Of the more than 170,000 words in the English language, a favorite of Mayor Sherman Lea Sr. is “grateful.”
Over the last 40 years, Lea has admirably served the Star City in various capacities: Vice Mayor, Roanoke City Public Schools Board Member, Virginia Department of Corrections Chief Probation Officer, city councilmember and legislative liaison, just to name a few. “I have lived a blessed life. I am extremely grateful for all who have contributed to my journey, both personally and professionally,” he said.
Total Action for Progress (TAP), a community action agency that serves nearly a dozen local and area localities, honored Lea on Nov. 12 with the 2024 Cabell Brand Hope Award.
Named after the founder of TAP who was a tireless advocate on a wide spectrum of issues, previous recipients include: Dr. Faith Pasley (2023), Abby Hamilton (2022), Nancy Agee (2021), Ted Edlich (2020), Reverend Kathy O’Keeffe (2019), Dr. Brenda Hale (2018), Dr. Rita Bishop (2017), Peter Lewis (2016) and Pearl Fu (2015).
Present for the celebratory occasion at the Dumas Center were family, friends, colleagues, former classmates and more.
“Thank you so much for this incredible honor. I am deeply humbled to stand before you tonight as the recipient of the 2024 Cabell Brand Hope Award. My heartfelt thanks go out to TAP for this recognition – and for the work you do every day to empower our community here in Roanoke and throughout Southwest Virginia. TAP is a beacon of hope and opportunity for so many, and your dedication to lifting others up is truly transformative,” Lea said.
Continuing, he added, “I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to recognize Cabell Brand. He was someone who saw the needs in our community and took action.”
A proud Virginia Union University alum, Lea has led a lifetime of community service. Some of his proudest accomplishments include creating the Domestic Violence Task Force and founding the Annual Lea Youth Outdoor Basketball League.
The former studies problems and identifies interventions related to violence in the community. The latter is a summer program held in partnership with the Roanoke Police Department to give youth a fun summer activity.
During Lea’s tenure as mayor, the National Civic League recognized Roanoke as an “All-America City” multiple times. “Roanoke is a great city with great people. Working with all fractions of our community made me a better mayor. I am extremely optimistic about the future of our city,” he said.
