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A Norwood-based nonprofit community outreach initiative recently hosted a ceremony to honor community members who have helped it out.

Community Who Cares, started by Grover Shankle in 2008,  hosted a banquet to honor members of local law enforcement and others for helping the organization, including street cleanup efforts.

The organization challenges citizens “to take their community back by picking up trash in the senior citizen’s neighborhoods and along the highway to preserve what they called home,” according to its website.

The website also said Community Who Cares “will demolish and remove old structures used for drug houses and beautify the communities with landscaping.”

Honorees included Norwood Police Chief James Wilson, Oakboro Police Chief T.J. Smith, Albemarle Police Chief Jason Bollhorst, former South Stanly High School athletic director Charlie Phillips, South Stanly High School head football coach Terry Shankle and citizens Brenda and Titus Stanback, Alice Davis, Sonny Dunlap, Dion Brooks, Ollie Shankle, Eric Dewall, Truttie Shankle, Eric Allsbrook, Jasper Powe, Robin Gaines and others.

Carl Sharperson, a former Naval Academy graduate and Marine Corps pilot turned motivational speaker, delivered the keynote address. Sharperson played football for Navy, and shared something he learned from a football coach in high school.

“Quitters never win and winners never quit. He said, ‘If you quit my football team, you might quit school and get married. You might quit your spouse, and if you have kids, you might quit your kids. Because once you quit the first time, it’s easy to quit the next time,” Sharperson said.

Other honorees included Terry Watkins, Billy McRae, Johnny Carpenter, Will Watkins, Vicki Watkins, Joyce Baldwin, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Rush, Arloshia Isreal, Christopher Deberry, Sherry Watkins, Ralph Jackson, Tim Hill, Albemarle Fire Chief T. Pierre Brewton, Norwood Mayor Pro Tem James Lilly, Creola Clark and Bobby Benjamin.