Beatrice “Bea” Malone of Reston is ubiquitous in the local volunteer community.
She’s president of the Friends of the Reston Community Center. She’s the co-president of the Reston-Herndon branch of the American Association of University Women. She’s an officer on the executive council for the United Nations Association. She’d a board commissioner for the Fairfax County Government Small Business Commission. And she’s the host of “Everyday Heroes,” a weekly cable TV show. Volunteering, she says, is part of her lifestyle, part of her personal belief system.
Last Sunday, the National Council of Negro Women gave Malone the Outstanding Volunteer Award before a crowd of about 200 members.
“It’s an honor just to be nominated, but a privilege to be selected,” said Malone, who couldn’t stop smiling.
THE AWARD IS given to individuals who have helped carry on the legacy of the organization’s founder, Mary McLeod Bethune, who devoted her life to racial and gender equality. Bethune, who was born a decade after the Civil War, founded NCNW in 1935.
“Thank you for your commitment to improve the quality of life of all women,” said Vivian Smith, vice chair of NCNW.
Malone sat at the head table with her daughter, Dana Smith, during the NCNW’s 32nd Anniversary Bethune Recognition Program and Luncheon at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Several members of her family from Cleveland, Ohio, drove nearly 10 hours to attend the event.
Malone has 20 years experience as a professional trainer and management consultant and currently is a consultant and grant reviewer for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland-University College’s School of Business and Management Technology.