Piedmont Triad woman goes from dedicated teacher to outstanding volunteer

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — Although Kay Snavely is not formally teaching in the classroom anymore, that hasn’t stopped her love for seeing people light up when they learn something new.

Kay taught at schools in Virginia for 44 years before moving to Salemtowne in Winston-Salem.

She has continued her passion for education by leading and supporting several environmental projects in the community.

She has done 14 nature presentations since being at Salemtowne which include North Carolina endangered species, pollinators, radical reptiles, and wildlife in winter.

She has also made signs to identify the trees on Salemtowne’s campus.

Snavely has combined her love for nature, especially monarch butterflies, to spark a sense of excitement for environmental awareness and advocacy.

She has supported the community’s monarch butterfly garden and the latest effort to tag butterflies ahead of their journey to Mexico.

“We tag and we report those numbers to Monarch Watch, and then … hopefully someone will find our butterfly and also report it to Monarch Watch. Then we know where it went,” she said.

The butterflies were named in honor of Salemtowne team members to express appreciation for all that they do.

In her time between leading projects and frequenting the outdoors, Snavely also volunteers at Kaleideum, a learning museum in Winston-Salem, where she works with field trips and shares her passion for animals.

“In my experience, not a whole lot of the public is familiar with a lot of things. Is it important that you know how many times a hummingbird flaps its wings? No, but it’s just interesting. Everything you learn doesn’t have to be useful. It can just be fun things.”

Snavely has been recognized by both the North Carolina governor’s office and AmeriCorps as an outstanding volunteer.

At 82 years old, Snavely’s joy for inspiring people of all ages to enjoy the beauty around them continues to blossom.

“The more you know, the more you can appreciate, and the more you can look after.”