TJ Summers receives Sparkplug Award for service to Glenwood

For TJ Summers, serving Glenwood means investing in the neighborhood that helped raise him. That commitment earned him a 2026 Sparkplug Award from United Neighborhoods of Evansville for his work with the Glenwood Neighborhood Association.

The award recognizes people, groups, organizations and businesses that go above and beyond to help their neighbors. Neighborhood associations nominate recipients whose contributions strengthen community life, from organizing activities and supporting neighborhood improvements to consistently showing up for others.

For Summers, that service spans youth mentorship, family support and helping residents put their ideas into action.

In an earlier interview with Our Times, Summers described his work with the YMCA’s Y-CAP boys mentoring program, Evansville Promise Neighborhood and Glenwood’s Love Your Neighbor initiative. His hope for Glenwood is rooted in everyday connections: neighbors talking across yards, gathering on porches and knowing one another by name.

The Sparkplug recognition celebrates Summers’ part in helping those connections grow.