The former Freeborn County director of human services is being honored for his volunteerism.

The District 241 Citizenship Committee is recognizing Darryl Meyer as 2009 Citizen of the Year at a reception from 1 to 2 p.m. Monday at Trinity Lutheran Church.

Meyer was nominated for the honor and chosen by the citizenship committee, comprised of fifth-graders in District 241.

Meyer moved to Albert Lea 25 years ago, “by accident.” He was working in a similar position in another county, and knew the director here was planning to retire. He wasn’t looking for another job, but the director urged Meyer to come down and talk with the county commissioners.

“We came down and enjoyed the community,” Meyer said. “Our daughter was attending Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault and our son was just starting high school. So we thought, why not?”

Meyer said he was impressed that the county was operating its own mental health center and had established a victims’ crisis center.

“The board was excellent to work with and we took part in a number of multi-county ventures,” he said. “We did things none of us would have tried on our own.”

He cites the South Country Health Alliance as one of those ventures. “We found we could do more together than with the usual pot of money,” he said. “We learned a lot of stuff along the way, too.” He added that many of the people using services helped write proposals.

Meyer said he’s always been one to try to come up with things that worked differently, rather than the status quo.

He took part in a reorganization in Slayton and actually convinced commissioners to eliminate his job. “I had a lot of fun telling people I was a bureaucrat who eliminated his own job,” he said.

Within the community of Albert Lea, Meyer is active at Trinity Lutheran Church. He’s served on the council with periodic stints as president, he’s done property maintenance and he’s part of a group involved with visiting shut-in members of the congregation.

He’s active in Bible study, serves on a number of standing committees and has done mission and service trips abroad. He helps his congregation serve at Loaves and Fishes and has worked at special benefits. Meyer is now serving as a member of the Vision Quest team at the church, working to create a new mission statement and vision for the congregation.

The Rev. Curtis Zieske, pastor at Trinity, said Meyer was serving as congregational vice president when the president passed away. “He led the council in leadership development projects,” he said.

Zieske said Meyer has on several occasions taken on preaching responsibilities and is a lay reader at the church. “He’s a pastor’s delight,” Zieske said. “He puts his faith into action on a daily basis. He’s a good friend and a good guy to have around.”

Meyer is a member of the Daybreakers Kiwanis Club and through the club takes part in a variety of projects, including pancake breakfasts and other fundraisers for scholarships and ditch cleaning.

Dave Mullenbach was Meyer’s sponsor when he joined Kiwanis. Mullenbach had previously worked with Meyer when he served as a county commissioner.

“I enjoy being around him,” Mullenbach said. “He’s really community oriented. He’s very much deserving of the award.”

Meyer is active with the Blue Zones/AARP Vitality Project and the Heritage Preservation Commission.

Meyer is also a volunteer driver for the Meals on the Go program. He has served on the Youth for Christ Board and has also helped with maintenance at The Rock. He’s helped with elementary-school-age camps at Prairie River Camp.

“That was an excellent experience,” he said.

Meyer also volunteers with Camphill, an experiential camp for people with developmental disabilities. Minnesota has a camp near Sauke Centre, but there are 120 of these camps in 18 countries.

“Most of the personnel there are volunteers,” Meyer said of the camp.

Meyer has also served on the foundation for camp locations in North America.

The camp in Minnesota got its start when group home operators in Minneapolis were looking for something different as an experience for their residents. In 1979, they found an affordable piece of property that hadn’t had chemical applications. Meyer got involved because he was working in Todd County and his agency did the initial licensing for the camp.

Meyer has also enjoyed his Smart Car, an energy efficient vehicle he purchased a few years ago.

The engine is a 3-cylinder with a turbocharger, and it’s 8 feet 2 inches in length. The car stands 5 feet tall and is 4 feet 11 inches wide.

Meyer enjoys having a something unique, and classifies it a toy. He suspects the cars will become more common and less expensive as the market demands more of them.

The owner of what is one of Albert Lea’s most unique vehicles also doesn’t mind a joke or two about the compactness of his car.

“Some say I’ve lost half my car,” he joked in a 2006 interview about the car. But it comes with another benefit — not having to wedge into a tight parking space. “If it says compact, I can get in there.”

“He bought that car not only because it’s economical, but because it’s socially responsible,” Zieske said.

Meyer and his wife, Jo, have a son, Dan, living in Washington, D.C.; a daughter, Rachel, living in the Minneapolis area; and a granddaughter, who is 2.

The Meyers recently got a small dog to go with their small car.

Meyer said he is humbled by the Citizen of the Year honor.

“It was out of the blue,” Meyer said. “It was the furthest thing from my mind.”