2023 Volunteer of the Week- Karen Hinkle

• Sold 208 banquet tickets totaling $10,785
• Sold 4 Individual Sponsorships totaling $3,300
• Raised $73,000 in pre and post-event raffles
• Underwriting total of $9,000
• Made 261 donations

"Karen is the definition of integrity, morality and high standards. She is very well respected by all of our Tennessee Friends of NRA volunteers and is one of the leaders of our organization in the State of Tennessee. Not only is Karen very involved with Friends of NRA, but she manages to be involved with a few other organizations as well such as her Church and the Knoxville Fire Fighters Association. When I look for someone that I can trust and know will represent our organization with the upmost integrity, Karen Hinkle is the first volunteer that comes to mind.

Not only is Karen the major driving force behind the East Tennessee Friends of NRA committee, she also supports and assists several other committees throughout the year. She is very active with both the Smokies Friends of NRA Committee in Sevierville and the Tri-Cities Friends of NRA Committee in Blountville. She was responsible for obtaining over 100+ donations for both of those committees in addition to the 300+ donations she obtained for her own committee. She attended both of those banquets and assisted with the set up the day before as well as ran the Treasures table at the Smokies banquet and a game at the Tri-Cities banquet. She is always the first one there to help set up and the last one to leave when my truck is finally loaded. Karen and her husband also attended the East Tennessee Valley Friends of NRA banquet this year. I asked them to just enjoy their evening and relax, but that is not in Karen’s vocabulary. She noticed that the Wall of Guns needed help during the event, so she immediately went over and jumped in. Not only did she help to finish out the game, but she managed to turn the Wall 2 more times. When that was finished, she walked over to the Card game, grabbed the remaining cards, and walked them around the room to help finish that game as well. Karen is also a major help at the Tennessee State Fund Conference. She volunteers to run the treasurers table for the event and does so flawlessly. No matter the occasion, if Karen is there she is involved and a huge asset to the event.

When I think of what a Friends of NRA volunteer should be or what we want in a Friends of NRA volunteer, I think of Karen Hinkle. Her dedication, tenacity and drive to make East Tennessee Friends of NRA GREAT is second to none and her willingness to help others is unmatched. She is extremely hard working and tirelessly spends hundreds of hours each year to make sure that her committee puts on the best event possible. Not only is Karen a GREAT volunteer that goes above and beyond not only for her own committee but Tennessee Friends of NRA as a whole, she is also a genuinely GREAT person. I have worked with many great volunteers in my 13 years of service to the NRA, but I can honestly say that she is one of the nicest, most genuine and welcoming that I have ever worked with. It is working with great volunteers like Karen Hinkle that makes my job the most rewarding job imaginable, and this is why I have nominated her as the 2022 Tennessee Friends of NRA Volunteer of the Year."

-  Tom Knight, NRA Senior Field Representative