Volunteer never lacks for community causes

By Libby James
Correspondent

About Community Cornerstone Nominations

The people she's met over the years have made every volunteer project worthwhile for Donna Beard. And it's the people that keep her coming back for more.

A fourth generation Colorado native and resident of Fort Collins since 1964, Beard works without fanfare, quietly running the show, using her experience and good judgment to make things happen.

Even when her two sons and two daughters were small, she was involved with her church and community. "I knew from my own experience as a child that I wanted to stay at home when my children were young, but I also knew it was best for them if I didn't spend every moment meeting their needs," she said.

Beard was born at Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in Denver, the first of four children. Her father, a career physician in the Army, took the family to Texas, the Philippines and Arkansas before World War II broke out and he was sent to the South Pacific. When he died of an infection before the war was over, Beard's mother had to place her four children in an orphanage for two years while she trained to become a nurse anesthetist in order to support her family.

A love of science led Beard to leave Loretta Heights College in Denver and enroll in Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., where she earned a degree in biology and chemistry. While there she met Don Beard, a Cheyenne native, who, she explained, started dating a Colorado girl "because he didn't want to get involved with a Nebraska girl and run the risk of ending up in Nebraska."

They married while Don was in medical school. Donna Beard became the family breadwinner, using her science background as a medical technologist. Following Don's internship and residency in Denver, they lived in Gallup, N.M., where Don served in the Public Health Service. In 1964, with four young children in tow, they moved to Fort Collins and Don set up a pediatric practice, which eventually became Fort Collins Youth Clinic.

Beard hadn't imagined herself living in a small town, but soon found Fort Collins to her liking. It wasn't long before she and a friend, Diane Hecker, responded to the request of the parish council at St. Joseph's Catholic Church to create a place where food and clothing could be distributed to those in need, and Beard's long career as a volunteer was launched. Beard nurtured the growth of Mary's Closet, originally located in an upstairs room of the rectory, for 30 years, finally turning the reins over to others in 2006.

Organizational skills, genuine concern and dependability have a way of getting noticed, and through the years the word has spread about Beard. She served on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board for Fort Collins during the time when the trail system was being established. She learned a lot about trails - their surfaces, thickness, maintenance, and which types of trails are best for walking, running and cycling.

For several years she served on the Allocation Committee for the United Way, analyzing requests and making decisions about how funds were to be spent. Then she was asked to join the Arts and Humanities Council and eventually became president of that organization, which raised funds for local arts groups by sponsoring auctions and art sales. She also served a term as president of the Lincoln Center Advisory Board, an opportunity for her to express the depth of her conviction regarding the importance of the arts to the welfare of a community.

When her daughters were young, she served as Brownie and Girl Scout leader. Someone in the organization took note of her high level of efficiency and asked if she'd become administrator for the Girl Scout Day Camp. The job included training leaders and tending to a thousand details.

"You couldn't have paid me to do that job," Beard said. "So I did it for free."

As the wife of a physician, she is a member of the Larimer County Medical Auxiliary. Between 1982 and 1984 she served as president, well, because everyone knew she'd do it well. "The secret," she said, "is asking the right people to do the right jobs."

For 12 years Beard has been a member of the Community Foundation, moving from the local board to the regional level. Her focus has been on personnel and reviewing grant applications for an ever-increasing fund managed by the foundation.

Through a university-connected friend, Beard became a member of the Colorado State University Women's Association many years ago. Today she serves on the Scholarship Committee and as co-president of the organization with Peggy Reeves, a former state senator.

Beard enjoys membership in an investment club where she's increased her knowledge of the stock market, made good friends and twice served as president, She belongs to a book club, to a PEO chapter, and with her husband, belongs to Friendship Force, a group that visits club members in their homes in countries all over the world and in turn hosts visitors in their homes. The Beards have traveled to Chernobyl in Russia with suitcases filled with medical supplies.

An accomplished tennis player, Beard continues to play regularly as well as working out several times a week at the senior center. The members of her Strong Women Strong Bones class have become good friends. "Coffee and a chat after our workout is a nice reward," Beard said.

For more than 30 years, Beard has had a paid position with the city of Fort Collins teaching stained glass classes. She's been doing it for so long that she often sees former students around town. She's also an accomplished stained glass artist and does commissioned work in her backyard studio.

Beard is enjoying her involvement with UniverCity, an organization dedicated to creating a mutually beneficial relationship between the city and the university by incorporating the most advantageous development of the areas surrounding the Poudre River as it flows through Fort Collins.

At a time in her life when some people have serious designs on a full-time rocking chair, Beard is on the move. Never in a frantic hurry, always with time to pause and listen, she sets a fine example for her nine grandchildren, who now appreciate her infectious laugh and sense of fun and will one day learn about their grandma's unique spirit of giving and making friends.