Courtesy photo
Henderson’s Be Kind committee selected Tammie Hampton as the 2019 recipient of the Heart of the City Award to recognize her volunteerism.
Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019 | 2 a.m.
Tammie Hampton always wanted to be a marine biologist. When she landed a job as an ocean conservation educator at the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage, she realized she should have been a teacher all along.
Teaching kids from all around the world about the importance of preserving the environment prompted her to arrange several trash cleanup events at Mount Charleston. Her efforts have earned her the moniker “ambassador of trash” by her peers.
“I’m in my element here,” she said. “I get to work with kids and talk about conservation and share about how they should help in the ocean. It’s a great environment.”
The Henderson resident will tell you that being a steward of her community is part of her Midwest family’s upbringing. It’s in her blood.
“I was raised with that mindset to help everyone you can,” she said.
Earlier this month, Henderson’s Be Kind committee selected Hampton as the 2019 recipient of the Heart of the City Award to recognize her volunteerism and acts of kindness. The Be Kind initiative was launched in 2014 as a way to recognize members of the community who have demonstrated distinctive acts of kindness.
Hampton also volunteered for Special Spaces, a nonprofit that provides custom bedrooms for children with terminal diseases. Hampton also recently facilitated a friendship walk, through the organization Best Buddies, which offers companionship for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
When Hampton’s children were attending school at Estes McDoniel Elementary School, she served as president of the PTA. There, she built props for school plays and was responsible for the school’s annual spaghetti banquet. The PTA is part of what inspired her to seek out volunteer opportunities in the first place. Her active role in the school made quite an impression on the teachers and faculty.
“I cannot think of a better candidate for the Heart of the City Award than Tammie Hampton,” said Kim Adams, Science specialist at Estes McDoniel. “She is the most giving, caring and enthusiastic person I have ever met. She is committed to the causes she believes in and will give 100% at all times.”
Ellen Librizzi, a speech pathologist at Estes McDoniel, wrote in a nomination letter that Hampton has a “magical quality about her.”
“Through all the ups and downs that life presents us with, Tammie continually demonstrates the kindest heart,” she said.
Henderson resident Debbie Johnson-Conley described Hampton as a “rare being” in her letter.
“(Hampton) generously gives her time and energy to others,” she said. “When asked to participate in any good cause, she will find a way to add it to her busy calendar … People touched by her kindness and positive energy know they have been in the presence of someone special. If the youth our city were to grow up to be like Tammie, our town, and our Earth, will be so much better for it.”
