Morganton’s Shanna Carswell-Worley named 2026 National Home Visitor of the Year

Shanna Carswell-Worley of Morganton has been named one of the 2026 National Home Visitors of the Year, an honor announced during National Home Visiting Week, April 20-24, by the Institute for the Advancement of Family Support Professionals.

The recognition celebrates home visiting professionals who show exceptional compassion, consistency, and support for families.

Winners are selected from hundreds of peer nominations for their dedication to improving family outcomes.

Carswell-Worley has spent more than 25 years serving families through Catawba Valley Healthy Families, a Children’s Hope Alliance program based in Morganton.

According to the Institute, she is a Family Support Specialist and Supervisor and was one of the founding staff members who helped build the program from the ground up.

Healthy Families America praised Carswell-Worley as a trusted partner to families and said many parents describe her as more than a home visitor and “part of their family” The recognition said she is known for steady support, for connecting families with needed resources, and for believing in the strengths of every family.

“It truly takes a village to raise a child, and I am blessed to be a part of each family’s village,” Carswell-Worley said. “Being a part of Healthy Families isn’t a career; it’s a calling.”

The Institute said Carswell-Worley marked 26 years with the program this year and has remained connected to some of the families she first served decades ago, reflecting the long-term, relationship-based nature of home visiting.