The Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service has announced the recipients of the 2022 Governor’s Initiative for Volunteer Excellence (GIVE) Awards and one Oxford native is among them.

Michael Brownlee of Oxford was awarded Outstanding Servant Leadership

The other 2022 GIVE Awards Recipients include: Margaret Arnold of Columbus for The Marsha Meeks Kelly Award for Lifetime Achievement in Volunteer Service; James Davis of Jackson for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Empowerment; LaKenya B. Evans of Cleveland for Outstanding Service in Strengthening Families & Communities; Emily Fitzhugh of Biloxi for Outstanding Advocacy by a Youth; Shyra Galloway of Wiggins for Outstanding Service in Community Empowerment; Stewart McMillan of Tupelo for Outstanding Service in Uplifting Communities; Mississippi Coats 4 Kidz Volunteers of Batesville for Outstanding Humanitarian Service by a Volunteer Group; Tammy Pierce of Byhalia for Outstanding Service in Youth Mentoring; and Gerald Schmuck of Gulfport for Outstanding Volunteer Leadership by a Public Servant.

This distinguished group will be honored at a private ceremony at The Ivy Venue on Apr. 21 in celebration of National Volunteer Week.

“Mississippi’s legacy in volunteerism runs deep”, said Monica Ritchie, Executive Director for Volunteer Mississippi.  “We are honored and privileged to recognize these 10 outstanding individuals and institutions representing volunteer excellence for the state of Mississippi.”

The GIVE Awards were established through the Office of the Governor and Volunteer Mississippi to recognize those individuals and organizations that have made an outstanding impact in their communities through their gifts of service, advocacy, and outreach on behalf of the citizens of Mississippi.

Nominations are made by the general public and a group of industry peers serve as judges to review the submitted information and to determine the recipients.  Nomination information is released by Volunteer Mississippi in January of each year.

For more information about the GIVE Awards contact Krista Estes, Volunteer Network Officer, at kestes@ihl.state.ms.us or by calling (601) 432-6306.