Cumberland County has earned Excellence in Innovation awards for a pair of County programs from the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) in partnership with the Civic Federal Credit Union. 

The awards, which recognize successful county programs that demonstrate innovative solutions and cost/resources savings for counties, were given for the Cumberland County Public Library System’s Community Navigator Program and for the Department of Public Health’s WIC Office on Fort Liberty. Cumberland County was one of 12 counties recognized by the NCACC and the only county that received multiple awards.

“We are honored that the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners saw fit to recognize two Cumberland County programs during this year’s conference,” said Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Chairman Glenn Adams in a press release. “At the end of the day, the work we do as the Board of Commissioners and as County government is about making a positive difference in the lives of our residents and being good stewards of their tax dollars – these awards recognize two programs that do both of those things and that is something we are extremely proud of.”

The Community Navigator Program places a trained community navigator within the Cumberland County Public Library system to work with Library customers who may be experiencing a variety of issues including homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse to connect them with resources. Since its inception in November 2023, the Community Navigator Program has successfully connected more than 100 individuals with resources ranging from housing and food assistance to medical care and reentry support post-incarceration.

“We are elated that less than a year after introducing this new program, we are being recognized by the NCACC,” said Cumberland County Library Director Faith Phillips in a press release. “Libraries provide a safe space and refuge for many of our residents and this program meets them where they are to connect them with resources that can give them the tools they need to improve their lives. This award fuels a fire in us to keep striving to positively impact our community.”

The Cumberland County Health Department opened a satellite Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) office on Fort Liberty in March 2023. WIC is a Special Supplemental Food and Nutrition Education Program funded by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, which has been shown to reduce food insecurity and improve health outcomes. 

“Our WIC team has worked strategically with our partners at Fort Liberty and UNC to increase WIC services for military families who have served our country,” said Cumberland County Public Health Director Dr. Jennifer Green in a press release. “Improving access to healthy foods among our military families is important for each of our WIC families and to our overall military readiness.”

In order to be eligible for a 2024 Excellence in Innovation Award, programs must have been implemented or improved on between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023. Applications are judged by a group of county leaders, department heads, staff and previous award winners from across the state and judges rate each program on innovative solutions to the stated county need, measurable results, use of available resources and the ability for the program to be replicated by other counties. Counties are limited to a maximum of two awards.

Learn more about Cumberland County by visiting cumberlandcountync.gov. To learn more about the NCACC, visit ncacc.org.