Points of Light Presents Bass Pro Shops Founder and Lead Outfitter Johnny Morris with Prestigious Honor, The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award, to Culminate a Year of Recognizing Outstanding Volunteer Leaders

Points of Light honored Johnny Morris, founder & Lead Outfitter of Bass Pro Shops, with the organization’s highest honor The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award. The special presentation was held at the company’s corporate office in Springfield, M.O. Morris was recognized for his extraordinary leadership in service, conservationism and veterans support.

As the visionary behind Bass Pro Shops and the driving force of the Johnny Morris Conservation Foundation, Morris has championed habitat restoration, wildlife conservation and outdoor education programs across the country — ensuring that people of all ages can continue to enjoy and connect with the outdoors for generations to come.

Morris’ decades-long friendship with Points of Light Founder, President George H.W. Bush, was rooted in their shared appreciation and commitment to nature and conservation. Morris and the Bass Pro Shops team supported President Bush’s Vamos A Pescar Education Fund, which helps families experience the joys of fishing, boating and supporting conservation.

Morris recognized all the Bass Pro Shops outfitters who support and continue their efforts, saying, “their 40,000 outfitters are individual points of light, shining brightly to do good.”

“Johnny Morris shows how someone can incorporate volunteering and doing good into every aspect of life,” said Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO, Points of Light. “From centering conservation efforts into Bass Pro Shops’ business to his own personal philanthropy, he is a bright point of light and so deserving of this honor.”

Recognizing individuals who show us the power of volunteering in action is at the center of Points of Light’s work. Uplifting these stories inspires others to see the light within themselves and take action to create positive change.

The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award honors individuals who demonstrate the transformative power of service, and who are driving significant and sustained impact through their everyday actions and words – lighting the path for other points of light to create change through volunteering and civic engagement.

This year’s recipients included Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, who was honored in a special ceremony in Chicago in March. Three other honorees, Marvin Ellison, chairman and CEO, Lowe’s Companies, Inc; Dynasty Taylor, founder and CEO, Dynasty’s United Youth Association; and Gregg Petersmeyer, chairman, America’s Promise Alliance, who received The George H.W. Bush Lifetime of Service Award, were honored at Points of Light’s Award Celebration in October in Washington, D.C.