Through the words of Winston Churchill, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Ted Bryant has dedicated his life to service beyond that of what he does for a living. Serving as a board member for the Boys & Girls Club of Greeneville & Greene County for the past 20 years, Ted has been instrumental in his level of service to our Club. Since 2003, Ted has gone above and beyond just being a body on our board. He served as Board Vice President from 2005-2006, Board President from 2006-2007, Past President from 2008-2009, Treasure from 2011-2022, Tennessee Area Council Liaison from 2005-2012, Chairman of the Building & Maintenance Committee from 2004-2010 and serving as a committee member from 2007-2022, Committee member for the Celebrity Auction from 2003-2022, Chairman of the Fundraising Committee from 2010-2012 and 2015-2017 and serving as a committee member from 2005-2022, committee member for the Bob Kesling Golf Classic from 2004-2022, committee member for the One Campaign committee from 2005-2022, By-Laws & Constitution committee from 2006-2022, member of the Finance committee from 2006-2022 and served as the Human Resources Chairman from 2010-2012 and 2014-2022. Ted has also served on several other committees and helped with various other programs and activities. He is currently on our capital campaign committee, and we are approximately at 50% of our $6 million goal to build a new facility in Greeneville. He is hands-on and that goes from serving food to the kids at Thanksgiving, being Santa’s helper to helping at sports clinics or moping the floor after a special event. He is always there to help and enjoys giving back to his hometown community and Club.

     It is apparent through Ted’s accolades that his commitment to others is longstanding and unwavering. Ted has received many local Boys & Girls Club awards such as Board Member of the Year in 2006, 2013, and 2016, the Director’s Award in 2010-2011 and 2018, the Fundraising Award in 2009, 2013-2017, and 2019-2021, the Leadership Award in 2005, 2007 and 2012, Rookie of the Year in 2003 and he received the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Service to Youth Award in 2008 for his dedication and commitment to serving the youth of Greeneville & Greene County. Ted was also awarded the Tennessee Boys & Girls Club State Board Member of the Year award in 2015 and 2017. Ted makes leaps and bounds to do whatever it takes to help those in need, just as our Boys & Girls Club has been in dire need of his services. 

     Ted’s commitment to our board is not just helpful, it is essential for us to continue to provide quality programs and services to the youth in our community. Without this type of dedication, our organization would not be where it is today. Ted has paved the way for leadership both inside our organization and out in the community. We believe that the best type of board volunteer is the one who finds identification with the community. One that brings emotional intelligence, sensibility, character, love and passion for the local organization and its mission. That person is Ted Bryant. He totally believes in the Boys & Girls Club and our national movement. Ted Bryant has been a community leader for many years. His accomplishments reflect his dedication to our community and pride in his efforts. His collaboration with other community leaders has allowed him to get a job done and accomplish what he sets out to do. 

     We are fortunate as both a Boys & Girls Club and community to have someone as dedicated and compassionate as Ted looking out for our well-being. If you were to look up what it takes to be a successful volunteer, it would describe Ted Bryant perfectly. Over the past 20 years, Ted has donated thousands of hours of his time to our Boys & Girls Club, the community, region and its people. The Club’s Executive Director, Scott Bullington stated, “I could not think of a better recipient for the award than Ted Bryant. He loves our Boys & Girls Club, wants to see all children, especially those from socially and economically disadvantaged circumstances, receive the time, support and guidance needed to become a productive adult member of our community and has made it a big part of his adult life to serve our organization as a volunteer. Ted Bryant is the epitome of a life lived to serve others”. Ted is married to Cris and has two adult children, Beth & Alex.