Dr. Narendra Sharma received a special Leadership Award at The First Tee of the Lowcountry’s Fourth Annual Community Leadership Award Banquet on April 9, 2018, at the Sea Pines Country Club. At the presentation, Dr. Sharma made the following remarks:
Good evening everyone.
It is indeed a honor to receive this recognition today. I would like to thank the selection committee and the Board of Directors of First Tee of the Lowcountry.
Earlier, we recognized 9 individuals; any of these individuals would be worthy of this award today. There are many other individuals in our community who are doing outstanding work in helping children and they too deserve this award.
I would like to congratulate the First Tee of the Lowcountry for creating opportunities for children to develop character through golf. Clearly, the 9 core values that drive this program allow participating children to be successful in their endeavors, now and in the future. NOC has something in common with First Tee since its mission and outreach programs are also driven by a set of core values: compassion, integrity, tolerance, and hard work.
NOC’s mission is to create opportunities that will empower individuals, families, and communities. Our philosophy is to “teach people how to fish” so that they become independent, self-reliant, and have dignity.
NOC operates within neighborhoods so that we can connect with people, listen to them, and involve them in our programs relating to education, health care, workforce development, and community development activities. We have been in operation for 10 years and we are making a difference. Today, through 6 Learning Centers in Beaufort County, we are serving more than 500 high risk children. Through the health screening program with our partners, we benefit more than 200 people annually. Many other people benefit from NOC’s workforce and community development activities as well.
Public and private schools in Beaufort County account for more than 30,000 children. Many of these children need our support. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of these children, so that they will enjoy a better quality of life and happiness. We need to work in partnership since we have limited resources. We can do more with less in supporting our children.
Again, on behalf of the NOC family, thank you for this leadership award.
