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A Mountain Home real estate broker who turned a one-year service project into a 40-year statewide partnership will return to the stage this month to present the award that carries his name.
L. Wayne Camp will present the L. Wayne Camp Award at the Arkansas Realtors Association’s annual convention Sept. 14-16 in Branson, Missouri, as the association marks four decades of volunteering and fundraising for Special Olympics Arkansas. The award is the association’s highest public relations honor and recognizes a Realtor’s continuing volunteer work for Special Olympics, according to a news release from the association.
Arkansas Realtors have raised more than $6 million for Special Olympics Arkansas since 1986, a national record among Realtor associations, the release said.
The partnership began when Camp, then president of the association, was assigned to lead its Make America Better Committee, a national push for community service. He chose Special Olympics because of what the program had done for his son, Chris, the release said.
Camp has said Special Olympics gave his son direction, structure and friendships. Chris grew more confident and independent, and later began volunteering to support other athletes. The release said those experiences convinced Camp that every athlete deserved the same chance to grow and belong.
The first year focused on showing up rather than raising money. More than half the members of Camp’s home board, the North Central Board of Realtors in Mountain Home, turned out to volunteer at local and area games that year, according to the association’s history of the award.
What was adopted as a single year of service never ended. The association made Special Olympics volunteering and fundraising a permanent part of its public relations work in 1997, and it has raised more for Special Olympics Arkansas than any other organization in the state, according to the association. The effort earned the National Association of Realtors’ top community service honor, the release said.
“From a seed planted, a great tree grew,” Camp said in the release. “The tree of support remains strong and continues to grow.”
Camp served on the Special Olympics Arkansas board of directors and announced the Summer Games for more than 20 years. He and his wife, Carolyn, have continued to support the program, the release said. Camp is a broker with Century 21 LeMac Realty in Mountain Home and was once named Arkansas Realtor of the Year.
The release did not name this year’s award recipient. Last year’s award went to Chris Demarest, and Kevin Smallwood of Mena received it in 2024.
The convention brings together agents, brokers and industry partners from across the state for education and networking. The association said it will use the anniversary to honor decades of volunteer work and renew its commitment to the partnership.
