CBC Awards 140 Non-Profits Through 32nd Annual WRAL Azalea Celebration, Special Honors to Three Groups

The 32^nd Annual WRAL Azalea Celebration culminated with the distribution of plants to the winning non-profits on Saturday, September 30, 2017. CBC Property Management staffers worked with volunteers at the WRAL Transmitter site in Auburn, NC, as the winners came to pick up their azaleas.

Corp Assistant Property Manager Amy Trudo reported that the day was a “huge success.”

“It was a beautiful day for us to welcome 140 groups from both ends of the state to receive their beautiful plants,” she said. “This year we were able to provide 5,500 azalea plants to a diverse group of applicants including public schools, churches, municipalities and civic groups. Most of the groups awarded plants were first time applicants and from as far away as Kitty Hawk, NC to Candler, NC (west of Asheville).”

For the first time this year, the application was available to download from the WRAL Gardens website.

“We had an amazing response in the initial requests with over 200 groups applying and requesting +9,500 plants!” Trudo explained. “Although we wish plants could have been donated to all who requested the 140 groups that received were extremely excited and very thankful for the donation of Azaleas.”

“As for the Property Management team we were extremely thankful for the help from our partner N.C. Beautiful and the wonderful volunteers who came to help load plants including students from The Durham School of the Arts,” said Trudo. “It was a long day but everyone was excited to see each new group roll in and load up with plants.”

Three non-profits received special awards during the 2017 WRAL Azalea Celebration. Each year CBC Property Management selects three non-profits who received azaleas through the program three years prior as A.J. Fletcher Award winners.

“Each year we contact the groups who previously received plants that they are eligible for this award,” explained Trudo. “Group who apply send in pictures of their landscape and Corp Property Management Manager Tim Grissom then visits each site to see how successful their projects are and chooses a first, second and third place winner. Winning groups receive a money prize of up to $500, additional Azaleas, a set of garden tools and a beautiful plaque.”

After seeing the use of azaleas by these three groups, Grissom reported that each had done an excellent job maintaining the plants they won three years ago.

“All were thriving and being taken well care of,” said Trudo. “It was an honor to reward these three groups with additional plants and money to continue with the beautification of their campuses. Our 32^nd Azalea celebration was a great success and we look forward to our 33^rd!”