Mountain Home real estate broker L. Wayne Camp will present the L. Wayne Camp Award at the Arkansas Realtors Association's annual convention, set for September 14-16 in Branson, Missouri. The ceremony coincides with the association's celebration of a 40-year partnership with Special Olympics Arkansas, a collaboration that began under Camp’s leadership and has since raised more than $6 million for the organization.
The L. Wayne Camp Award is the association’s highest public relations honor and is given to a Realtor who demonstrates ongoing volunteer commitment to the Special Olympics. The Arkansas Realtors Association announced the award as part of this year’s convention programming, which brings together agents, brokers, and industry professionals from across the state for education and networking opportunities.
The roots of the partnership date back to the 1980s when Camp, then president of the Arkansas Realtors Association, was tasked with leading the Make America Better Committee, a national community service initiative. Camp selected Special Olympics Arkansas for the effort, inspired by his son Chris’s positive experiences with the program. Camp has said the organization gave Chris structure, direction, friendships, and personal growth. Chris eventually began volunteering to support other athletes—a progression that strengthened Camp’s belief in the program's value for all participants.
The campaign started with volunteer commitments rather than fundraising. According to the association, more than half of the North Central Board of Realtors in Mountain Home participated in local and regional Special Olympics games during the partnership’s first year. What began as a single-year project evolved into a permanent fixture of the association’s public relations work by 1997, earning national recognition for its impact. The Arkansas Realtors Association has since raised more for Special Olympics Arkansas than any other organization in the state.
Camp, a Century 21 LeMac Realty broker and former Arkansas Realtor of the Year, served on the Special Olympics Arkansas board of directors for more than 20 years and was the announcer for the Summer Games during that time. He and his wife, Carolyn, remain supporters of the program.
“The tree of support remains strong and continues to grow,” Camp said in an association news release reflecting on the success of the decades-long partnership.
While this year’s L. Wayne Camp Award recipient has not been announced, last year’s honor went to Chris Demarest, and Kevin Smallwood of Mena is slated to receive the 2024 award.
The Arkansas Realtors Association plans to use the milestone anniversary at the convention as an opportunity not only to reflect on its efforts but also to reaffirm its commitment to supporting Special Olympics Arkansas in the future.