Harbin enjoys working with people
TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
Lynette Harbin is shown in the South Hills Medical Building, where her office is located. Harbin has served as the program director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nodaway County since September 2010.
They say no matter how far you go from home, it always draws you back.
That’s true for Lynette Harbin, who has served as the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nodaway County program director since September 2010.
Harbin grew up near Ravenwood, graduating from Northeast Nodaway High School in 1991 before heading to Northwest Missouri State University for two years. She then transferred to Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Oklahoma, where she graduated in 1996 with a degree in agriculture business.
From there, she decided to stay in the area for a decade after that, working at Panhandle Telephone from 1995 to 2006 before she and her family moved back to Maryville in 2006. At that point, she accepted a position in marketing at Northwest Cell.
But in 2009, a new opportunity came across Harbin’s radar when she decided to serve on the Big Brothers Big Sisters board of directors. She said that led her to find the position was opening up in 2010.
“The girl who was serving as program director was getting married, and she and her husband were going to move away,” Harbin said. “So I decided to apply for the open program director position, and I was hired in September.”
Being in a position of leadership within a nonprofit community service organization wasn’t at the top of the list of dreams for Harbin, but she said she still is following her dreams.
“I kind of always saw myself in marketing or sales, and here, I still do those kinds of things,” Harbin said. “I basically have to sell being involved in this program and giving of your time and resources to help the children in our area be more successful.”
Of course, that kind of sales position can come with complications. Harbin said Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nodaway County is experiencing a rather large shortage of bigs.
“We currently have 30 kids on the waiting list,” Harbin said. “The average time these kids have been on the list is 215 days, which is almost three-quarters of a year, and I really want to lower that number and get them matched up.
“Our biggest need right now is that we need males, and we need people willing to drive to the smaller communities in Nodaway County like Quitman and Ravenwood. We’ll talk to just about anyone, whether they are college students or retirees needing something to do with their time; we just need bigs.”
Harbin said volunteerism, whether for Big Brothers Big Sisters or any other community group, is not only necessary, but can be very rewarding for very little action.
“Whether you’re donating one to two hours a week mentoring a child, giving $20 to United Way to help a lot of people, or simply sharing an event on social media from a community organization to spread awareness and get more people to come out to the event, your support and volunteerism is vital for the community at large,” Harbin said. “There are so many opportunities to help out, and there are so many ways to get involved, but you won’t know what they are unless you make the effort and see what’s out there. Everyone can help in some way.”
When she isn’t matching kids with bigs, which she said is one of the best parts of her job, Harbin enjoys helping out with her own children’s activities, including softball and the Maryville Twisters soccer program. She also is on the University of Missouri Extension board.
As for advice, Harbin cautioned about avoiding tunnel vision when you see a problem.
“If you let yourself get absorbed by one problem or complication, it’s easy to focus on that and forget about all of the other great things about someone or something,” Harbin said. “For us, for example, if we focus on one match that isn’t working or one family that has a huge problem, we could forget that we have 65 other matches that are just as much worth our time and effort as this one.
“It’s applicable to every part of life. You have to avoid tunnel vision to make sure you’re seeing the world for what it is, good and bad.”
Editor’s Note
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of a weekly series highlighting “Everyday Heroes.” In this weekly segment, the Daily Forum takes a look at people who work tirelessly to make Maryville a great place to live. If you have a suggestion for someone who you feel should be featured, please contact us via email at [email protected] or call the Forum at 660-562- 2424.