North Carolina native Leaflin Lore Winecoff refers to herself as a purveyor of magic in the forms of paintings, yoga, healing, costumery and performance, poetic scribblings, and the way she dances through life.

Buncombe County Schools Teacher Caroline Clark has been teaching fourth and fifth grade for the past ten years, and she loves creating long-lasting relationships with her students. Having come from generations of educators, one might say that she was always meant to be a teacher.

US Navy Veteran and Fitness Instructor Corinne Britton Meade approaches life with a positive attitude and a grateful heart, spreading happiness to everyone around her. A true encourager, Corinne cares for each and every person she comes in contact with, and she provides immense value to the Asheville community.

As the Outreach Coordinator for Henderson County, Stephanie Barbosa works directly with the police department, as well as the fire department and EMS, to translate for Spanish speakers who are often in crisis. While she also helps to coordinate community events and refers to her professional role as a bit of a “jack-of-all-trades,” her main responsibility is to break down any language barrier that exists between first responders and the people in need of their help.

Children’s Author Mary Beth Stevens enjoyed a successful career in marketing and PR in New England, but made some big life changes when she met two dogs named Tippy and Suzie. Suzie was Stevens’ first dog, which she and her husband adopted from a rescue group out of Tennessee and instantly fell in love with. They took Tippy in as a foster, and the connection wasn’t as instantaneous. “He was a challenge,” she admits. “Lots of training helped, and now he’s such a funny dog.” Stevens says she got the idea for the first book from those first weeks with Tippy, and when she shared stories of his antics with her friends, they told her she should write a book.