The McKinneys, who are involved in a local Hispanic ministry, thought that they were going to speak briefly about their volunteer work.

However, the committee who selected the eighth annual Blanche W. Grady Service Award winners had other plans.

The father and son were surprised with the presentation of the service award, which not only recognizes the achievements of a local “unsung hero,” but also provides a cash prize that the winner can designate to a health care-related cause.

The McKinneys have long been involved in missionary work, not only locally, but also in Ecuador and Spain.

Currently, they are involved in helping local Hispanics. Fluent in Spanish, as well as Chinese, Richie McKinney serves as an English translator for local Spanish-speaking individuals.

According to his father, he has made many trips to hospitals, courtrooms, workplaces, insurance companies, among many other places, to assist Spanish-speaking persons.

One night, his father said, Richie McKinney even made a “very quick trip” to a hospital with a pregnant Hispanic woman who was about to give birth.

Grady Award’s Objective

Local businessman and philanthropist Scott M. Niswonger and his mother, Sharon Niswonger, established the Grady Service Award as a way to honor their longtime friend, Blanche Grady.

Mrs. Grady is a retired schoolteacher who had 28 years of service with the Greene County School System.

After her retirement from teaching, Mrs. Grady became a hospital volunteer at Laughlin Memorial Hospital, where she became a lead volunteer, logging more than 8,000 hours of service.

She was also a founding member of the Laughlin Health Care Foundation’s board of trustees.

Niswonger said at the service award banquet, “My mother and I established this award in 1996 as a caring way to recognize the magnificent volunteer effort of Blanche Grady and others like her in our community, who bring joy to us by working quietly and without a lot of recognition.

“Our community has an abundant source of individuals who make a tremendous difference every day, and that’s why the Grady Award was established. We identify those individuals and recognize them for their good works,” he said.

McKinneys’ Service Here

Richard McKinney came to Greeneville about 17 years ago. He is the co-owner of Landmark Systems Inc., a roof-truss company.

“My primary mission in life is to serve others,” McKinney said. “As the word of God tells me, if you will serve others, you will be blessed,” he said.

He had lived in Ecuador for a period of time. When he came to Greeneville, he met an individual who was starting a Hispanic church here and told McKinney of many needs of the local Hispanic community, especially the need for a translator.

Richie McKinney had been involved in a missionary program in Spain for about a year and a half, and when he and his father learned of the need for a Spanish translator, Richie McKinney volunteered his time and talents.

Greene and Hamblen counties have a higher percentage of Hispanic residents than any other county in Northeast Tennessee, Niswonger said. There are several hundred Hispanic families in Greene County.

A major problem, Niswsonger said, is that because these families have been so transient, “the young children are illiterate not only in the English language, but also in their own language.

“Richard and Richie, along with the Literacy Council and others, are finding ways of helping these children to become fluent both in their (native) language and English so they can get along here,” Niswonger said.

Richard McKinney said, “God has blessed me and I’m thankful to be a part of this community. My son gets me and others involved in this work. It’s all about getting involved. God has blessed us so richly that we can share it with others.”

Richard McKinney said his son gets many calls from people in the local Hispanic community.

“The Hispanic people are a little out of touch with our society,” Richard McKinney said. “They have been raised in a different culture, but you know, if we can encourage them to get driver’s licenses, insurance, and obey our laws, they can become an important part of our community. And Richie helps them do that — and gives freely of his time,” his father said.

“It’s a blessing to be able to help people,” Richie McKinney said.

“The Lord has really blessed me with a good example of helping others — that example being my dad,” he added.

Richie McKinney, who works with his father, said he feels blessed that the Lord gave him the ability to learn the Spanish language and the opportunity to help the Hispanic residents of this community.

He said that people can help others in many different ways, whether that be through special talents and skills, knowledge of a particular subject, or financial support. “God has given us so much. I feel He expects us to use our gifts to help others,” Richie McKinney said.

Award Presents $5,000

The Blanche W. Grady Service Award presents $5,000 to the annual winners for them to distribute to a health-care program or for health-care education of their choosing.

Niswonger said, “One of the premier events of the Grady Award is the free dental and visual clinic that has been held for the past six years. This clinic alone has provided well over $100,000 in free care for people in need within our community.” The annual clinic works in cooperation with Remote Area Medical, a Knoxville-based organization that provides medical care to needy persons in rural areas.

The clinic also relies on the skill of local dental and eye-care professionals who volunteer their time for the event, and the Greene County Health Department that coordinates the clinic’s appointments and conducts screening of qualified individuals.

Persons who qualify for the clinic receive an eye examination and glasses, if needed, and primary dental care services — all free of charge, Niswonger said.

In addition to the annual visual and dental clinic, Niswonger said, the Grady Award has supported numerous other community causes, such as a grief support program; healthy snacks and meals for youth at the Boys & Girls Club; support for medically at-risk children at Laughlin Hospital’s Infant-Toddler Program; financial support for cancer patients through Greeneville-Greene County Community Ministries; and a health fair for local low-income seniors who volunteer with the Foster Grandparent Program.

He added, “The Grady Award stands as a monument to Mrs. Grady’s dedication to this community and speaks volumes about her and others like her who work quietly behind the scenes to give unselfishly to their community.”