SILER CITY, N.C. — Denise Partin, treasurer of JMArts, the Jordan-Matthews Arts Foundation, since its creation more than a decade ago, has been named the 2023 JMArts Community Hero.

Given this year for the fourth 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.

JMArts President Rose Pate said Partin began volunteering as a parent when her two sons were band students and then continued her service, playing an essential role in the organization’s success.

“I’m completely honored and blown away,” Partin said when receiving the award. “I enjoy helping and it doesn’t seem like a chore.”

Partin works as a payroll specialist for Chatham County Schools and was honored in a surprise ceremony at her office, a short presentation attended by Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson and Chief Financial Officer Tony Messer.

Jackson said Partin was amazing and commended her for being so dedicated to serving Chatham County students. “Thank you for everything you’ve done to make our school system a great place for kids,” he said, "and the arts a centerpiece of what we do.”

Previous JMArts Community Hero Award winners are Cynthia Bredenberg, Dr. William “Chip” Pate and Sharon Allen.

More information about JMArts is available online at JMArts.org. The site includes a list of all student award winners over the last several years and details about many foundation initiatives including its flagship JMArts Scholars.

# # # #