Cookeville NAACP’s Wheeler Awarded State Woman Of The Year Honors

Cookeville Putnam County NAACP First Vice President Johnnie Wheeler honored by the state organization for her contributions to the community.

Wheeler received the Women In NAACP Of The Year Award. The award recognizes women who are making significant contributions to their community through volunteering, charity work, and being an advocate for the NAACP. Wheeler said she is glad somebody recognized the work the NAACP is doing in Cookeville.

“I’m very excited,” Wheeler said. “I was shocked. Especially when we go up against places like Nashville and Memphis and the larger cities, and it just shows that people are paying attention to what we’re doing.”

Wheeler said she never expected she was going to win the award. She said when she walked in to the convention they asked her to sit at the honorary table, and she was confused up until they called her name.

“When they started calling out the awards, they called out the woman of the year, and they called my name,” Wheeler said. “And I thought surely they made a mistake here, but it was very exciting.”

Wheeler said the focus is on her, but she wants to make sure the entire Cookeville Putnam NAACP gets recognition as well.

“Just to get this award is not the greatest thing,” Wheeler said. “A service to humanity to is the most rewarding thing. I think it’s a great honor that the Cookeville NAACP was honored with a woman of the year. It says we our out here in the community, we’re paying attention, and we’re working hard for the betterment of our community.”

Wheeler said she wanted to thank Cookeville for the support and for standing behind the NAACP. She said the NAACP needs members to help volunteer. She said she encourages people of any race to come join the NAACP.

“Just come in and be a part of the NAACP,” Wheeler said. “There’s a lot of work to do and a lot of committees, and we need people to get bringing about changes and to be here for people that are less fortunate than we are.”