WYNNE — Leanne Lovell, director of the Wynne Relief and Recovery Center, has received another award for her service to the community following the March 31, 2023, tornado.
Lovell has been awarded the Innovative Community Development Award from the Arkansas Community Development Society. She was nominated for the award by Wynne Economic Development CEO Bevin Hunter.
As previously reported, Lovell went to Washington, D.C., this past weekend to receive the Phoenix Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Lovell was recognized with the award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery by a Volunteer. She was also previously recognized as the Citizen of the Year by the Cross County Chamber of Commerce.
“I have forever been changed and I will never forget this opportunity to represent our town,” Lovell said in a Facebook post. “I had no idea people received awards for helping. It was never on my radar. I simply wanted to serve my community and help those who lost so much.
I am so humbled by these awards, but I feel they belong to our community who simply showed up from day one,” Lovell added. “We continue to restore the town, to meet needs for long-term recovery.”
Lovell thanked the tornado survivors, who she now calls friends, and thanked her family for allowing her to spend time away from them to help meet the needs of others.
