Dee Davenport's involvement with Vera Lloyd Presbyterian Family Services began with the death of a customer of the bank where she works. The customer had bequeathed $1 million to the southeast Arkansas agency.
"In my job at the bank, I get to be the one to deliver the check," says Davenport, a lawyer and senior vice president in the trust division of Simmons Wealth Management in Little Rock. "So [Vera Lloyd officials] invited me to a board meeting, and I talked to the board a little bit about the donor."
In passing, that customer not only enriched the organization, he fostered a relationship. Davenport is on her second three-year term on the board of an agency whose mission is "to share Christ's healing love with children, youth and families in crisis."
The agency started in 1910 as a Monticello day nursery for working mothers, and became a more permanent place for children when a pair of abandoned twins were brought there for care. In 1923 it became known as the Vera Lloyd Presbyterian Home for Children, according to its website, after Vera Lloyd of Marianna donated money to the home, stipulating in her will that it be named after her.
The agency's Annie B. Wells campus in Monticello serves children from across the state with residential care, emergency shelter, a therapeutic group home and respite care for children and youths who have been abused, abandoned or have spent time in the juvenile justice system. The agency also provides counseling for youths, families, groups and clergy through its Schmidt Center.
Vera Lloyd can accommodate about 40 children at a time and serves about 200 a year. It also maintains an office in Little Rock.
In addition to financial savvy, Davenport brings to the board a working knowledge of the issues that necessitate the services provided by Vera Lloyd. She left banking for a time, becoming a certified family mediator, then worked as parent counsel in dependency neglect cases. For six months, she worked for the Department of Human Services' office of general counsel, representing the state in dependency neglect cases.
SERVING IN THE TRENCHES
"I found out all about this part of our world that I didn't know anything about -- and how much money we spend on it, and how vulnerable these children are," she says. She also remembers from those days that "Vera Lloyd was a very desirable [agency for] placement."
As a board member, Davenport has served on the executive council as well as the development committee, of which she's now president.
"It's very interesting because we have to earn about 20 percent of our annual budget. We grow it through contributions and development," she says.
The board holds a meeting at the Monticello location every year. "And we'll have two or three events there a year," she says, including the annual Turkey Trot 5K, now in its fifth year, and the Pink Hat Day, held in April. The latter includes lunch, tours, visits with the kids, a parade and recognition for outstanding service. Monday's inaugural After Hours with Vera Lloyd is designed to introduce the agency to potential supporters. It will take place at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Davenport says she's proudest of the board itself, which consists of about 30 people from throughout the state, and the quality of the board and staff members. "I think the biggest thing I bring to it is helping make connections," she says, which includes educating friends, colleagues and associates about Vera Lloyd. She took four women with her to Pink Hat Day, and she has invited about 12 people to Monday's event.
"We feel that there are people out there who'd want to contribute to this work. And ... they don't know anything about it," she says. "We're looking for every opportunity to show the work."
FUNDING THE NEED
It costs more than $7,200 a day to care for the agency's residents, only about half of which is covered by state contracts. Garnering donations can be challenging at a time when so many worthy charitable organizations are asking for money -- but it's not impossible, Davenport says.
"People who want to give are out there. You've just got to find the connection," she says. "There are a lot of very generous people. You don't have to have a lot of money to be a contributor if the mission speaks to you -- and it doesn't have to be money. It could be time" or an in-kind donation.
Right now, contributions are being sought for the Ferncliff Summer Camp for Vera Lloyd Youth, coming up June 19-24. People can provide "camperships," which are $475 per child, by contributing on the agency's website.
Davenport says she'd like to see an increase in resources for those who work directly with the children.
"We've done a lot of things to start giving them more support," she says. "It's a real challenge to find the right people, the right fit, and get them trained and educated and compensated."
She'd also like to see an increase in awareness for the agency. Through her involvement with it, Davenport says, she has learned a lot.
"I can see where Vera Lloyd has a lot to give, and there's a lot of potential here. And I'd like to see us expand," she says.
For more information about Vera Lloyd or to donate for the forthcoming camp, visit veralloyd.org.
High Profile on 06/05/2016