YORKTOWN, Va. — D'Shawn Wright, the owner of Body By D in Yorktown, cares a lot about building strong muscles. However, he cares even more about building strong communities.
Wright has been an entrepreneur for over a decade in York County, and some say he is a staple in the area.
"When you're blessed, you should be a blessing to others," he says.
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Wright’s blessings come in ways other than just fitness. He has spent time on the York County Chamber of Commerce, he was nominated to become Man of the Year for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and more recently, he was selected by Governor Glenn Youngkin to serve on the State’s Advisory Board on Athletic Training.
The advisory board had its first meeting at the end of March.
According to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, "the Advisory Board on Athletic Training shall assist the Board of Medicine in formulating its requirements for the certification of athletic trainers and in such other matters relating to the practice of athletic training as the Board may require; recommend the criteria for the standards of professional conduct for certificate holders."
Wright is also a citizen member on the Virginia Minority Business Commission after being nominated by Senator Amanda Batton.
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According to the Virginia Assembly, the commission, “evaluates the impact of existing statutes and proposed legislation on minority businesses, assesses the Commonwealth's minority business assistance programs and examines ways to enhance their effectiveness, provides minority business owners and advocates with a forum to address their concerns, develops strategies and recommendations to promote the growth and competitiveness of Virginia minority-owned businesses, and collaborates with the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity and other appropriate entities to facilitate the Commonwealth's work and mission.”
“For me, where I come from, from Aberdeen Gardens, to being homeless [and now] I'm sitting on this board with all these esteemed people from all [over the state…] this is, like, just truly amazing,” Wright tells me.
Wright's ability to make physical and community change wasn’t lost on York-Poquoson Sheriff Ron Montgomery.
The two connected after the murder of George Floyd when Wright was hosting a series called "Hard Talks."
"He was getting people to say things out loud to talk about how they really felt, and it really struck a chord with me," says Sheriff Montgomery.
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The Sheriff then appointed Wright as the Special Assistant to the Sheriff for Community Relations—the first position of its kind.
"He and I meet on a regular basis in my office right now," said Sheriff Montgomery. "He brings situations to me, or he asks questions about things that are being talked about in the community that involve the Sheriff's Office."
Wright says the relationship has been beneficial for the greater good of the citizens.
"At the end of the day, we both come to more of [an] understanding about what the community is looking for and understanding what the law says," Wright says.
For those reasons and more, D’Shawn Wright is being recognized as a News 3 Everyday Hero. He also received a $300 Visa gift card from our partners at Southern Bank.
With tears in his eyes, Wright thanked News 3 for the recognition.
"I love York County," he added. "I love Gloucester. I love the 757. I love Virginia, but York County has embraced me as one of their own."
