It can be easy for some people to get caught up in the often hectic schedule of life, going from home to work to extracurricular activities, attempting to fill the days with productivity and positive relationships. While there is nothing wrong with a busy lifestyle, sometimes the full schedules and busy lives act as blinders to the needs in a community.
For Pat Downs, knowing about and working to meet the needs of people in White County is always a priority. As executive director of the United Way of White County, Downs’ mission is to raise support for the 16 agencies under the umbrella of the county’s United Way so they can continue to make an impact.
“It’s very difficult to put your head on a pillow at night if you know you haven’t turned every stone in order to get some help for someone,” she said.
There is a plethora of stories about people who give and people who receive through the United Way. One such story stands out in Downs’ mind as a perfect example of the generosity of White County residents.
“We had a lady call one day, and she said her grandson had Prader-Willi syndrome,” Downs said. “He was in the Sunshine School, … and he could not walk.”
Prader-Willi syndrome is a genetic condition that is characterized by weak muscle tone, poor growth and small hands and feet. As individuals with
Prader-Willi grow, they develop an insatiable appetite.
The young boy, Jesse Pitner, and his family were told by a therapist that if he had access to a pediatric walker, he would have a better chance of being able to walk. The walker was going to cost $50, so Downs started calling around to see if any of her United Way contacts had a walker the boy could borrow.
“I asked one person, and he said he would buy a walker for them under the stipulation he would remain anonymous,” Downs said. “We ordered it. The mother and Jesse came to my office, and they picked up the walker, and she was very nice and thanked me. Three months later, they came in, and he was using his walker. His mother said he had something he wanted to show me. Jesse put his walker aside and he jumped. We’re talking about someone they didn’t know would be able to walk.”
When Jesse was walking well enough that he no longer needed the walker, his mother brought it back to Downs in the hope it could benefit other children. Jesse was the poster child for the United Way of White County for a while after that, and he has been an important guest of many United Way functions.
“It’s things like that that make you know this is worth it,” Downs said. “It’s not always easy to find help for people, but it’s worth it.”
Downs grew up in Judsonia and learned early on about helping people in need.
Sims Burke, Downs’ father, was injured in World War II at the Battle of the Bulge. When he came home, the family moved across the road from a grocery store and purchased the store, knowing that he could work there despite his injuries.
“I thought I knew a lot about what people needed,” Downs said. “People would come in, and maybe their husband had left them and they had a house full of children to feed. Maybe someone had gambled away the paycheck or drunk it up, or they might have had an accident. My parents would give them credit. I was taught to care.”
Downs met her husband, Edward, through her brother. The men served in the Air Force together and were stationed in Texas. Edward was from Memphis, so he and Downs’ brother would travel together when they went home because Arkansas was on the way.
Edward and Pat married on April 11, 1965, and were married for 44 years before he died.
Downs’ role with the United Way started in 1989 when the county’s first executive director, Bonnie Shaaf, was ill. Downs and her family had just moved back to White County from Kansas, where they had gone for a business opportunity. The decision to move back to White County was made so that Downs’ parents could help with the couple’s children. After their return to Arkansas, Downs went to the employment office to find a job.
The United Way of White County had started 10 years before Downs went looking for a job. In 1979, a group of businessmen led by Albert Yarnell and Zeke Chronister decided to change the way funds were raised for various organizations in White County. Instead of having numerous fundraisers that benefited many causes, they formed the United Way of White County to raise and then distribute funds.
The first campaign goal was $75,000, but $125,000 was raised under the leadership of Jim Baugh Jones. Dick Hatfield was the organization’s first president, and various other community members were influential in moving the United Way forward, including Jimmy Carr, Wayne Hartsfield, Alan Risener and David Laffoon.
In the first 10 years of its existence, Bonnie Schaaf served as executive director of the United Way of White County. Schaaf was ill at the time Downs was looking for a job, and the organization’s leadership knew a replacement would be needed.
“United Way was formed in 1979, and Mrs. Schaaf had been the executive director for 10 years,” Downs said. “She kept telling the board that they needed to find her replacement because she knew how ill she was. They knew that she was ill, but they didn’t want her to know how ill she was. It was kind of a standoff.”
Downs interviewed for the job and was hired, and Schaaf died a few days later. Since Schaaf had been the executive director from the time the organization was formed, it was difficult for others to help Downs. There was no job description, and Downs could not even get into the filing cabinet for two weeks.
At that point, Downs knew she needed to learn as much as she could about the United Way. She contacted other United Way directors and went to seminars, sometimes needing a mentor to help her with the basics. Through those learning experiences, Downs said, she made friends all over the state and region.
In the beginning, Downs said, she heard the monetary goals set by other United Way organizations, and she had doubts that she could raise similar amounts. She said she soon learned about the generosity of White County residents.
“There have only been two years that we haven’t made the goal,” she said. “People are so giving and so caring.”
The 2015 campaign goal is $460,000, and Downs said it takes a whole community to make the goal, which will then support 16 partner agencies, including the American Red Cross, Jacob’s Place, the Sunshine School and the White County Single Parent Scholarship Fund.
Downs said she loves the United Way logo, which shows an open hand with a rainbow surrounding a person. She said she always points out the logo to people, noting that there is no dollar sign or direct symbol of money. While money is necessary to have the resources to help others, it is not the most important part of United Way.
“It’s not about the money,” she said. “It’s about the people.”
Information about the United Way of White County can be found at www.unitedwayofwhitecounty.org or by calling (501) 268-7489.
Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.