White County community leader takes on new role
White County community leader takes on new role
Sunlight pours onto the grass as the calming, familiar sound of Dana Stewart’s tractor hums in her ears. The world seems still for a moment as she contemplates her many responsibilities for the day. Not only is Stewart the executive director of the White County Community Foundation, in Searcy, but she recently became the chair of the White County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee.
Stewart, of Judsonia, became involved with the Arkansas Farm Bureau in college.
“As I grew to know more about how the Farm Bureau worked for farmers, I found a place that allowed me to promote the agriculture industry, which is very important to me, since I grew up on a farm and still live and work on the family farm with my parents and siblings,” Stewart said.
The Arkansas Farm Bureau provided her with opportunities to participate in the President’s Leadership Council and the state Women’s Committee.
“Our women’s committee is one of the best in the state, and I can’t take any credit for that. Our ladies are passionate about telling the story of agriculture and working with local schools and other organizations to present educational programs and tours year-round,” Stewart said.
“Our women’s committee also organizes communityservice projects, including Farmers Feeding Families, which collects food items to be distributed to local school backpack programs. We also distribute pencil boxes to underserved children during A Day of Caring,” Stewart said.
Judy Riley, former chair of the White County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee, said Stewart has the ability to put an idea together in a way everyone can understand.
“Recently in a brainstorming session, we realized we did not have printed material showing the various programs available when we contacted school officials.
All of our communities are closely knit, people are friendly, and there are strong values here”.
Dana Stewart EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE WHITE COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
In a flash, Dana developed a flyer complete with photos and explanations of our mission and our activities. This became the first of its kind in the state,” Riley said.
Riley, also a member of the White County Community Foundation, said Stewart is one of the most organized, focused and compassionate people she knows.
“Dana manages, on a personal level, to balance raising a young family, help with the family beef-cattle farm, volunteer with her church and the Arkansas Farm Bureau, and lead the Community Foundation. She is an amazingly talented and dedicated young woman,” Riley said.
Before serving the White County Community Foundation, Stewart worked for the American Gelbvieh Association in Westminster, Colorado, for eight years.
“During my time there, I was the director of member services and was the adviser to the American Gelbvieh Junior Association. As [an employee for] a small nonprofit, I was also the staff liaison to the American Gelbvieh Foundation. That was my first introduction to charitable giving as a career,” Stewart said.
“I really didn’t know a lot, but I saw the potential for what fund development could do for an organization,” she said.
A year after having her second child, Stewart decided to take a break from full-time work and focus on her family.
“After a few months as a fulltime stay-at-home mom, which is probably the hardest job I’ve ever had, a friend told me about the Community Foundation position and suggested that I apply,” Stewart said.
“It turned out to be a perfect fit for my family. It allowed me to still be able to focus on my family, but also use my skill set to make a difference in my community,” she said.
Stewart said working with the White County Community Foundation is a blessing.
“The Community Foundation is one of the best-kept secrets in Arkansas, but we’re working really hard to change that,” she said. “Connecting donors to the causes and organizations that they care most about while helping to protect, grow and direct their charitable dollars really is smart giving to improve communities, which is what we’re all about at the Community Foundation.
“We engage people, connect resources and inspire solutions to build communities. It’s incredibly fulfilling to be a part of that process.”
Riley said Stewart has raised the White County Community Foundation’s profile in a very professional way.
“She keeps the board focused on its mission and provides every support possible,” Riley said.
Stewart has been executive director of the White County Community Foundation for almost three years.
She is also a volunteer at Park Avenue Baptist Church, in Searcy, assistant superintendent for the White County Fair, a 4-H volunteer and an assistant pianist. She has served on advisory committees for her local school district and participated in the Searcy Leadership Council in the past.
“There are probably a few things that have contributed to my efforts to serve and give back,” Stewart said. “One is growing up in a rural community where family and neighbors come together so quickly to help others in need.
“Another is being involved in 4-H in my youth; 4-H teaches community service and making the best better. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about how those lessons helped prepare me for this career.”
Stewart said she especially enjoys working with the White County Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council. The group of teenagers from Searcy High School and Harding Academy raises money for their own charitable endowment, then uses the proceeds to make grants to local nonprofits that serve children and youth.
“They’re a really great group of kids, and I really enjoy working with them,” she said of the council.
“I also really enjoy working with the nonprofits,” she said. “It opens my eyes to a lot of things going on in the community. It’s very fulfilling.”
Stewart emphasized the importance of people giving back to organizations or causes that have had an effect on their lives.
“If you think back to a time in your life when someone made a difference, it was probably because of a nonprofit organization or individual who was passionate about a cause,” Stewart said.
The Giving Tree Program is the signature grant program directed by the White County Community Foundation.
“Once a year, we accept grant applications from nonprofits that serve White County. We have a committee that reviews applications and considers several factors: projects that are meeting a need, programs to fill a gap, collaboration with other organizations, and sustainability, just to name a few,” Stewart said.
After this year’s grant awards, the White County Community Foundation will have awarded more than $233,000 just in Giving Tree grants since 2003.
“Going through the grant process is incredibly humbling,” Stewart said. “[The experience of] reviewing applications and seeing the work that is being done in White County is incredible.”
She said projects include supporting single parents who are working to create a better life for their families by returning to school; funding the purchase of curriculum to teach adults reading skills; funding classroom materials that give students experience with new technology; and offering support to several community projects that provide materials to underprivileged students.
Shortly after coming to the foundation, Stewart learned about Mission Machine, an organization that helps homeless individuals in White County and has remained particularly important to her over the years.
“It was overwhelming for me to think that there were homeless people in our communities. Usually, you think of homelessness as a large metropolitan issue,” she said.
“I shared the things I learned with my husband, and a few months later, he, along with his best friend, became regular volunteers with Mission Machine. They’re part of a small group of people who drive a van a few nights a week, delivering
meals to their homeless friends,” Stewart said.
“They work to find out what caused [the people] to become homeless, then begin the steps of getting them back off the street with employment, medical care or whatever else they may need. It’s such a huge opportunity for our children to learn about compassion,” she added.
Stewart’s husband, Joshua Stewart, is an architect with Hart Cone Construction in Searcy.
“We met through church,” she said. “He’s one of the most humble people I know.”
The couple have a 6-yearold daughter, Jewel, and a son, Henry, who will turn 4 in a few days.
Dana Stewart said there are many reasons to love White County.
“All of our communities are closely knit, people are friendly, and there are strong values here. I can’t think of another place I’d rather raise my children,” she said.
Stewart grew up in White County and graduated from White County Central High School.
She earned an associate degree from Arkansas State University-Beebe and a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications from the University of Arkansas.
“Aside from college and a brief move to Colorado, [White County has] always been my home,” Stewart said. “In fact, I’m the fifth generation to live on the family farm in the Steprock community. I’ve been fortunate to do a lot of traveling, but there’s just no place like White County. It’s home and will always be.”
Stewart said her biggest influence growing up was working on her family’s farm.
“It taught me a lot about hard work and responsibility,” she said.
“It was important for my husband and I to come back to the farm to raise our children so they can experience some of the same things. Even though they’re young, they’re learning that the chores still have to be done, even when it’s not fun or convenient,” Stewart said.
The farm remains her inspiration, she said.
“It keeps me grounded. It reinforces those values I learned in my childhood. It’s hard to imagine, but spending a little time on the tractor clears my mind and helps me refocus,” she said.
“Often in my mind, I’m a month or more ahead of the current month — trying to balance work goals, family schedules and meetings. I have to remind myself to enjoy the present moment. My kids are definitely helping me learn this,” Stewart said.
Stewart’s main goal for the foundation is to continue to increase its presence in White County, she said.
“Everyone needs to know what the Community Foundation does and how anyone
can create a charitable-giving plan,” she said. “What if your favorite nonprofit never had to fundraise again?”
Stewart said one thing she has learned in her time with the White County Community Foundation is that people with the least often give the most.
Stewart plans to continue to broaden her leadership skills in the future.
“Leadership is action,” she said. “I share this with all of the youth groups I work with. Leadership isn’t defined by a title or position. It’s simply what we do in any given situation.”