WOMAN OF THE YEAR

Kathy Foster honored for unselfish volunteerism to her community

By Lacie Morrison
lmorrison@mineralwellsindex.com

Amazing, dedicated, thoughtful, generous, giving and loving are just a few of the many adjectives used in describing the Mineral Wells Index' Woman of the Year, Kathy Foster.

She is honored this year for her active participation in the community through many organizations, including Meals on Wheels of Palo Pinto County, Relay For Life and the Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce. A Fort Worth native and most recently transplanted from Weatherford, Foster moved to Mineral Wells with her husband, Ricky, in 2003 where she jumped right in to volunteering.

According to Ricky Foster, volunteering just comes naturally to his wife of eight years - it was how they met.

“I'm very proud of her,” he said when told of her award. “She's an extraordinary lady with a big heart.”

He added that Kathy Foster's also a member of Zonta and Pythian Sisters and hosts birthday parties for seniors at the Senior Center and Bible studies at their home as well as works as an account executive for HealthLine Medical in Mineral Wells. She's also a mother of four and has 11 grandchildren.

“Kathy is an awesome person and very deserving,” said Barbara Smith, HealthLine Medical's chief operating officer. “She has a lot of integrity and unfortunately, gives too much of herself to others. She can't say no. As an employee, we're absolutely blessed to have her here on staff.”

Smith added that she's “tickled to death” Foster was named Woman of the Year because she's “so non-assuming and doesn't think what she does is important.”

When asked why Foster does what she does, Smith replied, “God. She does it for God.”

“Seems like I've known her forever so it's hard to remember when she first waltzed into my world,” said Patty Clark, executive director of Meals on Wheels of Palo Pinto County. “But you guessed it, we met the day she walked into my office and said she'd like to volunteer for Meals on Wheels.”

The program was then under the auspices of Texas Neighborhood Services when Foster “started volunteering every week, beginning with one route, one day, and building up to much more as the years have rolled by,” Clark said. “When TNS decided to drop Meals on Wheels back in May of 2006, it was Kathy who was the first to agree to help me 'save' Meals on Wheels.”

Foster became the first board president and handed over her gavel to Mary Jane Rasberry on Dec. 15, but continues to serve on the board.

“She is one of the most giving, loving, always doing something for somebody that needs something,” Rasberry said. “She will keep going even when she is sick, feeling bad or sad for someone else. She loves her husband to no end [and] she adores her children and grandchildren. She is one of those that gets involved too much, sometimes too much for her own good.”

Cindy Reddick described Foster as “an amazing woman, dedicated to her family, her career and her community … [She] is committed to serving this community and does not let anything hold her back. It has been a great experience to participate in the Meals on Wheels program and the Citizens Police Academy with her. Kathy is a wonderful example of a caring person willing to involve herself in the work she believes in.”

In addition to her duties with Meals on Wheels, Foster has been an active ambassador with the Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce since 2005. In 2007, she was named as the Ambassador of the Year and in 2008, she was recognized as the Volunteer of the Year.

As a regular blood donor, Foster has shown she is someone who gives of herself any way she can.

Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Beth Watson told the Index, “I cannot say enough good things about Kathy Foster. What Kathy has done for the chamber over the years is substantial. She is there every time we need her and has been an outstanding volunteer. It's not hard to notice that Kathy just gives and gives and gives freely of her time and talents - whether it's serving as chamber ambassador chair, Meals on Wheels board president or Relay For Life committee member.”

According to Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce Business Manager Ninfa Holly, “Kathy can be counted on to give 100 percent effort to everything she endeavors. She is the kind of person who will call and sing to you on your birthday and you can be sure she will try to make you smile before she leaves the building, just because she thinks we should all have something to smile about.”

Holly added, “Kathy is a graduate of Leadership Mineral Wells Class 14 where her leadership name was 'Kind Kathy.' Kind Kathy she is indeed and always has an encouraging word. I am please that [the Index] chose someone who gives so much of herself to Mineral Wells.”

Vicki Bowman said she met Foster through volunteering at the chamber.

“We worked Casino Night together,” she recalled. “She'll help you do anything you ask. I asked her to join Relay For Life and she hussled. There's not a task she can't handle.”

“I have only known Kathy about a year and-a-half but being around her is contagious,” said Rasberry. “She makes you want to help others in need and she's not afraid to say what is on her mind.”

Rasberry said Foster was the one who talked her into holding an office on the Meals on Wheels board.

“She is a big influence for volunteering. She is always smiling and always hugs for everyone. She has a lot of faith and prayer to go around for the world. Personally, that's what I believe keeps her going,” she added. “I love me some Kathy Foster. She deserves being chosen Mineral Wells Index Woman of the Year.”

“Kathy is not just a business woman who has taken HealthLine Medical to heights it could not have known without her but she is a worker for the Lord and she is a volunteer to the core,” remarked Clark. “Whether it be Meals on Wheels, Relay For Life or the Citizens Police Academy, Kathy is God first and everyone else next. I have never seen her put herself first in any situation. Kathy lives her life and walks a Godly walk in all she says and does.”

“Kathy really embodies the notion that community involvement and success in business go hand in hand,” Watson said. “Heathline Medical is blessed to have Kathy Foster as an employee in Mineral Wells, but the community has been blessed to an even greater extent by her presence - there's no doubt about it.”

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MAN OF THE YEAR

Levon Anders always puts God, community and every one else first

By Libby Cluett
lcluett@mineralwellsindex.com

As the Dunbar Neighborhood Council building laid in a heap of smoldering ashes, many DNC supporters said they were concerned that this was a blow that could be “too much” for its executive director, Levon Anders.

The DNC fire in early December came in a year when Anders endured many losses. According to friends, he lost his eldest son, Clevon Anders, to cancer; his close friends, Roosevelt Jackson and Dorothy Taylor; and recently his mother, Ruby Anders. Now it appeared to some that the destruction of the DNC building, where Anders had served as director for over 40 years, might put him over the edge.

But former Mineral Wells Mayor and the Index’s 1997 Man of the Year Clarence Holliman said the community need is what keeps Anders ticking, which is why he is the Index’s choice for 2008 “Man of the Year.”

“If I said, ‘Levon, there is a storm cloud on the horizon, you better take shelter,’ [he would say] ‘I don’t see a storm cloud, I just see an opportunity for me to help those that get caught up in the storm,’” said Holliman.

Holliman added that Anders “lost the love of his life, the Dunbar Neighborhood Council building and memorabilia that was contained therein, and Levon still doesn’t see a storm. He sees another opportunity, another challenge.”

Community leader Ida Nickerson, one of numerous citizens who have learned from and helped Anders at the DNC over the years, recalls telling him, “Your last baby was Dunbar and you’re going to have to survive this one. But he has the tenacity to keep going.”

To Nickerson and others, Anders not only seems to be surviving, but – almost like the mythical phoenix – he is rising from the ashes of what could be considered a huge loss and travesty and appears to be “more determined. He always realized the need. He’s even more focused, focusing on the big picture of rebuilding,” said Nickerson, who has worked alongside Anders almost daily since the fire.

At the DNC center, Anders fed and cared for the community at large – people from the city, the county and those passing through.

Ander’s tenure as DNC director covers decades. “Levon himself is a legacy,” said long-time board member Darleen Garrett.

Anders, his mother, A.G. Sanders, Talton Cooper, Kathrine McMillan and Johnny B. McHenry established the DNC and chartered it as a non-profit in 1967, according to longtime friend and past DNC President Matt Greer Sr. The purpose – to “provide services that enhance the quality of life for mankind.”

“It was to help all people of all denominations and all colors,” Greer added. “You name it, we have done it for people.”

After establishing a small manufacturing business with a friend, which Holliman said “did not work out to their satisfaction, Levon Anders threw himself wholeheartedly to community service. He … has become Dunbar Neighborhood Council.”

“He has given unselfishly to this community for many years,” he added. “Unlike most non-profit organizations that have sufficient funds to operate the way charities usually operate, Levon … has not been a salaried chairperson for many years.”

Through the doors of the DNC, Anders offered: counseling; free after-school tutoring; post-secondary preparation to help citizens with entrance exams and financial aide; free breakfasts and lunches for youth, ages one through 18; temporary shelter for homeless men or referrals elsewhere if Dunbar was full; GED preparation classes; and substance abuse prevention and treatment referrals. He also typically served a meal a day, at night, and in the daytime, would have food available for those in need.

“Even though he has served for over 40 years, he still arrives at the DNC no later than 9 a.m. and does not retire for the evening until after 10 p.m. nightly,” Nickerson wrote about Anders shortly before the fire. “There are no sick days or vacation days available; he will be the first to arrive and the last to leave. Absolutely nothing happens at Dunbar unless it has been given his approval.”

In addition to his roll as DNC executive director, Anders also serves as a deacon and trustee at Mount Hermon Baptist Church, where DNC offices have temporarily moved. Greer said that Anders became a 33rd degree Mason in 1990 and both men were part of the Gospel Jubilees, a quartet, which also included Anthony Davis and Archie Wilmer, Jr.

“We sang throughout the state of Texas and Oklahoma to raise funds for the DNC,” said Greer, adding they charged no fee but accepted donations if people wanted to give.

According to Greer, and Anders’ sister, Ruby, Levon began working at the Baker Hotel when he was 11 and worked his way up to waiter. “He loved helping people,” added Greer.

He is called “Daddy” in the community, according to Nickerson. “He is very well-liked. I don’t think anyone would say he’s not gifted in the area of helping the needy. I still have people from north east, south and west telling me they had their kids go through Dunbar.”

She said Anders served as a mentor for many community leaders.

“Levon is excellent at training you and mentoring you. He is able to enhance what people bring in the skill of leadership. He was able to help me learn people skills, especially dealing with people living on the street.

“I think a lot of people are called to ministry like that, but I think he was chosen. The people he counsels are the ones who fall through the cracks – they need that little extra special attention to survive. He has the gift to be able to counsel these guys. They’re everywhere, not just the ones at Dunbar,” Nickerson said.

“‘The poor you will have with you always,’’ said Nickerson, quoting Anders. “Basically, what we were talking about is there is always a need. You learn you can’t help all of them, but can help a few. It’s hard to be in that type of mindset to help people.

Additionally, she said, “He has the ability to take all of the adversity that has been set before him and turn it into the good for mankind. He has a way of rolling it into his faith and trusting that it’s all going to work together for the good for the county and community.”

“He does believe, ‘I can do all things through Christ,’” shared Holliman. “You don’t have to believe he can do it, and neither does anybody else, but as long as Levon believes it he’s going to move forward at a very rapid pace.”

With help, Anders was able to place, clothe and feed all those displaced by the fire. Although the building is gone, the services remain. Those in need were fed over the holidays and the DNC children still had their Christmas party.

“He’s a very kind man. He’s a helping man. He doesn’t get any pay for it; he just loves to help. He’s a good person – very loving – he loves to bring people together,” Greer summarized about Anders. “He is very, very strong. Even though this was his life, he’s a man that when one thing goes down, something else will go up. He will continue to help people. That’s his life work.”