Mick Cupp was the local United Way chairman in 1999. The board was looking for a new executive director. Pamela Beckford remembers an interview with a room full of people; perhaps the entire board. “I was terrified,” she says now.
Mick and I — I was vice-chair at the time — remember an interview with her and just the two of us in a small meeting room in his real estate office. Perhaps that was a follow-up, we agreed. We do remember there were two or three finalists and that Pamela stood out.
“What I recall is her directness. A ‘go get ‘em’ attitude,” Mick says. “And she’s proved that out.”
I concur.
“I remember when Pamela first came to town, she hit the road running,” shares Suzanne Huffman, who was the executive director of the Wells County Chamber of Commerce at the time. “Very quickly she acclimated herself with what made Bluffton and Wells County special. Even though she lived outside the county (just across the Huntington County line), she became so involved. Her passion for helping people through the United Way avenues was immediately noticed.”
As noted in a separate article in Thursday’s edition, Pamela has seen her share of change in her 23-plus years on the job. So have we all. There are some changes that annoy us, there are some we applaud and others in which we are the agent of change. Pamela knows all three.
Pamela led the charge in re-defining United Way’s basic role in the community from simply being a collector and disburser of funds to initiating programs and directing contributions to specific needs.
“Have you heard?” she asked excitedly during our meeting earlier this week, “Imagination Library is in the governor’s budget.”
Pamela is (rightfully) proud of a number of changes and initiatives during her tenure. Which one is at the top of her list is difficult to say, but this one is at least a finalist. Originated by Dolly Parton, the program provides a free book once a month for enlisted children from birth to kindergarten. It was adopted locally in 2003 and continues to receive strong local support. And now the state may kick in half the cost.
“That would be huge,” Pamela continued, thinking about what else might be done with the local contributions. She noted that other states have adopted such a plan, including neighboring Ohio. The program’s popularity is part of its success. “People get it that reading to children is important,” she said. Last year, a special local campaign was implemented to specifically support Imagination Library. “It was successful on Day 2,” she said.
While raising support for that program has gone smoothly, fundraising is easily “United Way’s biggest challenge,” she said. It’s not a local problem. The same is true in virtually every chapter across the country.
It used to be relatively easy. Many who are reading this have done their duty — serving as the annual campaign chair. I took my turn in 2006. Pamela found my folder in her archives while cleaning out her office. The goal that year was $300,000; according to a clipping in the folder, we called it a day at $280,000. Former Mayor Ted Ellis preceded me as campaign chair. He met his goal and never let me forget it. But I digress. The point is, Ted and I both recognized that the task was becoming more difficult.
The annual budget these days is at about $200,000.
Payroll deduction campaigns were an important part of those efforts and still are, but there are fewer companies that do that. Part of the reason is “it can be difficult to get in the door,” she said. “If we don’t have a ‘champion’ — a United Way advocate — inside the building, it’s tough.
“They also say they can’t find the time but I can help them do that,” she shared. “Just give me two minutes. You’d be surprised what I can say in two minutes.”
Well, some might be surprised, but not I. I’ve seen her in action.
We would be remiss to not mention her role in the creation of the Wells County Leadership Academy, as detailed in that Thursday article. The trio of Suzanne Huffman, Pamela and Wells County Foundation executive director Tammy Slater was an unstoppable force.
However, it may be the recognition of her United Way peers that has been most satisfying. (As reported Thursday, she was chosen to serve on the nationwide “Network Advisory Council.”) “To be elected to this council of just 30 people,” she shares, “and to do some strategic planning and thinking with all of them.” It was an experience and “honor” she greatly enjoyed.
In those discussions, they realized that just under half of all the United Way offices in the country have a staff of two or less, “and I was the only one who represented those. So I ended up representing about one-half of the network — not half of the dollars but half of the offices.”
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“Wells County is a better place because of Pamela,” current United Way board chair Doug Brown intones. “She is leaving big shoes to fill.”
“Her passion for early childhood education has helped hundreds of Wells County children,” Suzanne Huffman shares. “Her replacement has very big shows to fill.”
Hmm. Seems to be a pattern developing.
“I have enjoyed having the opportunity to build a relationship with Pamela both professionally and personally over the years,” adds Tammy Slater. “I wish her the best in retirement.”
I concur.
miller@news-banner.com
