Donna Cameron is the president of the
2013 North Carolina Azalea Festival. Donna, a senior
VP of commercial banking with Park Sterling Bank who
started volunteering with the festival more than ten years
ago, has been hooked ever since. She has spent the last
six years on the Azalea Festival board, starting out as
secretary, then working her way up to the top position.
Donna oversees the success of the five-day extravaganza,
which consists of 28 events, 75 committees and more than
1,000 volunteers.
This year’s big announcement was moving the concert
venue downtown to Cape Fear Community College.
“The change in concert venue will allow the festival
to bring national acts to Wilmington and keep the ticket
prices affordable,” Donna says. “The festival is a family
event and we need to remember this when it comes to ticket
pricing. By bringing the concert downtown we can tie in
our three biggest draws to the festival: the parade, street
fair and now our outdoor concerts.”
Is there a disaster plan in place for any mishaps? Donna
says all of the committees are run by such expert and
seasoned volunteers that there are rarely any casualties.
“Our volunteers take pride in the festival, which is rich
in history and family tradition,” she says. But she has
learned not to let disappointment get to her, such as a
last-minute celebrity cancelation.
“You have to just move on and book someone else,”
she says.
{ Our volunteers take pride
in the festival, which is rich in
}
history and family tradition.
Donna expects a successful event the city can be
proud of and to bring on a younger generation of
patrons and volunteers to take part in festival activities.
After the festival, Donna will become a past president
and available if her resources are needed. She wants to
focus on her day job and give it her full dedication.
Because giving back to the community is so important to
Donna, she is already thinking about her next chair.
“Who doesn’t love the Azalea Festival? Good times
had by all. And while we can imagine rain storms,
freezing temperatures and lack of flowers ruining the
weekend, there is an army of people behind the scenes
making sure all festivities go off without a hitch.”
— Ashley Miller
Donna Cameron, president of the 2013 North Carolina Azalea Festival,
at Airlie Gardens. 21
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