The Garden City Telegram

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Anderson retiring from United Way

Published 3/10/2010 in Local News

By SHAJIA AHMAD

sahmad@gctelegram.com

Each week, Margaret Anderson would visit the new hires at the Tyson Fresh Meats beef-packing plant, to talk to them about some of the services available in the community, if they should ever need them.

It was one of many invaluable experiences the outgoing director of the Finney County United Way said she'll miss about her work in the community, as she heads into retirement at the end of this month.

"It's tough to see that there are people who still need their basic needs met," Anderson said. "The problem still haunts us. We're growing, but those needs are still there, and it can get overwhelming at times."

Well past "normal retirement age," Anderson joked, the United Way's executive director is leaving the organization that has raised several millions of dollars during her 14-year tenure, to help fund dozens of area social service and other partner agencies through its annual fundraising campaigns.

The North Dakota native entered the United Way stage nearly a decade-and-a-half ago in the middle of a $400,000 annual fundraising campaign. That first year, the campaign fell just short of making its mark, Anderson said, but that didn't stop her from raising the bar each year, pushing her and her board and volunteers to raise more than half-a-million dollars during this past year's campaign.

"In the beginning, I thought I could get to a million dollars in five years," Anderson said and laughed. "I still think it's doable. It just takes longer than you think, and you have to take economic factors into account."

The Garden City resident of 26 years also has worked at the Kansas Children's Service League, as a gifted program paraprofessional with USD 457 for eights years, and as a nurse earlier in her life, she said, and joined the United Way after returning to higher education to complete a communications degree at Fort Hays State University.

Anderson also served as a Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce ambassador for a decade and a half, has been on the Leadership Garden City board in addition to several other boards and organizations. In addition, her commitment to the community earned her an Award of Merit from the chamber last year, a long-deserved recognition many at the award ceremony had said.

Phil Escareno, president of the United Way's board, said what his board will most miss is Anderson's passion for the community's advancement. "The audiences she spoke before really enjoyed her compassionate stories for giving to the United Way. She instilled the spirit of giving in everyone and made it much easier to give with an understanding of just how much good was being done," he said.

Though Anderson is moving to Texas in a few months — she will be assisting her husband, R. Harry, with marketing his animal nutrition business — she'll be forever indebted to the community and the people that have "touched (her) life more than anything else."

"I'm very thankful to have lived in this community and been an active part of it," Anderson said, a few tears forming in her eyes. "It's a very special place, even way out here. We're away from a lot of resources, but we're able to flourish where we're at, and I feel like it's quite an accomplishment."

Larilee Josserand, the United Way's office manager, will be serving as interim director until a new director is hired. The organization is planning a reception for Anderson from 4 to 6 p.m. April 1 at the Wheat Lands Convention Center, 1408 E. Fulton St.

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