ETHEL SAMPSON

Ethel Belle Sampson has been volunteering in the New Bern, North Carolina community for more than 50 years. Whatever area has a need is the area in which Sampson assists. She has worked with the homeless as well as the rich, the She does not discriminate when it comes to giving of her time and talents to help someone else.

Ethel Sampson is the proud mother of nine biological children and countless others who have adopted her as their mother. She is a mentor, counselor, and a street minister. Because of her efforts to help everyone be free in every aspect of their lives, whether it is with addiction, abuse, poverty or self-love, Sampson is known as Moses. She has fed many when they are hungry. When there have been members of the community who needed a place to live, she has found a home, room or motel to give them shelter. She has also taken people who are ill to the doctor or the hospital. Some have been in trouble of the law and she has provided them with counseling and also attends meetings with clients and their lawyers along with being character witnesses for some.

Sampson attends many law enforcement trainings and meetings. She is very active in getting the community, family, and church involved in preventing crimes in their communities and homes. She also works to help people in need of spiritual help. She is involved with her church as an associate minister, and she recently began a Christian service for people to attend to uplift their spirits. Sampson shares with others about morals, ethics, honesty, love, understanding, joy, meekness, longsuffering, goodness, faith and values. She believes people need to be whole mentally, physically, emotionally, financially, and most of all spiritually.

Sampson holds a variety of uncompensated positions in her community in order to further assist the needy. She is on the Board of Electricity, works with Relatives as Parents, President of Concerned Citizens, Secretary of Craven County Voters League, and works with Craven County League of Women’s Voters, and the Democratic Party and the Democratic Women. She is the Chairman of the Eastern North Carolina Civic Group, Secretary of Weed and Seed, a hospice Volunteer Minister for 15 years and is on the Craven County Correctional Prison Board. In addition to that, she serves on the jail ministry, the Secretary of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, Chairman of the Outreach Ministry for the Church, Secretary of the West Street/J.T. Barber Alumni Association, a member of Mountain Movers, the Faith Community for Success, the Day Reporting Center, and Habitat for Humanity.

Ethel Sampson lives her life by her motto: “If I can help somebody as I pass this way, then my living shall not be in vain.”