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GATESVILLE – A local man is among the 20 people and two organizations to receive the State of North Carolina’s highest award for volunteer service: the Governor’s Medallion Award.

Erna Bright Jr. of Sunbury was recognized for his work on the Gates County Broadband Task Force and was honored by the Gates County Board of Commissioners at their regularly scheduled meeting on May 21.

“The Governor’s Medallion Award is the highest volunteer award available. It honors the true spirit of volunteerism by recognizing individuals, groups, and businesses,” said Gates County Cooperative Extension Director Helen Eure who oversees the local nominations for the annual Governor’s Volunteer Service Award program. “The Medallion Award honors people who have shown concern and compassion for their neighbors by making a significant contribution to their community through volunteer service.”

Eure said Bright was nominated for the award by Gates County Manager Scott Sauer.

“Erna Bright Jr. is a dedicated volunteer in Gates County, known as the “telephone guy” from his decades of working with Carolina Telephone, now doing business as Brightspeed, and for his ongoing role as Assistant Chief with the Sunbury Volunteer Fire Department,” Eure read from Sauer’s nomination form.

“[Erna] became instrumental in Gates County’s broadband initiative by volunteering his technical expertise to the county’s task force,” Sauer continued. “His advocacy and personal observation of fiber installations, including identifying mapping errors and identifying issues with low hanging lines, were crucial in achieving 97 percent fiber installation in this rural area.”

Sauer’s nomination shared that Bright had volunteered over 1,000 hours to track federal and state grants seeking 68 million dollars for broadband deployment in northeastern North Carolina and holding providers accountable.

“More often than not, Gates County experienced water lines being cut while crews were digging and boring fiber lines. Mr. Bright tried to coach these subcontractors to work with the county’s water department and also to address traffic safety concerns while working along our roads,” Sauer stated on the nomination form.

Bright and the other recipients of the Medallion Award were recognized at a ceremony held May 12 at the North Carolina State Capitol.

“I am proud to honor these public-spirited volunteers who have each made a profound impact on their communities,” said Governor Josh Stein. “I am grateful for their dedication and hard work – may their leadership inspire more North Carolinians to follow their example.”

“We were excited to honor these extraordinary volunteers from across North Carolina who work selflessly and tirelessly to make our state a better place,” said Briles Johnson, Executive Director of VolunteerNC. “Medallion award recipients serve their communities in so many ways: combating food insecurity, assisting the elderly, mentoring youth, disaster relief and more.”

The 2026 Governor’s Volunteer Service Award nomination form will be available this fall. Nominations are submitted to the County Award Coordinator in each county. Please visit volunteernc.org for more information.