Jay Westmoreland, Baptist Children’s Homes (BCH) trustee whose family is a longtime friend of the ministry, is a recipient of the 2017 Heritage Award. The award is among the highest of honors given a North Carolina Baptist.
“It is exciting to serve with wonderful trustees, a talented management group, and the many compassionate churches across the state who pour out prayers and provide financial support to show love to these children,” Westmoreland said. “To me, the real heroes are those that work on the front lines every day, the caregivers who provide not just shelter, but a home.”
The Heritage Award recognizes individuals who represent exemplary service and giving to the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC) or an organization associated with the Convention. It is jointly sponsored by BSCNC and the North Carolina Baptist Foundation.
The ceremony was held on April 25 at the Grandover Resort & Conference Center in Greensboro.
“Jay embodies the values of faith, family and friends,” said BCH president/CEO Michael C. Blackwell, who presented the award to Westmoreland. “Those foundational values continue to follow him as a Christian businessman, husband and father, and as a trustee and friend of Baptist Children’s Homes.”
Westmoreland and his wife, Scarlett, live in Fort Mill, SC. They have two children, Ashley and Jason. Westmoreland grew up in Shelby where he attended Elizabeth Baptist Church. Today, he and his family are members of First Baptist Church in Charlotte (FBCC).
At First Baptist, Westmoreland championed BCH’s initiative “Bike for Change” where the church’s children collected an offering and rode their bikes on a Saturday morning each October. Over the last decade and a half, FBCC children raised nearly $318,000.
Westmoreland has served multiple terms on BCH’s Board of Trustees and just completed a term as Chairman. He was also the Chair of the Metrolina Division for BCH’s three-year Sharing Hope...Changing Lives capital campaign which ended last summer.
His most recent focus stemmed from a visit to the Good Shepherd Children’s Home, BCH’s affiliate orphanage in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. After seeing the poverty-stricken area and the needs of the country’s children, he and his wife, Scarlett, issued a $100,000 matching challenge gift to construct a second home.
All donations up to the challenge goal will be matched to raise the $200,000 needed to build the Westmoreland Family Children’s Home, which will be named in honor of his father.
“To me, Jay is a friend, confidant, supporter, and encourager, but most of all, he is a brother-in-the-faith,” Blackwell said. “It is a joy to present him with BCH’s 2017 Heritage Award.”
NOTE: Anyone who wants to participate in the $100,000 Guatemala challenge can give online at www.bchnc.org/gmissions or contact Brenda Gray at 336-689-4442 or bbgray@bchfamily.org.