Each year

your Credit Union presents the LGFCU Excellence in Innovation Awards, in collaboration with the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC). A total of $10,000 in cash awards are provided to counties that develop innovative solutions to local needs.

"When North Carolina local governments find new ways to improve their services, entire communities benefit," notes LGFCU President Mark Caverly. "Our ongoing sponsorship of these awards ties directly to our mission to improve members' lives."

NCACC Program Development Manager Matt Bigelow says the awards are an important avenue for sharing ideas and best practices among counties.

"We highlight 10 programs every year, and the impact of the awards extends well beyond them," he says. "Our counties are always learning and improving together, and this program greatly enhances that spirit of collaboration. LGFCU's support of the Innovation Awards helps us deliver the best possible resources to counties across the state."

Finding solutions

Randolph County earned the award in 2021 for an opioid data dashboard developed by its emergency services and geographic information system (GIS) teams.

Emergency Services Director Donovan Davis says public health, law enforcement and other agencies use this data to gauge the effectiveness of county programs, highlight target areas, and determine future policies and initiatives.

"Receiving the Excellence in Innovation Award has brought focus to the programs we are working on and captured the attention of local organizations that would otherwise not be aware of the issues surrounding the opioid epidemic," Davis says.

"The most important piece of this program is to bring awareness to citizens. They can see firsthand the impact that the opioid epidemic is having here in their community ... [which] generates support in finding solutions."