11:13 am Anita Mains commended for community service
Editor:
After reading the recent article in the STAR about Anita Mains retiring from the United Way in Elizabethton, I’d like to publicly recognize her contributions to Carter County.
I don’t think anyone else outside her family truly realizes how much Anita Mains has contributed to this community. When I worked with her at the United Way for several months, I learned from the inside that without her total dedication, there would be no United Way in Carter County today.
Many people do not realize that Anita joined the United Way office as a part-time bookkeeper and very quickly was faced with the task of running the entire office alone, after the director and another employee quit. Most people would have quit too, leaving the local organizations to find some way to replace their United Way funds, which for some is a large part of their annual income. But not Anita.
She would not let the local people served by those organizations suffer that loss. She stayed and worked tirelessly to keep the office open and running. With no one to train her, Anita did everything virtually alone. It is a monumental task to consistently raise over $150,000 in Carter County each year, as well as keep up with the day-to-day responsibilities of running a non-profit, not to mention the mountain of required forms to file. No one who has not actually done it really knows how much work it is.
Carter County citizens, especially those who receive any assistance from the United Way agencies such as ARM, UETHDA, and others, owe a huge debt to Anita Mains for her compassion, dedication and willingness to do whatever it took to keep the office running.
I personally thank Anita for her service to the community and hope that she enjoys a well-deserved retirement.
Peace,
Danika Nadzan
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