SILER CITY, N.C. — Dr. Mark and Elizabeth Zeringue, longtime community leaders who have been active in a number of charitable causes, have been honored as the 2025 JMArts Community Heroes.

Presented this year for the sixth time, the annual award was created to honor volunteers from the community who have contributed significantly to the success of the arts at Jordan-Matthews High School.

The couple have been honored not only for their generous financial support over many years — including a series of planned contributions to provide opportunity for student actors, artists, dancers and musicians — but also for their enthusiastic support as audience members, bringing friends and family with them to experience live theater productions at the school.

Mark is a retired physician who practiced 30 years with Chatham Medical Specialists in Siler City. He has served on the Chatham Hospital board and served several terms as the hospital’s Chief of Medical Staff. In the community, he has served two terms as president of the Siler City Rotary Club and has been a volunteer for Chatham Literacy and for 35 years with Carolina Tiger Rescue.

Elizabeth is a retired nurse who worked for the North Carolina Department of Communicable Disease as well as the Chatham County Public Health Department and Chatham Hospital. She served a term as president of the Siler City Rotary Club and currently is chair of Chatham Habitat for Humanity, where she is active in the local nonprofit’s construction outreach.

While both have enjoyed successful careers in healthcare, they also have a serious dedication to the arts.

Elizabeth grew up as a member of her school Drama Club, where she enjoyed performing in the ensemble and as a stage manager — learning first-hand how important it is to be exposed to a variety of arts experiences. “It’s important for children to know there’s more out there than what they see every day,” she says. “If they don’t get to have different experiences, who knows what dreams they might have?”

Music was Mark’s gig, playing trumpet through junior high while growing up in outstanding New Orleans public school arts programs. There, he learned how important the high school years can be for everyone. “I know how much my high school experience changed the trajectory of my life,” he says. “It prepared me to succeed in college and helped me receive an excellent scholarship. We support JMArts to have a part in helping young people change the direction of their lives.”

JMArts President Rose Pate said all contributors are essential to everything JMArts offers and many projects simply could not be offered without supporters like the Zeringues. Two of the major initiatives are JMArts Scholars — where a dozen returning students pursue arts studies in the summer, most at weeklong, residential workshops on university campuses — and Pinnacle of the Arts, where students experience world-class arts and learn directly from the artists they see on stage.

Pinnacle of the Arts this year took more than 30 students each to experience contemporary music legend Herbie Hancock, a behind-the-scenes exploration of the North Carolina Museum of Art, The Nutcracker performed by the Carolina Ballet, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony performed by the North Carolina Symphony and the national Broadway tour for the Tony Award-winning musical, “Kimberly Akimbo.” Thanks to contributors, all were offered entirely free of charge.

As part of the recent Pinnacle of the Arts series, JM students had conversations before or after performances with three current dancers and the chief advancement officer with the Carolina Ballet; the musical director and a violinist with the North Carolina Symphony; and five cast members, two company managers and the music director from “Kimberly Akimbo.”

“Although we do have fundraising projects, we are able to accomplish our mission of bringing arts experiences to JM students primarily because of those who’ve chosen to give,” says Pate. “The Zeringues are a shining example of knowing the value of these activities and committing to helping our students experience them.”

Previous JMArts Community Hero Award winners are Dr. Zachary D. Wills, Cynthia Bredenberg, Dr. William “Chip” Pate, Sharon Allen and Denise Partin.

More information about JMArts is available online at JMArts.org. The site includes a list of all student award winners over the last several years and details about many foundation initiatives including its flagship JMArts Scholars and Pinnacle of the Arts.

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