We See You

There are people in every community whose names appear on banners.

And there are people whose names never appear anywhere.

Some write checks.

Some volunteer hours.

Some open doors.

Some make phone calls.

Some organize events, set up tables, clean up afterward, connect people, answer questions, solve problems, sponsor teams, support schools, encourage businesses, attend meetings, deliver meals, pray, or simply keep showing up.

And I’ve been thinking about all of them.

Because every contribution matters.

Here in Stuttgart, I have had the privilege of watching people invest themselves in this community in ways large and small.

I think about the familiar voice of Lynn Keller, connecting generations through Stuttgart School District sports. I watched how he and his daughter, former Miss Arkansas Cori Lynn Keller teamed up on a Rotary Auction. 

I think about David and Jimmy Joe Leech  and the many ways they have helped energize, unite, and love this community.

I see Rotarians serving. I see Lions and Kiwanis members working. I see people standing in the gap between our schools and the larger community, helping keep communication open and relationships strong.

I see volunteers like Pooh White and Norma Strabala quietly doing the work that needs to be done.

I think about Dawn Teer and her bull dog tenacity and determination to keep local news moving forward through changing seasons, while reminding us of something increasingly rare: there is still value in holding the newspaper in your hands. Every week at Rotary, Dawn makes sure there is a paper on our tables.

That matters.

At the Grand Prairie Center, Renee Robinson  and her staff work behind the scenes so that when the doors open, the environment is professional and ready. Vendors have questions answered. Events have support. Guests see the finished product, but somebody had to make it happen.

Our Chamber works every day to strengthen business and support its membership. As someone once said, Hildebrand, Molock and Bohanan are a powerful force in our community!

The City of Stuttgart has employees cleaning streets, collecting waste, mowing, maintaining property, and doing countless jobs we may notice only when they aren’t done.

Our firefighters keep answering the call. I know that personally. Chief Jimmy Casin dispatched  his team to  my home and installed smoke detectors and a carbon monoxide detector that had been long overdue.

That’s community.

I see Dr. Jeff McKinney and his brilliant colleagues and staff engage with our community to make sure the Board, Staff, Parents , Students and Community are connected. We see you.

Teddy Holt along with Shelly Owens, the MLK Team and Releford Funeral Home whose presence is experienced from the MLK Breakfast to the Easter Egg Hunt-we see you!

I see pastors showing up beyond Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.

Those like Pastor Oscar London of Wayside Ministries, Pastors Ramirez, The Pentecostal Church, Apostle Victor Johnson of Victors Empowerment Center, Dr. Bryan Fink, First United Methodist, Pastor Ty Huitt , First Baptist Church and Pastor Stephen Reed, of Bible Believers .

I see you at prayer gatherings and community events, cheering, praying, supporting, and standing with us.

I see businesses and organizations that continue investing resources into this community. Farmers & Merchants Bank, Huntington Bank, Saracen, Bobby & Patti Wilkerson, Wilkerson Jewelers, George Dunklin and  Five Oaks, Baptist Health Medical Center and Kevin Storey, Stratton Seed and Wendell Stratton, We see you.

Let’s remember Sheriff Johnny Cheek, and his team of Arkansas County law  enforcement officers, like Deputy Charles Leach, and so many others who continue to show up for events. 

Our  SPD Chief Phil Bogy and the dedicated men and women who stand watch over us all day and night to serve and protect. We see you!

Bigdawg Mentoring Program with Frankie  Bledsaw, ARCO Enrichment Center with Jalicia Wyatt and Vincent White.aaWyatt, Fonda Shrum and Vincent White are making a huge impact! And, we see you.

The amazing staff at Restoration of Hope, Forest Manor, Crestpark and other service providers- we see you!

The team behind those beautiful flower arrangements downtown- The Stuttgart Beautification Committee , Fara Foster  the Museum of the Prairie , by the way Fara, I saw you the morning you parked your car to aid a Meekin Student whose bicycle had malfunctioned, and you walked that student’s  bike to school . I saw you!

And I know I’ve left somebody out.

That’s almost unavoidable, because the list is bigger than any one article.

Maybe that’s the point.

A community isn’t moved forward by one person, one organization, one church, one business, one civic club, or one elected official.

It takes all of us.

Somebody may contribute thousands of dollars.

Someone else may have twenty dollars.

Someone may volunteer twenty hours.

Another person may have twenty minutes.

Someone has a building.

Someone has a truck.

Someone has influence.

Someone has information.

Someone has a strong back and willing hands.

And somebody may not have any of those things, but every morning they call this community’s name in prayer.

As we move through seasons of choosing, electing, and re-electing local leadership, I hope we remember something bigger than any office.

We are still neighbors.

We are still friends.

We are still family.

Whoever occupies the mayor’s office or sits in a council seat, this community still belongs to all of us.

Government cannot do everything.

Businesses cannot do everything.

Churches cannot do everything.

Civic organizations cannot do everything.

But imagine what happens when everybody does something.

So to the sponsor whose name is on the banner, thank you.

To the volunteer folding chairs after everybody leaves, thank you.

To the business writing another sponsorship check, thank you.

To the pastor praying, the civic member serving, the employee staying late, the person making introductions, and the neighbor who simply asks, “How can I help?”

And Stuttgart is stronger because you showed up.

Around Town with DrFaye
 Know someone whose service, generosity, or good work deserves to be seen? Apply, nominate someone, or connect with us at AroundTown.DrFaye.com.

Get Fundable Summit™
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