‘No one can DO THE WORK themselves’
Searcy Chamber’s Volunteer of the Year uses golf to bring awareness to drug addiction
As a Christian, Bobby Thompson believes it is his duty to serve the community, and he saw an opportunity to do that when one of Searcy’s nonprofits was in need of funding. Those fundraising activities, along with his involvement in the Optimist Club, caught the eye of the Searcy Chamber of Commerce, which recently named Thompson its 2021 Volunteer of the Year.
“I appreciate the award, but no one can do the work themselves,” Thompson said. “We still need leaders out there who feel like something needs to be started. All those efforts are basically started from zero; then the foundation is laid. Then 20 to 30 years later, you look back, and it’s still going.”
Buck Layne, CEO/president of the Searcy Chamber of Commerce said he has known Bobby for a long time and he has always been a great volunteer.
“I’ve seen how he deals with people and solves problems in the community. We wanted to recognize the wonderful things he has done for the community,” Layne said.
The number of organizations Thompson is involved in also played a role in naming him the Volunteer of the Year, Layne added. Thompson is involved in the Church Bus Ministry, Searcy Youth Little League and Soccer, Camp Quality-Camp for Kids with Cancer, K-Life-inter faith youth ministry, Searcy City Council, Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce, Gideon- Prison Ministry, the Arkansas Junior Miss Scholarship Program, Optimist Club- Pee Wee Football and Daughters of the Other Side.
Outside of being the owner of Bobby T’s Mattress & Furniture and a volunteer, Thompson is a husband and father. Thompson and his wife, Nancy, have three children: Tiffany, Heather and Dacus.
In the past year, Thompson helped The Other Side, along with the Daughters of the Other Side. According to the Daughters of the Other Side’s website, it is a “faith-based
restoration home, housing females in addiction.” The Other Side functions the same way as Daughters of the Other Side but helps men with addiction. Both organizations house about 30 people each. The organizations also offer the FISH Ministry, which is a support group that focuses on helping families “struggling with addiction and incarceration.”
Thompson said the organizations were in need of more funding, so he played a role in hosting a golf tournament at The Course at River Oaks to help bring in more income.
“[I got together with] a lot of other community leaders to put on a golf tournament that was very successful,” Thompson said. “We had like 24 teams in it, so we got to raise money.”
Thompson explained that the organizations raise money from having their residents work outside jobs and from donations, but he believed there was a need to help the nonprofits find another way to supplement their funds.
Sharon Hughes, director of Daughters of the Other Side, said the golf tournament was helpful for the organization.
“It definitely raised community awareness and brought new support in. It was a blessing,” Hughes said. “It brought immediate money and made the community aware that we are here.”
The golf tournament raised $18,000 total. The Daughters of the Other Side and The Other Side split the money, giving each organization $9,000.
Layne, who worked with Thompson on the planning stages of the tournament, said he made a mental note to make sure Thompson got recognition for the event after seeing how successful it went.
Thompson recognized the importance of The Other Side when he saw the impact it had on one of his employees at his furniture shop.
“I actually had a guy work for me who got on drugs, and he was one of the best workers that I had,” Thompson said. “I got him up there, and he got saved and baptized and turned his life around.”
Thompson’s motivation to volunteer stems from wanting to solve problems for the community.
“When we get to the end of the road, we kind of get out and pick up and look back and say, ‘We tried to fill in a few potholes and left a smoother road for the people coming along,’” Thompson said.
His faith also plays a role in why he volunteers.
“One of the main goals is to do what we can for the Lord and help other people, and our part-time job is to make a living,” Thompson said. “I’ve been blessed to be able to do both. It’s just a fuller life when you get to be able to help other people.
“You can’t do much by yourself, but when you have a group of other community leaders, you can do a lot of things.”
Thompson realized the strength in numbers when he helped create a peewee football program for the Optimist Club, an organization that is “dedicated to bringing out the best in the youth,” according to the club’s website.
Thompson said he worries that in the future, there will be fewer groups available for people who are interested in volunteering.
“Young people today don’t have clubs like we did back 30 years ago,” he said. “Most of those numbers are dwindling.”
However, fewer clubs won’t necessarily mean young people will be less likely to volunteer, he added.
“Most people and kids today just feel like they can help any way that they can. It’s not so much an organization deal,” Thompson said.
Seeing schools such as Harding University in Searcy teach and help students be involved with volunteering keeps Thompson optimistic about the future of volunteering, he said. According to Harding’s website, the university hosts Bisons for Christ each year, when students “connect with and serve through projects ranging from helping widows, assisting the elderly, working in yards and encouraging the community with intentional service.” The event is coordinated by students. For anyone who wants to volunteer in the Searcy area, a list of community and civic organizations can be found at searcychamber.com/list/ql/family-community-civicorganizations-9.