Archer Chosen As The 2021 Community First Award Honoree For Volunteer Service

As we continue to fight the COVID-19 virus, we’ve learned humility in helping others and using every resource to accommodate the community. Volunteering in the local neighborhoods has been considered part of the foundation to getting through the pandemic. Kenneth Archer didn't hesitate to offer his services to help the people of Monroe County. He used his healthcare skills to administer vaccines to the community in a time where volunteers were desperately needed and because of his gracious actions, Mr. Archer has been chosen as the 2021 Community First Award honoree for Volunteer Service. 

Mr. Archer is a retired pharmacist who worked in his family’s pharmacy for almost 40 years. He attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville for pre-pharmacy then graduated fifth in his class at the University of Tennessee Pharmacy School in Memphis. His family’s pharmacy has served Monroe County for decades and knows what the community needs in a time of care. 

As vaccines started to roll out, the Monroe County Health Department saw the urgent need for volunteers to help administer the vaccines. Mr. Archer decided to take his skills out of retirement and put them to a much needed use. He worked the frontlines for three months and in that time, he saw his community go from distressed to stable as more people received the vaccine.

“I volunteered to assist the Monroe County Health Department administer COVID-19 vaccines because I saw a great need, and I possessed the skill set to do such,” stated Mr. Archer. “Volunteerism has always been a part of my giving back to society, my country and my God for all the many blessings I have received in my life, and acknowledging my efforts for these endeavors is greatly appreciated.”

Colleagues who worked alongside Mr. Archer at the Monroe County Health Department say his work was a big help to their efforts, especially his experience in pharmacy. According to Monroe County Health Department Director Teresa Harrill, he was the only volunteer in the state that is a retired pharmacist. 

Being raised in Sweetwater, Tennessee, Mr. Archer knows the importance of lending a hand in a small community. He believes that taking care of others in local communities should be a first priority, and he has done so by participating in numerous mission trips both in America and abroad. Even though Mr. Archer is retired and not taking mission trips these days, he saw his efforts with the health department as his duty to give back. 

Mr. Archer said, “I am a retired pharmacist so volunteering to administer the COVID-19 vaccine did not affect my job. On the other hand, it became my job. The blessings I received from working with the team at the health department and the great appreciation from the patients receiving the vaccine made it very easy to show up for work daily.”

Mr. Archer will be honored at the Community First Awards Gala hosted by Cleveland State Community College in September at the Barn at Faith Farms in Athens. 

To purchase a ticket or for more information, contact the Foundation Office at 423-614-8700. Tickets for the gala are currently on sale online at mycs.cc/communityfirst. All proceeds from the event will go to the CSCC Foundation Annual Campaign.