Raven Chiong Community Service Award

Her poetry and presence Fed Our Souls.

Raven Chiong (January 25, 1964 – December 11, 2023)

Getting Involved

Raven’s Gift

Her poetry and presence Fed Our Souls.

(January 25, 1964 – December 11, 2023)

The Award

The RAVEN CHIONG COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD will be presented to two young women aged 21 to 40 who have performed significant service to their far western NC communities through their involvement with established civic, religious, or social organizations or through personal initiatives that have made notable differences in their communities. The $500 awards will be decided by the ODWC Board of Directors and be presented at the 2026 Multicultural Women’s Development Conference. Nominations for the awards may be made by any resident of Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon,and Swain counties and must be submitted no later than February 28, 2026. All nominations received will be acknowledged.

The Spirit

Raven Chiong, a major benefactor to One Dozen Who Care, Inc. (ODWC), discovered the group by attending the 2022 edition of the Multicultural Women’s Development Conference (MWDC) as an exhibitor for the Best Buddies animal rescue organization. She attended subsequent conferences and became a strong ODWC friend supporting other ODWC initiatives, including the Purel Miller African American Book Collection. Raven presented her poem, “Feed My Soul (Slow baked, over easy),” an ode to sisterhood, at the 2023 MWDC. It has become a signature element of this annual event. Later in spring 2023, she launched her poetry collection, Ode to the Still, Small Voice: A Memoir of Listening.

We are deeply indebted to Raven for her generous support of our work on behalf of Women, Children, and Elders in Far Western North Carolina.

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