Taylor Smith is a 2021 Locals Love Us favorite volunteer. Staff photo by Alex Copeland
When Taylor Smith learned The Picayune Magazine readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners chose him as a 2021 Locals Love Us favorite volunteer, he was surprised.
“It was unexpected to say the least,” Smith said. “I thought I was doing what I was expected to do, for the most part. To be recognized for it is something else.”
Smith is a member of the Llano Volunteer Fire Department, and he’s truly embedded in the community. At his day job at Miller Electric Water Well Service, he estimates he works for as many as 3,000 Llano residents.
“I get to reach out to a lot of people and get to know them,” he said. “There’s a lot of older folks that live around me, and if they need anything, whether it’s taking out their trash or helping with chores, it’s like, yeah, let me come help you.
“I just try my best to use the big heart my mama gave me,” he added.
Serving the community is a family affair.
“I’ve got the number right next to (my father). He’s 377, I’m 378,” Smith said referring to their Llano VFD call numbers. “I’ve looked up to him my whole life. I love him to death. He’s trained me in everything that I know, whether it be working on cars or trying your best to help others.”
Part of the reason why Locals Love Us voters picked him might have something to do with how he follows through on those lessons on helping others. For Smith, volunteering and service are just natural.
“Just going home knowing I helped someone is the most rewarding thing I can think of,” Smith said. “If you go home knowing you didn’t give 100 percent, it’s not that rewarding. Knowing that you tried your best to put that fire out, that you tried your best to get that person stuck in that car out, or just helping that neighbor take her trash out.
“From the little things to the great things, it’s just if you know you did it all right, I’m happy,” Smith added.
