2018 Women of Distinction
Patricia Blount, Businesswoman, Farmer and Philanthropist
Patricia “Patsy” Blount is animated when she describes her hands-on volunteer work with Kibble Cart, a Haile’s Angels Pet Rescue program that provides pet food to people in the Meals on Wheels program. “Sometimes people in ElderCare give their own food to their pets,” she explained, “so Kibble Cart helps to make sure their dogs and cats can eat, too.”
The Kibble Cart is a new example of how Blount uses her skills as a community leader to help others. The Junior League of Gainesville, Haven Hospice Attic, American Heart Association, Girl Scouts, PACE Center for Girls and Santa Fe College (SF) are just a few of the organizations that have benefited from her volunteer work.
With her late husband, Charley—for whom SF’s downtown Gainesville center is named—Patsy has been involved with Santa Fe College for many years. “Charley’s best friend, Harvey Sharron, convinced Charley to join the Endowment Board, so both of us became involved with the college,“ Patsy explained. “Charley raised money for the downtown center and we both raised money for scholarships.”
Blount mentions SF’s expansion from a two-year to a four-year school as one of the biggest changes she has noticed. “What hasn’t changed is Santa Fe’s impact as the community’s college,” she added. “Students who enroll here often stay in the community, and there are so many things the college offers—the arts, the zoo, the planetarium.”
In 1982, Blount opened a clothing boutique, Four Seasons of Gainesville, on University Avenue. With friends, she ran that successful business until 1999. After her husband died five years ago, she inherited the farm he owned in Missouri. She continues to run the farm with help from her daughter and son-in-law. “The farm is a whole different experience from the boutique in terms of a business plan and what I’ve had to learn,” she said.
Blount sees an interrelationship between the world of business and the work of community service. “I think everything is connected,” she explained. “Women now are so well educated that they bring their professional skills and abilities to the volunteer world, helping to forge programs that create understanding.”
Blount’s work with the Girl Scouts and creating scholarships to SF for participants in the PACE Center for Girls is close to her heart. “Scouting teaches self-esteem, an awareness of community, and how to help others,” she described. “The PACE Center scholarships give girls the opportunity to get an education. The center also raises awareness about many issues that girls face, including gender inequality. The current ‘MeToo’ wave is going to help girls understand that their wisdom, courage and dedication to truth are important—as they always have been.”
“I’m humbled and honored to receive this award,” Blount said about the Women of Distinction honor. “I admire the other recipients, past and present, and events like this shine a spotlight on what women are doing in our community. Feminine wisdom and courage need to be in the spotlight!”
Blount’s advice for women who want to help their communities is simple yet profound. “When you feel a passion to use your life, blessings and ability, then giving back is the best feeling you can have. You may not think you have the strength but if something touches your heart, offer yourself in any way.”
Beverly Hardy, Altrusan, Anti-Drug Champion and Businesswoman
“If you want to make friends, join Altrusa Club,” was the advice that Beverly Hardy received when she moved to Starke 23 years ago after working as a special education teacher in Seminole and Marion counties. “Altrusa was a custom fit for me,” Hardy remembered. “I went with it, loved it and made many wonderful friends.”
In 2019, Hardy will become the president of Altrusa International, Inc. The service club, which grew out of the women’s suffrage movement in 1917, focuses on developing the leadership skills of its members and improving the lives of people in the U.S. and around the world.
In Starke, the relatively young club of Altrusa has created over $100,000 of endowed scholarships to Santa Fe College that enable nontraditional students to attend classes at the Andrews Center. “These scholarships and Santa Fe College change people’s lives,” Hardy said, “because they enable people who couldn’t attend college otherwise to get an education. Maybe they’re single moms or maybe they’re married with kids in school, but they’re people who couldn’t commute to attend college farther away.”
While she was teaching, Hardy observed that her middle school students were being encouraged by their peers to drink and use drugs. “That led to my interest in drug counseling, in helping people get sober and stay sober,” she said. “I’d suspect a student was at risk so I’d single them out. I discovered that the drug use was occurring in groups, with friends at parties when parents weren’t home, so I’d stress at teacher-parent conferences that adolescents need more supervision.”
Hardy now volunteers with a faith-based, long-term drug rehabilitation facility. “Addiction is a sickness,” she said. “You don’t get sick overnight so you don’t get well overnight. Addiction doesn’t recognize social class or gender; it can affect anyone. We try to help people learn to love their sobriety so they can sustain it in the real world.”
In addition to her career as a teacher, Hardy has a background in business and accounting. With one other person and a truck driver, she started Harwood Brick, a distribution business in the construction industry. “We started the company with nothing and built it into a multimillion-dollar business,” she remembered. She named the growth of Harwood Brick as her proudest business-related achievement. The experience also allowed her to observe firsthand that women in construction were not always treated well.
Maybe it was that experience, combined with Altrusa’s historical concern with the rights and status of women, that led Hardy to name Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Eleanor Roosevelt as two of her biggest inspirations or “s/heroes.”
Asked what rewards she gets from her spirit of giving, Hardy exclaimed, “It’s wonderful! Just to be able to give makes me happy. That’s what life’s about—not about recognition, not about being self-serving.”
“I’m humbled and honored to get this award from Santa Fe College that does so many fantastic things in Bradford County and is where my two daughters got their degrees,” she added.
Hardy urges women who want to help their communities to “find out what you’re passionate about. When you serve, you need to enjoy it. There are many ways to serve and if you love what you’re doing, you’ll do great work.”
Carol “Brandi” Noegel, Auto Dealer, Fundraiser, Mother
Sometime during the 33 years that Carol Noegel worked as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines, her co-workers nicknamed her “Brandi.” That nickname followed her when she switched her career focus from airplanes to cars at Noegel’s Auto Sales in Starke.
Originally from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Brandi lived in Jacksonville with her husband Larry before they moved to Starke. There, Larry took over management of Noegel’s Auto Sales from his father. When Larry died in 2008, Brandi became owner of the business.
An award-winning independent dealership, Noegel’s Auto Sales was established in 1947. Brandi credits excellent customer service for the success of the business over the last 70 years.
“We have a lot of repeat customers because we take care of them,” she explained. “We do great service work on their vehicles and we treat people fairly. I’ve also volunteered in the community to help get our name out there and promote the dealership.” Asked to name her proudest achievements in the auto business, Brandi lists state and national awards from associations that represent independent auto dealers.
In addition to running the dealership, Brandi is heavily involved in fundraising and community service. In 2008, she honored Larry Noegel - who had served on the board of the Santa Fe College (SF) Foundation - by establishing a scholarship in his name at SF. With the Altrusa Club of Starke and the Rotary Club of Starke, she has raised funds for additional scholarships. She serves on the boards of Supporters of Sheltered Animals of Starke and the Santa Fe College Foundation.
Brandi was instrumental in bringing Teen Court, a program designed for youth who are first-time misdemeanor offenders, to Bradford County. “In Teen Court, students are the attorneys and jurors and they pass judgment on their peers,” she explained. “It took a lot of effort to get Teen Court established but when you know you are doing the right thing, you will fight for it. Two judges helped by encouraging us and we were eventually successful.”
“Ask a busy person to get things done,” Brandi laughed in response to a question about how she finds the time for all her activities. When she has spare time, she enjoys painting and creating with stained glass.
Brandi credits her parents with being her biggest inspirations: “They brought me up well and taught me right from wrong.” “Raising your children is the most important thing you do,” she added. “Parents need to get involved with their kids.” Brandi’s daughter, Ashley, is now a doctor of optometry.
Women who want to help their communities by volunteering can expand their knowledge by doing so, Brandi said. “You can learn skills by doing community service work in different organizations, so you can get an education by volunteering. You might be a little afraid at first, but then you get support from the group and you know you’re doing the right thing. Be true to yourself and don’t be afraid!”
Brandi added that she was surprised and honored to be recognized by Santa Fe College as a Woman of Distinction.
“So many women deserve that honor,” she said. “But the most important thing you can do is to help your family and support your children, and there are many ways you can do that today.”
Stacy Scott, Public Defender and Compassionate Champion of Justice
Stacy Scott was looking through an autograph book she kept as a young girl when she found an entry from a friend of her father: “To Stacy, the first president of the United States to be called ‘Madame.’” “He was telling me you can do anything,” Scott explained. “The glass ceiling is glass and can be shattered by anyone, maybe one of these young women who are students at Santa Fe College now.”
With an undergraduate degree in anthropology and a law degree, both from the University of Florida (UF), Scott describes herself as “a double Gator.” Law school was a natural choice for her in part because it was her father’s profession and in part because, “My whole life, I was the person who leaned toward fighting for the underdog, fighting injustice.” She also traces her commitment to public service to her parents.
“My dad spent 28 years in public service in the Florida Senate,” Scott said, “and he is the first person to say he couldn’t have done that without the support of my mother. She was a person who expressed love and kindness to everyone she met. She accepted everyone with an open heart and open mind.”
Scott’s trial practice classes and public defender internship were pointers toward her current job as Public Defender for Florida’s Eighth Judicial Circuit, an area that spans six counties. She is the first woman to be elected to that position.
She started her career as a prosecutor, however—working for Rod Smith—before moving to the Public Defender’s office. “My two years as a prosecutor were good experience and made me a better public defender,” she explained. “I love working directly with clients. It’s important to see your client as a whole person, to understand the circumstances that surround them, and to not let them be judged by the worst thing they did. I’ve had a holistic view all my life. We separate ourselves by race, religion, all kinds of false constructs, but we are all one human race, we’re the same.”
Scott’s compassion is evident in her community service work that includes mentoring a high school student, coaching the UF Law School’s trial practice team, helping homeless people and veterans find answers to their legal questions and working to ensure that lawyers are held to the highest professional and ethical standards. A member of Gainesville Rotary, she exemplifies the Rotarians’ commitment to “service above self.” She serves on the board of directors of PACE Center For Girls and is a member of United Church of Gainesville. “Community service work is rewarding and spiritual in many ways,” Scott said. “It makes me happy to give back to other people.”
Like many others in our community, Scott is concerned about the over-representation of minorities in the criminal justice system. “There are many causes, including 400 years of institutionalized racism,” she explained. “When a juvenile offender sits in front of me—when I get past what crime they are charged with and past the tough protective barrier that helps them navigate through their lives—I see a child from our community, not a thug who shown be thrown away to the prison system. When you see every child as your child, you feel an immediate need to do something. The time to change is now and the time to do something is right now.”
Scott lists self-confidence, an ability to withstand criticism and a vision to accomplish something good as the key qualities of community leaders. “If you see a need, just do it,” she said. “Get the skills you need to follow your passion. When you are the best you can be, you raise up the people around you.”
2018 Women of Promise
Grace Johns, Student Leader and Active Volunteer
Grace Johns might describe herself as shy, but the list of her awards, leadership and volunteer activities paints a different picture: Class Senator in ninth grade; Class President in her sophomore, junior and senior years of high school; member of Students Working Against Tobacco for four years, currently serving as secretary; member of Girls With Pearls, a community service organization, Educational Talent Search and National Honor Society.
A senior at Bradford High School, Johns has taken classes since her freshman year at the Andrews Center in Starke through Santa Fe College’s dual enrollment program.
“I didn’t have a lot of friends as a freshman,” Johns explains. “I was shy and nervous but I decided to push myself and get involved in student government. Getting involved helps you feel like you belong. It’s fun to participate in activities like homecoming and the prom.” In 2015, Johns won the Sophomore Class Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership award. Last year, she was selected for Bradford High School’s Homecoming Court.
Educational Talent Search offers yearly field trips to different colleges so students can explore their options. “Talent Search helps you with scholarships,” she said, “and whatever you want to do, they make sure it happens for you.” In 2015, Johns was a speaker at the Educational Talent Search state conference.
Girls With Pearls and its corresponding organization, Guys With Ties, get involved with different community service projects. “One year we had a canned food drive we called ‘The Hunger Games,’” Johns described. “We had boxes in each classroom and the class that filled their box the fastest earned a reward.”
“The tobacco companies target their marketing to kids by using flavor names like ‘Bubble Gum,’ so we try to send a message that using tobacco isn’t good for you,” Johns said while describing her involvement with Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT). “We also talk about the dangers of e-cigarettes.” In 2017, Johns was chosen to address the Bradford County Legislative Delegation about the work of SWAT and the dangers of tobacco use. This year, she earned a scholarship to attend the 28th National Leadership Forum of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America in Washington, D.C.
Johns said her favorite thing about the dual enrollment program is “getting to go on campus and meet new people. Each semester is different.”
After graduating from Santa Fe College, Johns wants to major in political science at the University of Florida and attend law school. “I have found through being a leader in student government and learning about how things like the legislative delegation work, this is the direction I want to go,” she explained. “It helps that I am organized and like to be in charge.”
Johns named the Woman of Promise Award from Santa Fe College as her proudest accomplishment. She said her mother is her biggest inspiration “because she has always been there every step of the way, she encourages me to be my best and to look for the best in other people.”
“Stay true to who you are,” Johns said when asked for her advice to young women who want to make a difference in their communities. “You need to believe in yourself and you need to believe in other people.”
“I hope if other young women see me, I can inspire them to find something they’re passionate about and then do whatever they can,” Johns continued. “Get out of your routine and find your passion!”
Victoria Maggard, Courageous and Determined Scholarship Student
The challenges that Victoria Maggard has faced in her young life have made her strong and determined to meet her goals. Those goals include getting a college education, preparing for a career in radiology, and gaining custody of her brothers and sisters who are now in foster care.
Maggard has never known her real father. Her mother is bipolar and her stepfather is abusive. She grew up in foster homes throughout Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and West Virginia.
“My primary motivation is to help my brothers and sisters, to be a role model to show that whatever happens to you, you can be a bigger person,” Maggard explained. “You have to find a way to keep going forward, to believe in yourself and stay motivated.”
“Living in a lot of places is hard,” she continued. “You’re not sure who you can trust or who cares about you. It’s difficult to find yourself.”
A turning point for Maggard came when she met one of her own role models at a school conference about her younger brother. “My parents told him he was stupid but he’s a very bright boy who was having problems with reading,” she said. “I met Maureen at that conference and found out that she had faced obstacles too. We truly connected and she introduced me to Chuck Clemons.” Clemons, Santa Fe College’s Vice President for Advancement, put Maggard on track to apply for one of SF’s “Brightenbroke” scholarships that funds the first two years of her higher education as long as her grade-point average exceeds 3.0.
“I was never sure if I could go to college,” she said, “but when I visited Santa Fe, it looked like a great place to be. I love it here!”
Maggard’s courses this term include human anatomy and physiology, college algebra and technical communication. She wants to earn a degree in radiography from SF and her long-term goal is to attend the University of Florida to become a radiologist. “I asked to see the x-rays my doctor had made,” she explained, “and it was so amazing! That’s what got me interested in radiology.”
Another pointer to a career in health care came when Maggard lived in Tennessee and volunteered at a Veterans Affairs hospital. “Many of the patients didn’t have families and some had post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. They were so grateful to have help. I realized it could make their day just to have me push them around in their wheelchairs.”
Maggard names “being stubborn” as one personal quality that helps her to keep moving forward. “Once I want to do something, nothing is going to come in the way of my getting what I want,” she said. Asked to name her proudest achievements, she mentions maintaining a 3.96 grade-point average while working two jobs, buying her first car and getting a full-ride college scholarship.
Being “compassionate to others” is necessary, Maggard thinks, for women who want to be community leaders.
Maggard advises young women who may be facing tough challenges to “volunteer, get involved. Once you’re helping other people, it helps you and it makes an impact in other people’s lives. I started volunteering because things were bad at home and I wanted to get away. I found out that people are always going through hard challenges and it made me happy to be able to help others. Don’t be selfish; you have to care about other people too.”