NASHVILLE, TN (SPECIAL TO WLAF) – Each year, volunteers are honored by the State of Tennessee. This initiative, led by Volunteer Tennessee, seeks to recognize outstanding community servants from each of Tennessee’s 95 counties.  With the program now in its 15th year, two Campbell County residents have been selected as the youth and adult Volunteers of the Year.  Mary Grace Myers and Brandon Johnson will be recognized by Gov. Bill Lee next month at a ceremony in Nashville.

Mary Grace Myers was selected as the Youth Volunteer of the Year, and is currently a Junior at The University of Tennessee.  She is an alumna of Campbell County High School, and is majoring in Audiology and Speech Pathology, with minors in American Sign Language and Public Health.

An active volunteer in high school, Myers took that same passion and has continued to serve others.  She currently works with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and helps them transition from high school to their adult life through a program called Future Peer Mentors.  Myers also volunteers at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Cross Campus Ministry, Tennessee School for the Deaf, the VolTHON Fundraiser, Mission of Hope, and more.

Myers is a Student Government Senator, an ambassador to University Alumni, belongs to multiple honor societies, and is an active member of the Delta Gamma Sorority.

Brandon Johnson was selected as the Adult Volunteer of the Year, and is currently the general manager of Eagle Tire Pros. He is an alumnus of Campbell County High School, and a three time graduate of East Tennessee State University.  There, he earned his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.

While active in many parts of the local civic and business community, Johnson is currently working with other young adults to bring the first inclusive playground to the community through a project called the Caryville Cares Playground. This project hopes to give children of all different ability levels a safe, fun, and welcoming place to play.

Johnson is active with the local Rotary Club, is a past State Chairman of the Lions Club, a Past Master of Jacksboro Masonic Lodge, a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Freemason, and more.  Johnson recently finished serving as Chairman of the Board for Volunteer Blind Industries.  The organization is an $11 million dollar a year manufacturing nonprofit that employs nearly 200 people – with more than 75 percent of those employees being blind or visually impaired.

“Campbell County is blessed with people who live up to the Volunteer heritage our great state is built upon” said County Mayor EL Morton. “Brandon Johnson and Mary Grace Myers exemplify the best of us.  Their efforts on behalf of youth, students, the visually impaired, and the less fortunate combine to make our community greater than just the sum of its parts.  Their efforts create a better community, economy, and quality of life for all of us.  I appreciate Volunteer Tennessee for recognizing these two outstanding Campbell County Volunteers.” (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 01/11/2022-6AM)

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