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Timothy Stewart Smith, a hospitality management senior at East Carolina University and a Mount Airy resident, has received a $1,000 stipend from the International Gold & Silver Plate Society. The stipend will help defray the cost of his summer internship at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C. Tim is the son of Emilie and Philip Smith of Mount Airy.

For 55 years the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association has sponsored the Gold & Silver Plate Awards program, which acts as a catalyst for the development of industry programs and projects.

The society recognizes outstanding hospitality students at selected universities. Criteria for the internship stipend include a consistently high level of academic achievement, financial need, a strong commitment to a career in the hospitality industries, and the student should possess the qualities of leadership and maturity that suggest future success.

"The Department of Hospitality Management is very pleased that the Society invited us to nominate a student for the stipend," said Dr. Robert O'Halloran, department chair in a press release. "Tim Smith is a hard working student with great potential for the hospitality industry. Society members understand that excellence begets excellence, and we are grateful for their support."

"I worked in a number of restaurants near my hometown of Mount Airy, Maryland, when growing up," Smith said in the release, adding that it helped him find his true passion for food and helping others enjoy themselves. "The managers at the Biltmore are experts in the art of satisfying guests, and I'm grateful to be learning ‘front of the house' operations from them. The stipend is a big boost for my internship, my education, and for propelling me into the foodservice industry with both feet."

The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association is a leading trade association comprised of food, equipment and supply manufacturers in the foodservice industry, as well as related marketing service organizations.

Howard County dairy club

wins award

The Howard County Dairy 4-H Club was recently presented with the fourth place award from the Hoards Magazine Annual Dairy judging contest. More than 600 clubs from across the county and 6 others competed in the contest, which allows 4-H youths to critique the dairy qualities of 5 different breeds where groupings of 4 cows are rated. A plaque of special recognition from Hoards Dairyman will be presented to the club along with their leader Rhonda Patrick Winkler by 4-H executive extension agent Sheryl Bennett.

Members in the club are:  Hailey Clark, Gus Clark, Maddie Dunst, Mitchell Feaga, Courtney Green, Bailey Patrick, Emma Haley, Shannon Jones, Jacob Jones, Tim Lawson, Carolyn McGraw, Maura McGraw, Morgan Meisenheimer, Cameron Mullinix, Millie Mullinix, Devin Murray, Garrett Murray, Morgan Murray, Seth Neilson, Lisa O'Keefe, Rebecca O'Keefe, Patrick O'Keefe, Joey O'Keefe, Maggie O'Keefe, Derek Patrick, Caitlin Patrick, Taylor Rhodes, Cole Wilson, Alexis Winkler, Cecilia Winkler and Jeffery Winkler.

Twelve of the 4-H members are the children of first place winners in the 1981 and 1985 Hoards Dairyman Judging Contest. Most of those parents were in attendance.

Hoards Dairyman is a National Dairy magazine that was started in the late 1800's. The national judging contest began in 1930 and has had more than four million participants. 

Mount Airy resident

keeps on running

Mount Airy resident Diane Caparotti participated in the ZOOMA Women's Race Series 1/2 Marathon on May 31st.  The race is presented by New Balance and celebrates the power and beauty of all women. The purpose is to promote women's and girls' health and fitness by encouraging them to participate in a challenging and fun running event.

Caparotti is a personal trainer for 1st Team Fitness, LLC in Mount Airy.

A portion each ZOOMA runner's entry fee benefits "Girls on the Run Annapolis" which is a national non-profit educational and running program for pre-adolescent girls (ages 8-13) that strengthens girls physically, emotionally, and socially in preparation to face the upcoming pressures of adolescence.

"I have been running since I was 12 years old, and I know the positive impact it has had on my life.  To be able to share what I have today with Girls on the Run Annapolis meant so much to me," Caparotti said in an e-mail. "Coincidentally, my first niece was born three days before the race (I am the mother of three boys!)."

She said she found the race to be emotional as she was thinking of being a role model for her niece in fitness, thoughts that helped her get through the tough parts of the 13.1-mile race.

Girl Scouts win Bronze Award

Pam Walasik, a co-leader for Junior Girl Scout Troop 81729 of Kemptown, said that the troop recently completed a Bronze Award project, the highest honor a junior troop can earn.

The award winners, Amy Chaisson, Emma Pettinati, Alison Root, Melissa Varros and Amanda Walasik, are all in fifth grade.

The girls of the troop gathered pet food and supplies for Frisky's Wildlife and Primate Sanctuary, located in Woodstock, Md.

Frisky's is a nonprofit wildlife rescue and rehabilitation sanctuary, according to its Web site, www.friskys.org. Frisky's also rescues small exotic pets, and serves as an adoption shelter for domestic pets as well, the Web site states.

The Bronze Award project, which Junior Girl Scouts must undertake to advance, is very time-intensive, Walasik said. She said that the project requires 15 hours of planning, and seven to eight hours of work. She said the girls surpassed this by a significant margin, spending months soliciting donations from neighbors and businesses, and they also advertised the event and collected donations at Kemptown Elementary School, where the girls attend.

"The girls gathered donations at various different locations for two months," Walasik said.

Their final collection was at Kemptown's talent show on May 8, Walasik said.

With the project successfully completed, the girls have since advanced to Girl Scout Cadets, Walasik said.

She said that Troop 81729 is a special group of Girl Scouts, having been together since they were Girl Scout Daisies. When they reached fifth grade, many chose to leave scouting, but Walasik said the girls of Troop 81729 have stuck with it. The girls' dedication to community service is reflected in their choice of project for their Bronze Award: they wanted to help creatures that could not help themselves, Walasik said.

"This was the one they chose because they all have a love of animals," Walasik said.

Do you have an item for Mount Airy Moments? Contact reporter Angie Cochrun at 301-846-2117, e-mail acochrun@gazette.net or fax news to 301-829-9101.