‘Legacy of caring’

Friends, colleagues mourn passionate volunteer Julie Collins

Helping nonprofit agencies throughout Texarkana became a lifelong commitment for Julie Collins, according those who knew her and loved her.

Friends and associates of Collins, who passed away Tuesday at age 75, remember her as having a heart and a passion for serving many charitable local organizations throughout the area.

“Julie was very committed to helping the community in any way she could,” said Kathey Graves, who was one of her closest friends. Collins was serving as board president of HandsOn Texarkana at the time of her death.

“Julie was the reason that we were able to set up our volunteer center at the Collins Building at 1915 Olive St. for 48 years,” Graves said. “She was by far, one of the best persons I’ve ever known. She wanted our community to be one of the best that it could be. She

was fiercely loyal to many nonprofit agencies. She had a lot of friends and she will be greatly missed by a lot of people.”

Jennifer Laurent, executive director for the Randy Sams’ Outreach Shelter, said Collins, who started serving on the shelter’s board in March of 2006, was the reason that she ( Laurent) was hired to help operate the shelter.

“Julie was everything I wanted be,” Laurent said. “She was on the committee that hired me and she left a legacy of caring about all nonprofit agancies that was truly extraordinary. She was the reason that my husband and I came to Texarkana and stayed in Texarkana. Julie believed so much in giving back to the community, and I will miss her more then words could ever say.”

Robbie Magee, who led and managed the Literacy Council of Bowie & Miller Counties for at least 26 years, said she and Collins knew each other since both of them were members of First United Methodist Church in Texarkana, Ark.

“Julie did a lot of work for the Texarkana Women’s Shelter and she worked as chairman of our board for the Literacy Council,” Magee said. “The community is going to miss her so much because she gave to people she knew and she gave to people she didn’t know.”