Dru Johnson's passion for volunteering stems from strong faith in Christ
Dru Johnson grew up in a family heavily involved in their church.
His father used to be youth pastor, his mother was a children’s director at one time and he and his three sisters have all been involved in the youth group.
“It was one of those things, ‘We need some volunteers, we know the Johnsons are going to be there,’ ” he said. “How that has played a part in my life has been huge.”
That passion for volunteering in his hometown of Van Wert, Ohio, has continued during his time at Ashland University, from going on mission trips, to helping when Ashland Special Olympics members visit the university, to setting up fencing for the annual summer festival, Ashland Balloonfest.
“Knowing Christ and having the spirit in you, compels you to do good works,” said the AU senior who has belonged to FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) since he came to Ashland and has attended and volunteered at Southview Grace Brethren Church in town the past two years.
Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team
For all his volunteering at the university, Johnson was named to the 2024 Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team in the fall.
The wide receiver, who caught 23 passes for 337 yards and a touchdown this past season, also was named to the 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) NCAA Division II Academic All-District team. He has a 3.81 cumulative GPA as a sport management major.
“Dru has got a big heart, and he's a very giving person,” AU head football coach Doug Geiser said about Johnson in a news release for the Good Works Team. “He never meets a stranger. Everybody he meets, he's got a smile on. If it’s someone he doesn't know, they’ll soon become a friend. He kind of gets it. Very selfless in that respect. It's definitely well-deserving.”
It is the fourth year in a row the AU football team has had a player it nominated make the Good Works Team. Johnson said he looked up to those previous honorees, as well as many other older players on the team when he was an underclassman, and hopes he has been an inspiration for younger players the past couple of seasons.
“I could have transferred, but ultimately it wasn’t just about playing football,” said Johnson, who didn’t see much playing time until his senior season. “It was as much about playing as being a leader for the younger guys, whether it was on the field, in the classroom or with the Word. That didn’t change when I got to play more. I could give God glory through my play and my leadership.”
Volunteers at AU and in the Ashland community
At Southview Grace Brethren, Johnson has helped lead a youth Bible study; and at AU, he is now a leader for FCA, which meets Tuesday nights for devotions, songs and worship in Redwood Hall, as well as played a major part in an outdoor worship in the fall.
“It used to be in the lower chapel,” Johnson said about FCA. “Because it got bigger, we moved it to Redwood Hall. There’s about 300 each Tuesday. Discipleship is a big part of what we do at Ashland.
“The Lord has moved on campus and grown FCA’s numbers, and it has nothing to do with anything I or we as leaders have done,” Johnson added.
One of his favorite volunteer experiences at AU has been when Ashland Special Olympics Team members visit and enjoy fun sports activities with university students, especially last year when he dressed up as the university’s mascot Tuffy.
“I have a very lively spirit, and I think it fits well with a mascot and high-fiving the kids,” Johnson said. “Encouraging them that way was so rewarding.”
Even though Johnson grew up actively involved in his hometown church, he said it wasn’t until his junior or senior year in high school that he realized how much of a blessing it was to help people.
Through his youth group, that included ringing bells for the Salvation Army during the Christmas season, packing meals for United Way and helping his church provide school supplies through Operation Back-To-School.
Gone on many mission trips over the years
He also has donated his time at soup kitchens, homeless shelters and for hurricane relief on mission trips when he was in youth group and now at AU.
Johnson said he has been blessed to go on several missions trips in Ohio, in the country (Alabama, Florida and South Carolina) and out of the country (Haiti) to name a few.
“I love to make other people smile and help make their lives easier any way I can do that, whether it’s with bigger things like mission trips or smaller things like just opening the door for someone,” he said.
He also likes to put smiles on faces of the people he encounters on campus with his backpacks, which have all been kids’ ones with cartoon characters on them. This year it is Bluey.
As a sport communication major, Johnson also has taken trips to Louisiana and Germany and volunteered with the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission during the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s College Basketball Final Four, interacting with fans there in between helping set up and tear down fun basketball stations.
"The sky is the limit" for Johnson
One of Johnson’s mentors, Associate Professor of Sport Management Lance Kaltenbaugh, said "the sky is the limit" for Johnson, who has a summer internship lined up after graduation in the hospitality department at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton and plans to continue his volunteering well into the future.
“He has that servant leader mentality that is contagious in everything he does and in every organization he is involved with,” Kaltenbaugh said. “It has been an honor to have him not only in my classes, but to get to know him as an outstanding person.”