Greenbelt’s 2026 Outstanding Citizen, Carolyn Lambright-Davis, may be small in stature, but the energy and passion she displays when talking about her life, volunteerism and love for Greenbelt seem to burst from her frame. It makes one wonder where she finds the energy to nurture the community’s young people, dig in the dirt and promote literacy — often while encouraging others to get involved alongside her.
A longtime Greenbelt resident, Lambright-Davis moved from Washington, D.C. seeking better educational opportunities for her daughter. During her 15 years in Greenbelt, she has found ways not simply to keep busy, but to make a difference in the community she now calls home.
A Family Tradition
Lambright-Davis traces much of her commitment to service to her father, whose final teaching position was at the School Without Walls in Washington. “Wherever you live, you get involved!” she recalls him saying. It is a lesson she has carried with her.
Lambright-Davis taught life skills for 10 years in northern Prince George’s County and now incorporates some of those same lessons into her work with young people in the Earth Squad after-school and summer programs at Springhill Lake Recreation Center (SHLRC).
Her connection to the earth, however, came by a somewhat different route. She grew up in the city; her husband, Bill, grew up on a farm. With a smile in her voice, she describes their partnership: “He carries the heavy things, and I dig in the dirt. Bill is more laid-back, while I’m — what can I say? — loud. But that’s what made our 39-year marriage work.”
Intentional
Intentional is an important word to Lambright-Davis. “It’s important to be intentional about volunteering and doing good in the community,” she said. She has also taken to heart the words of her pastor, Damion Briggs of Eastern Community Baptist Church in Landover: “We have to be intentional. Don’t just talk about it; be about it.” Lambright-Davis has done just that. In 2016, Maggie Cahalan, a board member of the Chesapeake Education, Arts and Research Society (CHEARS), approached Lambright-Davis about helping revitalize an environmental and educational program CHEARS had originally sponsored in 2002 in partnership with the Adelphi Friends Meeting.
Lambright-Davis answered the call. Since then, her involvement has expanded. She is a graduate of the Greenbelt Citizens Police Academy, has served on the CHEARS board for nearly a decade and coordinates the Earth Squad after-school and summer programs at SHLRC.
Through that work, she has cultivated relationships throughout Greenbelt — with city leaders, the Greenbelt Police Department, community organizations, parents and, perhaps most importantly to her, young people.
Her work is particularly visible in Franklin Park, where she encourages residents to plant right where they live. The results can sometimes be seen overhead: balcony gardens containing herbs, tomatoes and other plants have increasingly appeared throughout the community.
Meanwhile, Lambright-Davis and the Earth Squad continue their work as citizen scientists, maintaining the Three Sisters Garden and Greenbelt Food Forest while developing an appreciation for environmental stewardship, experimentation and community service. Sometimes those experiments require little more than seeds, soil and imagination. Most recently, the group tried several methods of starting tomato seeds, including one using toilet paper rolls.
But the Earth Squad is about more than gardening. Former participants still stop by to check in, reconnect or grab a quick snack — and Lambright-Davis welcomes them. “I want my students to know, ‘I see you. I remember you,’” she said. Her goal is to expose, enlighten and enrich the young people she encounters, while showing them that they have a place in their community and the ability to contribute to it.
Surprise, Surprise
For someone who spends so much time encouraging others, Lambright-Davis was genuinely surprised to discover that the people of Greenbelt had decided to honor her. She attends the Labor Day Festival every year. This year, she listened as the speaker began detailing the accomplishments of the 2026 Outstanding Citizen. Then came a familiar reference: the Earth Squad. “Oh, my God! They’re talking about me!” she recalled thinking.
Winning the award, she said, “means a lot. It meant a lot to have my church family here and a cousin I hadn’t seen in years.” Family, friends, city council members and previous Outstanding Citizen honorees joined in the celebration, eager to congratulate Lambright-Davis and pose for photographs after the ceremony.
But even in receiving an award recognizing her own contributions, Lambright-Davis quickly turned the attention back to the young people she serves. She took the award to show the Earth Squad children and their parents. “This is what you can do, too,” she told them. “It doesn’t require a lot to be involved.”
Keeping Young
For the past 40 years, Lambright-Davis has risen at 5 a.m. without an alarm clock. She dedicates the first quiet hour of her morning to devotions and exercise before taking on the day. “I love to laugh and dance,” she said. Years ago, Lambright-Davis and the Earth Squad children danced with Angella Foster, director of the Greenbelt Dance Studio, during local activities, including Greenbelt’s annual Black History program and events at the Three Sisters Garden. Today, Lambright-Davis still loves dancing — and working in the garden. “There’s something about nature,” she said. “We, as human beings, come to coexist with nature. We come to help, not to tear down … but to help.” Working in the garden, she said, is soothing. “I never thought that I would hug a tree!”
What’s Next?
Ask Lambright-Davis what she would like to see next for Greenbelt, and the energy returns immediately. Her answer is simple and firm: “An intergenerational garden.” It fits naturally with her philosophy — bringing people of different ages together, getting residents involved and creating community through shared work. She also encourages residents to join an advisory committee or find some other way to participate in civic life. “You have to be a good Greenbelter in terms of community and friendship in order to make community work,” she said. “I actually believe that.” And then Lambright-Davis returns to the philosophy that seems to run through everything she does — don’t merely talk about community; participate in it. “Don’t just sit back and complain if you’re not trying to change anything.”
