Honoring those who have made substantial contributions to the prevention of and/or response to the neglect, abuse, and exploitation of older Virginians
The Virginia Coalition for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (VCPEA) presents the Helen J. Napps Award of Excellence at its annual abuse prevention conference every other year.
2025 Helen J. Napps Award of Excellence: Cindy Smith
2025 Helen Napps Award Winner, Cindy Smith, and team.
The Helen J. Napps Award of Excellence, established by the Virginia Coalition for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (VCPEA), recognizes professional excellence by individuals who work in the area of elder abuse prevention and/or elder abuse protection. Nominees have made substantial contributions to the prevention of and/or response to the neglect, abuse, and exploitation of older Virginians. Nominees demonstrate moxie, integrity, attitude, and adaptability in their actions. They may work in adult protective services, domestic violence services, aging services, mental health services, health services, rehabilitation services, law-enforcement, legal services, health care, academia, guardianship, research, volunteerism, or any other discipline that participates in elder abuse prevention and/or protection.
Note: Cindy was nominated by several individuals with the Wise County Department of Social Services. Below are a few excerpts from the nomination letters recognizing Cindy’s qualiΫications to be nominated for the Helen J. Napps Award of Excellence. She demonstrates moxie, integrity, attitude, and adaptability with each client and team member she encounters.
The first word listed in the description that a nominee for the Helen J. Napps Award of Excellence must demonstrate is the word “moxie”. Unfamiliar with the word, I looked up the definition which read, and I paraphrase, “a person that exhibits strong spirit, courage, determination and spunk”. The highlighted words could not be a better description for my supervisor, co-worker and friend, Ms. Cindy Faye Smith. Cindy demonstrates those words not only in her work ethic but also in her personal life and I would like to take the next few paragraphs to provide an example for how she exhibits each of those words.
Cindy demonstrates moxie by never accepting no as an answer when it comes to the elder population. Cindy is determined to better the lives of everyone she meets. Cindy will put in the work no matter how many hours to find a solution that is best for each client so they have the best possible quality of life. Cindy demonstrates integrity by always doing what's right for each client and meeting them where they are at with absolutely no judgment. In addition, she is always a helping hand. She takes pride in teaching her workers on how best to serve our elder community.
Cindy demonstrates attitude by showing compassion for every client she meets no matter what. Cindy can reflect on her past and current experiences and relate to each client making them feel safer to share more detail. Cindy demonstrates adaptability by continuing to help the elder population during ever-changing times. Adult protective services are seeing an increasing number of financial exploitation cases where an adult is being deceived into thinking they are speaking to someone else; therefore, they think they are speaking to someone they know and are sending them money. Cindy has adapted to new ever-changing technology and explains to the elder population about how easy it is to be deceived by individuals over the internet. Cindy is knowledgeable about every resource within and near wise county and is always eager to find new resources.
It takes an extremely resourceful person to work in adult protective services, and Cindy is in herself a very valuable resource and vessel of experience. There are some clients Cindy has not seen in years but they still remember her by name and share the positive experiences they have with her.
Cindy consistently demonstrates integrity in all personal and professional interactions. She is the most trustworthy and honest person that I have ever worked with. I can talk to her about anything and have no doubt that our conversation stays private. She shows integrity the same way with clients. Cindy is sincerely an advocate for the elderly, disabled and blind clients. Cindy does not call them clients she calls them “my people”. Cindy truly does everything in her power and resources to take care of her people.
About the Helen J. Napps Award of Excellence
The Helen J. Napps Award of Excellence, established by the VCPEA, recognizes professional excellence by individuals who work in the area of elder abuse prevention and/or elder abuse protection. The organization presents the award at its annual abuse prevention conference in alternating years.
About Helen Napps
A Tribute to Helen Napps
From the blog of Joy Duke,
Retired Virginia APS Specialist
(Used with permission)
The radiance which was once so bright is now forever taken from our sight; though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower; we will find strength in what remains behind, in the primal kindness, in the soothing thoughts that spring out of human suffering, in the faith that looks through death. (William Wordsworth)
Helen Napps’s time on this earth ended on March 22, 2017, at her home in Abingdon, Virginia, after a prolonged illness. It is my privilege to have known Helen for more than 30 years. She was my colleague and my friend. When I joined the Adult Protective Service staff at the State Department of Social Services more than 30 years ago, Helen did not immediately “take to me.” Her biggest concern seemed to be that she would get me molded the way she wanted me and I would then leave the job leaving her to start over and mold the next person. I was in the position twenty years so I probably satisfied her in that regard.
We became good friends and confidants. When I passed through Abingdon I knew there was a bed at 155 East Main Street with my name on it and I was not hesitant to use it. I stayed at the Napps home when the trips from Memphis to Richmond got too long to go all the way in a single day; when Helen invited me to be her guest during the Highlands Festival held in August in Abingdon (especially when writing classes were offered); and to attend something special at the Barter.
Helen was good at her job. If she had a skill set that stood above her other skills it would be her excellence as an educator and trainer. She loved training and she was an exceptional trainer. Helen was a charter board member of VCPEA. She also offered workshops and seminars as part of the VCPEA’s annual conference. At her retirement the organization established in Helen’s honor an award in the form of a free registration to the VCPEA conference for a conferee who made substantial contributions toward the prevention of abuse, neglect and exploitation as well as support of vulnerable older Virginians. The award is given every two years; i.e. odd numbered years.
Helen’s humanitarian interests were not restricted to elders and adults with disabilities (her professional responsibilities) but encompassed people of all ages who had special needs. Some she served through her church and others through civic organizations and others who just came to her attention.
A memorial service was held for Helen at Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church, the church where she worshiped since her relocation to Abingdon from North Carolina in 1970. Her family and friends were there to celebrate her life and its many accomplishments and her plethora of interests. The presiding minister aptly, I thought, referred to Helen as “woman on fire.”
I will always remember Helen. The wind will whisper her name. Her aura has survived the dastardly illness she suffered these last years.
From Ecclesiastes: 12
The golden bowl is broken indeed, but it was golden…
Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over.
Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends.
The body is put back in the earth from which it came.
The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it.
Rest in peace Helen Napps. Your work will live on. You will not be forgotten.
Previous Helen J. Napps Award of Excellence Winners
Nominees have made substantial contributions to the prevention of and/or response to the neglect, abuse, and exploitation of older Virginians. Nominees demonstrate moxie, integrity, attitude, and adaptability in their actions.
Previous winners include:
Linda Eaton (2001) - Montgomery County Department of Social Services APS
Catherine T. Parks (2003) - Consumer Affairs in the Virginia Beach Commonwealth Attorney’s Office
Norma Darcey (2005) - Fairfax County TRIAD
Janet Brennend (2007) - New River Valley Ombudsman Program
Linda Matkins (2009) - Shenandoah Valley APS
Cyndi Gable (2011) - Prince Edward APS
Vicki Hall (2013) - Wise County DSS
Anne See (2015) - Harrisonburg, Blue Ridge Legal Services
Betty Bazemore (2015) - APS Supervisor, Spotsylvania County DSS awarded posthumously
Nancy Goodman (2017) - AS/APS Family Services Specialist, New Kent DSS
Jewell Manley-Hoffler (2019) - AS/APS Family Services Specialist, Newport News DSS
Kathleen Nies-Hepner (2022) – AS/APS Family Services Specialist, Shenandoah County DSS).
Michelle Temple (2023) - Piedmont Senior Resources
Note: The award was not presented in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic