Campbell gets realtor award

Local realtor, and longtime Warren County teacher, Donna Campbell has received the Good Neighbor Award for 2007 from the Tennessee Association of Realtors. Campbell, who recently traveled to Florida to accept the state-level honor, will now move on to national competition.

Donna is married to fellow realtor Charles T. Campbell, and the two own and operate Campbell Realty. She was licensed as an affiliate broker in 1993, and received her broker’s license in 2006.

The Good Neighbor Award was established to recognize ‘the ongoing efforts of individual realtors on a statewide basis who are making an exceptional contribution to improve the quality of life in their communities.’

Annie Moffitt, executive officer of the Warren County Board of Realtors, nominated Donna, and said she was thrilled she was ultimately selected.

This is Moffitt’s first year as executive officer and after discovering she was responsible for nominating a local realtor for the award she started doing some research and soon found that Campbell was a perfect choice since her volunteer activities read like a list of the guidelines for award nominees, including working on affordable housing issues, education programs, and youth-related activities.

Right along those lines, Campbell is a board member of Habitat for Humanity, which provides affordable housing for deserving families. Her dedication to this organization was lauded by Habitat secretary Kay Ramsey, who wrote a letter in support of Donna’s nomination.

‘Donna has been involved with Habitat since its inception locally and has been a member of our Board of Directors since 2002,’ Ramsey said in the letter. ‘We feel fortunate Donna is willing to work with us and give of her time and talents to help us expand our program locally. She is committed to making our community a better place to live.’

It was no surprise to Ramsey that Donna chose to donate the $2,000 grant she received as winner of the Good Neighbor Award to Habitat for Humanity.

Donna’s love of music has also played a big part of her community involvement. She served as a music instructor in the Warren County School System for 27 years, and her students at Hickory Creek Elementary were awarded the Yamaha MIE program after Campbell wrote and received a grant for the student’s benefit.

A member of First United Methodist Church, Donna has served as its music director for the past 32 years, and participated in the church’s Good Neighbor Program which delivers hot meals to needy individuals in the community.

Donna says she was honored to receive the recognition.

‘I’m extremely happy, and extremely surprised,’ she said. ‘I was very flattered that the local board members nominated me to begin with. I’m proud to represent them and to win this, especially the money for Habitat,’ she added with a grin.

Donna says being a community volunteer has always been an important part of her life.

‘I think you have to be,’ she said, ‘to be a part of the community. I don’t think you really feel like part of the community until you actually do volunteer work for it.’

Donna says she has found her work with children particularly rewarding.

‘That’s number one,’ she said, ‘because the kids are our future.’