By Loti Woods

Volunteerism is alive and well in the Carolina Foothills. To do amazing things, you need amazing people and we are fortunate to have a wealth of talented folks in our community.

 

When we began discussing a TEDx event, we didn’t know what kind of response to expect. An all-volunteer effort, we knew we could not do it alone. Would there be an enthusiastic response or an attitude of “we are not volunteering for another thing”?

 

Fast forward a few months. Our original group of eight folks has expanded to over 20 talented volunteers. Each has a unique story to tell with something special to contribute.

 

Take Carolyn Baughman, a TEDxTryon team member and volunteer extraordinaire. Folks might know Carolyn as a mother of two, wife of a financial planner and a relatively new face in Tryon. Yet, few know she is a force within her industry, producing award-winning videos with subjects ranging from Air Force One to snakes. Snakes? Well, pythons to be exact. Carolyn won the equivalent of an Emmy for her National Geographic video showing a guy being attacked by a giant python. Yikes! Who knew?

 

For TEDxTryon, Carolyn is our volunteer in charge of the volunteers. Her organizational skills and love of people make this a great fit!  When Carolyn stepped in to help, she added one more job to her already busy day. Her spirit of giving epitomizes the volunteer community in our Foothills.

 

The theme of TEDxTryon sums it up. “Live.Inspire.Repeat.” Let’s live our lives fully, inspire others by our contributions and do it again.

 

TED is a platform for ideas worth spreading. Started in 1984 as a conference where technology, entertainment and design converged, TED today shares ideas from a broad spectrum — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independent TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.

 

TEDxTryon is a locally organized event and is a special project of the Arts and Education committee of Tryon Fine Arts Center. For information, visit TEDxTryon.com or call TFAC at 828-859-8322.

 

 

CAPTION: Carolyn Baughman