SILER CITY, N.C. — William “Chip” Pate, a marketing and public relations consultant serving clients in the education and nonprofit sectors, was named the 2021 Community Hero by JMArts, the Jordan-Matthews Arts Foundation. Given this year for the second time, the annual award was created to honor a volunteer from the community who has contributed significantly to the success of the arts at Jordan-Matthews High School.
The award was presented on May 27 by JMArts President Rose Pate as part of the JMArts Awards, an online ceremony highlighting outstanding student musicians, actors and visual artists. Arts awards are usually announced as part of JM Awards Night, an annual event highlighting top students across all disciplines. But because of the pandemic, arts awards were announced by faculty members in video presentations on JMArts Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The awards ceremony is pinned to the top of JMArts Twitter at twitter.com/JMHSArts or is accessible on all platforms with the hashtag #JMAawards2021.
Pate was one of the founders of JMArts, working with his wife, the current JMArts president, to create the foundation one decade ago. Since then, the owner of Pate and Associates Marketing in Pittsboro has donated more than one-third of his billable hours every year to help nonprofit organizations, most of those hours contributed to JMArts.
He has been involved in setting the strategic direction for JMArts and has handled the nonprofit’s marketing and public relations — including its website, social media, news releases, JMArts Update newsletter, photography and media relations.
Drawing on his Ph.D. in higher education from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Pate also has helped develop the foundation’s educational programs. He helped create JMArts’s “Performing in College” educational roundtable for high school students considering majoring in performing arts in college and designs the foundation’s annual New York Arts Adventure.
That signature educational trip is built from the ground up each year around the interests of traveling students. Pate books hotels and flights, plans meals, and works with associates in New York City to arrange special events like backstage tours on Broadway and extended lunches for students to learn from nationally respected theater critics, actors and producers.
While students have enjoyed the benefits of his work with JMArts, Pate says he’s been blessed as well. “I’ve said this many times before, so it’s no secret, that these student actors, musicians and visual artists are the one thing that gives me hope for the future,” he said. “They work unbelievably hard, even without some of the advantages that many schools take for granted. They’re genuinely outstanding people and, most of all, they encourage each other and take care of each other.
“It’s something you probably don’t see unless you’re backstage, at rehearsal or in the art studio, but, honestly, it’s impressive. I just wish everyone else could see what I’ve seen, so they could be encouraged and inspired, too.”
Because Pate is involved each year in preparing and promoting the arts awards, Rose had to tell her husband about the honor in advance. She prefaced that discussion by saying, “This was the committee, not me,” knowing it could be a little uncomfortable presenting an award so close to home. On the other hand, the decision made sense.
“We both got involved with supporting the arts programs at JM when our son was a student here, and we found it so fulfilling that we’ve stayed active,” Rose said. “There’s no way we could have had the impact we’ve had without Chip’s service. If you’ve ever heard of JMArts, it’s because of his work.”
All arts award winners over the last several years are listed online at jmarts.org/awards.
More information about JMArts, including its flagship JMArts Scholars program, is available at jmarts.org.
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William “Chip” Pate received the 2021 Community Hero Award from JMArts for his ongoing contribution to the arts at Jordan-Matthews High School. (Photo courtesy of Chip Pate)