Donna Smith

By VICKI RICE
Hub Staff Writer

KEARNEY - Donna Smith's family isn't close by, but she has developed a network of friends she knows she can depend on.

Those friends know that they can also depend on Smith, this year's Freedom Award winner in the Humanitarian Category.

"I feel like I have a very strong support system in Kearney," she said.

Smith, 77, grew up in Kansas, but has lived in Kearney since 1966.

Until coming to Kearney, she didn't have the opportunity to stay in one place long enough to watch her neighbor's children grow up.

James, her husband, was in the military. They moved 17 times before ending up in Kearney, where James taught history at Kearney State College. "This is the first home we owned," she said.

Her children live in other states, but she is staying put. "When you move to be where your children are, they're just as liable to move. As long as I can travel and visit other places, I'm happy to be here."

Her daughter, Nancy Smith of Virginia, works with the Bureau of Land Management in Washington, D.C., and her son, James E. Smith III, is a cardiologist in Louisiana. She has seven grandchildren.

Volunteering has been a big part of Smith's life in Kearney. She has served on the Jubilee Center Board of Directors and helped build 20-plus Habitat for Humanity houses.

"There are things that need to be done, and I enjoy the people I meet there," she said of her work with Habitat for Humanity.

One of the reasons she said Habitat for Humanity is such a worthwhile program is that people spend many hours constructing their own homes. In some cases she knew the people getting the homes. In other cases she got to know them while building.

Smith wanted to be physically involved in the construction. "I wanted to shovel, and I wanted to build and paint," she said. She also did such things as help lift sod.

After her husband died in 1987, working on the homes was a good thing to keep busy with, she said.

Her work with the organization slowed after she had heart surgery in 2000. Now that she isn't as closely involved, she misses the people. "I enjoyed working with people and felt I could do something really important in the community."

Smith was a health coordinator for Head Start for 18 years. She worked with doctors and parents to make sure the children were medically prepared to go to kindergarten - that they were up to date on their shots and that they had physical, hearing and speech screenings.

"I loved the children and families," she said. "I have friends all over town from that community."

Smith is active in St. Luke's Episcopal Church, plays bridge with wives of Kearney State College/University of Nebraska at Kearney faculty members, and is in a knit, chat and sew group with faculty wives.

In her letter nominating Smith for the Freedom Award, Mary Kolstad wrote about her longtime friend and former co-worker at Head Start.

"Her neighborhood depends on her when they need someone to watch their home while they are out of town or just need a friend," Kolstad wrote.

She also wrote about how Smith helped her during a recent illness. Smith went to the hospital to be with her friend and got medicine for her in the early mornings. "I'm so grateful for her love and concern and praise God for our friendship," Kolstad wrote.

Smith doesn't think what she did was that extraordinary, and said when she has gone through tough times and losses in her life, her friends have been there to help.

"It's important to know there are people you can depend on in the community."

e-mail to:
vicki.rice@kearneyhub.com