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Dowdy's volunteerism rewarded

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By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE

dlwhite@tampatrib.com

Published: May 27, 2009

RIVERVIEW - He's already amassed an impressive array of community honors.

Now, Miller Dowdy has claimed one of the community's most coveted awards.

On May 19, at the annual Roundtable Community Affairs Dinner at the Winthrop Barn Theatre in Riverview, the Valrico resident accepted the Alice B. Tompkins Community Service Award for outstanding volunteerism in Brandon, an honor he said took him by surprise.

In fact, he was a last-minute guest at the dinner due to his busy schedule. It's a schedule that includes serving on the Hillsborough County Planning Commission, on the steering committee for the Brandon Community Plan and on the boards of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce, the Brandon Community Advantage Center and the Brandon Area YMCAs.

In between, Dowdy, the father of two children, finds time to earn a living as a real estate developer.

For roundtable president and one-time award recipient B. Lee Elam, Dowdy epitomizes everything the service award represents, including self-sacrifice and commitment to making the Brandon area a better place to live.

First presented in 1975, the award was renamed in 1985 in honor of Tompkins, the one-time editor of The Brandon News, who received the award in 1977. Tompkins, known for her stalwart dedication to the community, died in 1984.

Dowdy joins 34 other community leaders who have received the honor.

"When you see the list of recipients before me, it's an exceptional reminder of how volunteerism is really the heart of Brandon," Dowdy said. "That's how we touch the people around us, how we help make our community a better place to live and how we create future generations of leaders."

The honor follows on the heels of another prestigious community award. Last year, Dowdy received the Ray Campo Leadership Award, which is presented annually to a volunteer who serves the Brandon Area YMCAs. The award is named for the late Ray Campo, a longtime Brandon resident who donated the property for the Campo Family YMCA and Camp Cristina.

On the YMCA board of directors since 2006, Dowdy has served as the major gifts chairman of the Building Strong Kids Campaign and spearheaded the Campo Family YMCA's major Family Fun Pool project.

"The Y is a great organization. It's more than a gym. They do so much for migrant children and foster children," Dowdy said.

He was appointed to the Hillsborough County Planning Commission in 2007 and also served on the Citizens Advisory Committee to the Hillsborough County Commission and the Hillsborough River Board Technical Advisory Committee.

As a chamber board member, he headed the chamber's building committee during construction of the new headquarters on Pauls Drive. He then co-chaired the chamber's accreditation committee, which led to the Brandon chamber receiving five stars from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - the highest rating a chamber can receive.

For his work, Dowdy received the chamber's Chairman's Award in 2006 and 2007. He serves on the chamber's building and grounds committee and governmental advisory board.

On weekends and Friday nights, Dowdy can be spotted on area sports fields. He's been involved with flag football, the Bloomingdale Little League, the Brandon Area Youth Soccer League and I9 Sports, as well as the Newsome High School marching band. His daughter will graduate from Newsome this year.

In whatever remaining time he has, Dowdy serves as chairman of the all-volunteer board of directors of a group planning the Brandon Community Advantage Center. In that capacity, he has been forging ahead with efforts to build a community meeting space, social hall and cultural arts center for Brandon.

Dowdy is a member of First Baptist Church of Brandon, where his brother, Miles, is associate pastor.

A resident since 2001, he said volunteerism runs in his family. He recalls pulling a wagon filled with fruitcakes around his neighborhood, selling them door to door for his father to raise money for the Civitans. His father, a pastor, continues to preach in Sebring at the age of 83. Dowdy's mother is the area representative for an IRS free tax preparation program for senior citizens.

"You could sit at home, but I think volunteering makes you become more of the person God intended you to be," said Dowdy, "a giver."

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 627-4753.

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