BY CLIFF SMELLEY
She many never have been involved in Scouting growing up, but Patricia Evans feels as if she was a Scout, exemplifying the organization’s values and supportive of its efforts in positively impacting youth.
Evans, who is Capital City Bank’s community president for Bradford and Clay counties, was the honoree at this year’s Bradford American Values Dinner, which was hosted by the Boy Scouts of America’s North Florida Council on Feb. 22 at the Gov. Charley E. Johns Conference Center in Starke.
“Scouting makes such a difference,” Evans said, before adding that “the elephant in the room” was the fact she had never been a Scout. However, her parents, David and Daisy Golden, were involved in their church and leaders in the Girls in Action and Royal Ambassadors youth discipleship programs. Through a family friend who was a Scout, Evans discovered her father knew the Scouting Oath and that many of what her parents did through Girls in Action and Royal Ambassadors was based upon that and other Scouting principles.
“I kind of feel like I did Scouting even though I never got to wear the cute uniform or sell cookies,” Evans said.
The night was about more than honoring Evans. The American Values Dinner is a fundraiser for the North Florida Council, with attendees pledging annual donations.
“We’re here to raise a lot of money for Scouting programs,” Evans said. “It does a lot of good here in our community. We’ve seen the difference it has made. Every dollar goes a long, long way.
“I ask you to please be generous and know that there is no dollar amount that is too small or too big.”
This year’s attendees were indeed generous, pledging a total of $14,050.
Bradford County Manager Scott Kornegay, who served as emcee, said, “Tonight’s event will help provide a safe, quality program for our youth and adults. Included in this are underprivileged youth who need assistance to enjoy a quality Scouting program. Your gifts will help provide books and uniforms and help send them to camp.”
Bob Milner, who was the 2020 Bradford American Values Dinner honoree, introduced Evans, saying she, like the event’s past honorees, “has provided exemplary service to our community” and “is someone of character and integrity.”
“Patricia’s a dedicated community volunteer,” Milner said. “She generously donates her time to assist with numerous community events for multiple organizations throughout Clay and Bradford counties.”
Evans, who graduated from the Florida School of Banking in 2011, is involved in such organizations as Northeast Florida Economic Development Council, Clay County Chamber of Commerce, Starke Area Friends of the NRA, Career Source, Woman’s Club of Starke, Kiwanis Club of Starke and Rural Counties Days.
“There is no such thing as banker’s hours when it comes to Patricia,” Milner said, explaining how she often attends meetings once her workday at Capital City Bank is done.
Kornegay spoke of working alongside Evans in the area of economic development, saying, “Her experience, her knowledge and her desire to grow Bradford County responsibly, to bring jobs to this community and have this place really thrive, is amazing.”
What Evans thinks is amazing is how she and her husband, Joey, were welcomed to Bradford County when they moved there 12 years ago. She thanked those in attendance, saying, “I think this could be our forever home. For that, thank you. Thank you for every one of you paving the way and showing me what needed to be done in this community.”
Aside from striving to better her communities, Evans is passionate about her family: her parents, her husband, her daughter, Arryn, and son-in-law, Zach, and her fur baby, Tebow. Of her parents and her husband, whom she described as her heroes, Evans said, “They taught me to look for and be appreciative of the little things. Wake up every day and find something to be thankful for. Appreciate nature and always show respect for everyone because you never know what they may be going through.
Evans thanked her husband for his support of everything she does, saying he shares her passion for helping others. He’s often by her side when she’s volunteering at an event.
It may sound like Evans has a full schedule, but she does find time to enjoy camping, gardening and raising bees and collecting honey.
Following dinner, which was provided by The Downtown Grill, Kornegay talked about Scouting in Bradford County and in the North Florida Council as a whole.
“Tonight, I am pleased to report that here in Bradford County, we are serving 132 youth and 41 adult volunteers,” Kornegay said. “We partner with four local churches, civic and community organizations to bring a quality program to our youth.
“When you combine these numbers with the other 16 counties here in North Florida, we are impacting the lives of over 7,400 youth and 2,400 registered adult leaders throughout our programs.”
Scott Roberts served as this year’s dinner chair. The host committee consisted of Kornegay, Chrissy Thompson and Pam Whittle.
Platinum-level sponsors were Advanced Concepts, Capital City Bank, Diane Kornegay and Roberts Insurance. Silver-level sponsors were The Downtown Grill, Downtown Merchants, Florida Power and Light, Kahle Commercial Group, Liberty Tax and Pipeline Constructors.
Besides Evans and Milner, the following have also been Bradford American Values Dinner honorees: Lennard Register (2014), George Pierce (2015), John Palmer (2016), Dolph Reddish (2017), Chuck Kramer (2018), Carolyn Eaves (2019), John Miller (2019), Terry Vaughan (2021), Gordon Smith (2022) and Michael Moore (2023).
