Inspired to give back
■ Rennard was the recipient of the OCL award.
From her first volunteer experience flipping burgers for the Siloam Springs Riding Club as a young mother, Katie Rennard has been serving others with boundless energy.
Rennard was honored as an Outstanding Civic Leader at the 91st annual Chamber of Commerce Banquet on Jan. 19. The award was created to recognize someone in the community who has gone above and beyond to promote Siloam Springs, according to the Chamber website. It is typically presented at a roast and toast in the fall, but the presentation was postponed because of the covid-19 pandemic.
Rennard’s focus is helping others and her community, whether it’s through her current profession as a real estate agent for Century 21, her past career in United Way or through her many volunteer activities such as Kiwanis, the Siloam Springs Museum Board, the First United Methodist Church renovation project, PEO Chapter T, the city comprehensive planning advisory committee and Entre Nues.
Steve Onnen, who has known Rennard for more than 25 years as a friend and fellow Kiwanian, described Rennard as a “real gogetter who leads by example.”
“She can challenge people in such a way that they feel good about themselves even if they don’t fully agree with what she is asking them to do,” he said. “She always has a positive outlook on life and definitely sees the glass as more than half full. If a person could bottle her energy and sell it, they could make a lot of money.”
Raised in Siloam Springs Rennard moved to the community from Bentonville as a young child and went to Siloam Springs Schools all the way up, then raised her own three children in the community.
Rennard’s mother left when she was 13 and her father raised her as a single parent, she said. Many people in the community influenced her and became role models for her to follow, she said.
“This is my opportunity to say thank-you to the town that helped to raise me and this is not a joke,” she said. “My small contributions may not repay the kindness of so many over the years who unknowingly set examples for me to follow.”
As Rennard was growing up, her grandfather taught her to have care and concern for others as part of her daily life, she said. Her first volunteer experience, when she was a young mother, was flipping burgers at the Siloam Springs Riding Club and the joy of helping others launched her into a lifetime of community service.
Rennard’s career eventually took her away from her hometown for 25 years, during which time she worked for United Way