KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) — Help Our Potential Evolve (HOPE) is one of many people and organizations to come together to host its Van Dobbins Jr. Day event at the Kingsport Farmers Market on Sunday.

The day honored Van Dobbins Jr.’s accolades, volunteer work, donations, and decades of dedication to his community. Dobbins Jr. is 83 years old.

The work he has done goes back to when he was a teenager, working with his father, Van Dobbins Sr., to grow a garden and feed the community. This kind gesture extended into Dobbins Jr.’s adulthood, as Dobbins now volunteers his time at the Central Baptist Church Food Ministry.

To make his name a permanent part of Kingsport’s history, Kingsport Mayor Paul Montgomery officially declared July 6th, 2025, as Van Dobbins Jr. Day.

“I’ve asked a lot of people, ‘You know Van Dobbins?’ And everybody knows Van Dobbins,” Montgomery said. “They always have a story about what he has done for them and how much he has helped people. He’s touched so many lives, he has given back more than anybody I know in the city.”

The celebration included fellowship, a free dinner and plenty of entertainment. Dobbins Jr. was also honored with a special coin, given only to the most influential and helpful people in Kingsport.

The coin reads, “Put others above self, assure for the greater good, and for the greater good of others. For a Kingsport spirit, for the love and the peace we have here.”

Committee members Stella Robinette, Richard Jackson, Jimmy Carnes, Johnnie Mae Swaggerty, and Dorothy Dobbins, Van Dobbins Jr.’s wife, attended the event.

Robinette said Dobbins Jr. brings boxes of food to the children at Central Baptist Church every week.

Attendees told News Channel 11 they hope Dobbins Jr.’s actions and commitment to his community inspire kindness in others.