRCO Receives White Oak “Best in Class” Honor Award from WNC Communities
Long's United Methodist Church Art Print
Bethel Rural Community Organization's (BRCO) Historic Preservation Committee's mission is to collect, document, and educate about Bethel history. In keeping with that mission, the committee recently added to its collection its thirty-first art print of historic sites in Bethel.
The latest art print is a painting of the collection's fourth church: Long's United Methodist Church. Painting a replica of the end of a sawn log as background, artist and former pastor of the church, Peter Constantian, created an impressive likeness of the worship center located on Coffee Branch Road in Bethel. Founded in 1890 and remodeled in 1948, the church was originally known as Morgan's Chapel. The congregation changed the name to Long's United Methodist Church to honor Dr. Carroll Summerfield Long, minister and Japanese missionary who delivered the dedication sermon. The adjacent Long's Community Cemetery was established at the same time as the church, with governance of the burial site under the auspices of a non-profit cemetery committee.
L to R: Harper Golden, Eli Hidalgo,Sherri Christopher, Korbin Knox, Sean Burnette
This recognition, named for the passenger pigeon whose extinction in 1914 left a void in the landscape and in the poetic imagination of residents, honors the bird whose migratory role played such a vital function in the ecology of the East Haywood community that the alternate name for Bethel is “Pigeon Valley.” Pigeon River, Pigeon Gap, and Pigeon Street names also pay homage to the bird. The Historic Preservation Committee's goal with the Pigeon Valley Award is to ensure that local history will not suffer the same fate as the passenger pigeon
Seated from left to right: Carol Litchfield, Frances Adamson, Phyllis Vance. Standing from left to right: Janet Frazier, Reverend Steve Frazier, Ted Carr, Phyllis Gaddis, John Gaddis, Doug Chambers, Derrick Chambers, Evelyn Coltman, Charles Chambers, Roxie Billings
The WNC Communities Honor Awards luncheon was not held this year due to the impacts of Helene; however, during November, WNC Communities did mail a letter, certificate, and award funds to each community club that submitted an Honor Awards application. The award process recognizes each community club for its level of accomplishment during the period July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024.
The letter from WNC Communities stated that each community club that had submitted an application would be receiving $1000. Additional funds would be awarded based on level of achievement and whether or not “Best in Class” had been achieved.
BRCO once again achieved “Best in Class” at the White Oak level, the highest level of accomplishment, for which we were awarded $3000 (in addition to the $1000 that was awarded to each club). The White Oak level recognizes excellence in a broad array of categories including Good Governance; Leadership Excellence; Community Programs and Civic Engagement; and Collaboration with other entities. In addition to maintaining its on-going programs during the award period, BRCO also implemented a $20,000 grant from The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina to improve its Community Pantry operations.
A new feature was also added this year-- winners of the WNC Communities Impact Award would receive $3000. BRCO was the first to win the Impact Award (in 2022) for establishing the Fresh Produce Coupon Program with local produce stand operators. At that time, there was no cash award associated with the Impact Award. Because we won the Impact Award in 2022, WNC Communities awarded us $3000 this year for the impact we made in 2022. This “retro” cash award ensured that each Impact Award Winner from 2022 to 2024 received the same benefit. It is hoped that the significant cash award will serve to inspire all community clubs to pursue impactful programs in the future.
Susan Garrett, with WNC Communities, summed it up nicely with this note: “Bethel continues to be a shining star, and WNC Communities was very grateful to have additional funds to retro-award you for the Impact Award. Thank you for all you do to support your community, your farmers, your sense of place via your historical efforts, your youth, seniors, and those in need through your pantry.”
Stephanie Quis-Garrett takes a break from preparing BRCO food boxes to admire the Honor Award certificate BRCO received from WNC Communities during November. Stephanie had coordinated the implementation of the $20,000 grant to increase the food storage and improve the efficiency of the BRCO Community Pantry, an effort that contributed to BRCO's White Oak level of achievement.
Historic Preservation Committee members Frances Adamson, Roxie Billings, Carol Litchfield, Evelyn Coltman, and Ted Carr are holding the Long's United Methodist Curch painting by the Reverend Peter Constantian.