Moore Pediatric Therapy Services (MPTS) won the 2009 "Good to Great" essay contest for small businesses sponsored by the Sandhills Chapter of SCORE and the Moore County Chamber of Commerce.

The $1,500 award was presented to MPTS partners Cyndi Secura and Dawn Perry May 22 at a luncheon at Table on the Green restaurant. MPTS specializes in helping children with developmental delays and sensory integration needs

In accepting the award, Secura said that the prize money will be used to acquire needed equipment for the new facility MPTS is opening in Carthage.

Currently, MPTS contracts its services to the Northern Moore Occupational Therapy Program in Robbins. The facility in Carthage will enable MPTS to serve more children and be closer to the demographic center of Moore County.

Secura and Perry, both certified therapists in the Moore County school system, started the business in 2008 and have seen the demand for services grow, requiring additional facilities.

In presenting the award, Glenn Phelps, chairman of the Sandhills Chapter of SCORE, lauded MPTS for the valuable service it provides to young people in Moore County. Both he and Patrick Coughlin, president and CEO of the Chamber, said they were pleased by the number of entries in the contest and by the high quality of the essays submitted.

"We had the largest response ever, and the entries provided a real challenge to the judges to select a single winner," Phelps said.

Secura, whose husband, Jim, is leading the refurbishment project on the new facility, said, "It is so encouraging to us to know that there is this support within the business community for our occupational therapy work with children in Moore County."

SCORE is a nationwide nonprofit association of experienced business people who provide free and confidential business counseling to small business owners. The Sandhills chapter is very active in counseling, mentoring and presenting free business seminars.

For a counseling appointment, contact the chapter on the Web at www.sandhillsscore.org or by phone at 692-3926.

In addition to counseling by appointment, the Sandhills chapter has members available for drop-in service from 10 a.m. to noon every Tuesday at the Moore County Chamber of Commerce building on U.S. 15-501 in Southern Pines.

The local SCORE Chapter is always seeking motivated volunteers.

More information on SCORE's counseling activity and a complete description of each seminar can be found at the Sandhills SCORE Web site, www.sandhillsscore.org.