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Keith Smith has logged in more than 235 hours of volunteering with the ̽����ѡ Wichita. Broken down, that is thirty, eight-hour days, about six full weeks of work. Keith’s total number of volunteer hours reflect a deep level of commitment to and care for the refugee families arriving here in Wichita. This concern is borne out of a desire to see the individuals, parents and their children succeed. For Keith, numbers are secondary to caring for people.

“Refugee families deserve opportunities when they come here. Certainly, those opportunities shouldn’t be stymied by what country they come from.”

The term “labor of love” comes to my mind: a labor voluntarily undertaken or performed without consideration of any benefit or reward (Merriam-Webster). All volunteers and ̽����ѡ staff can relate; we choose this work because we want to see the people that we care for, not just integrate, but thrive.

With that goal in mind, there is an implicit understanding between volunteers and staff that every step counts. And with every little step, we are there to help and advocate for our families. Keith definitely is. 

Once, Keith took a woman to the doctor because she had severe pain in her throat. Once there, they were notified that the doctor was out. Speaking through an interpreter, the nurse tried to cancel the appointment. But, as Keith explains,

“This woman was complaining about not being able to swallow- you can imagine how that feels, so I asked, ‘What can we do for her right now? She’s in a lot of pain.’

Going beyond the basic requirements of his volunteer duty to take the client to the appointment and back home, Keith instead took her to Via Christi Urgent Care Clinic. Once there, it was determined that an MRI was necessary to examine her, and the client needed to be taken to the hospital. Keith ended up waiting at the hospital to find out that she was very sick, and needed to be admitted for treatment and care for at least four days.

Acknowledging an assumed responsibility for this woman, Keith says, “That all wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t taken more initiative…the nurse was just trying to set another appointment, and I was saying, no you don’t understand, she needs help.”

Caring for a person’s well-being is not new to Keith. Before Keith retired in June 2016, he worked at Spirit AeroSystems as an Executive Manager, managing teams of engineers and sub-managers.

“I might have had 200 or 300 people under my responsibility at different levels of management. But the people responsibility was probably the most rewarding. It was certainly important that I understood how the airplanes were functioning and how the manufacturing systems were going and all that, but I always felt that those who were doing the work are the most important asset that we have, so I always took a special interest in people.”

This appreciation for and understanding of the people that make up a working system allowed Keith to also notice the extensive array of human services here in Wichita through his volunteer work. Keith has made many trips to health clinics and social service agencies. Initially, Keith explains “I thought they just gave them money, but they [Women, Infants, and Children] take such good care, they weigh their children, learn about the health situation, and provide the food appropriate to what they should be eating for their weight.”

In January 2017, Keith and his wife traveled to New Zealand on a mission trip. There they worked on records preservation for Family Search, a website similar to ancestry.com, where individuals can explore their family history using “the world’s largest collection of free family trees, genealogy records, and resources”. As senior missionaries for the Church of Jesus of Christ Latter-day Saints, they gained access to The National Archives warehouse in Auckland, NZ where they took digital images. In total, they took 350,000 images of wills and probates during their 18 month stay.

“In our church, we actually believe that families are linked up, and as we link families together, that that goes beyond this life. By finding out who are ancestors were and their traditions, it causes us to have a greater appreciation for them and makes us, helps us, to live our lives better here because we know the sacrifices that they made.”

Whether laying the foundation to reconnect family histories, or to rebuild lives, Keith maintains a sense of humility and gratitude that undoubtedly makes him an unsung hero for the many teams of which he is a part.

“When the clients express their gratitude for your help that alone is satisfaction enough for time well-spent. Once, as I dropped off a client, he shook my hand and said, "God bless you with a long life". I got in the car and sent a text message to their caseworker, "I think I am going to be volunteering with ̽����ѡ for a long time, because I was just blessed with a long life". 

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During the holidays members of the Latter Day Saints came together to celebrate Christmas with ̽����ѡ clients. Pictured here: Jan and Keith Smith, Bishop Broberg Family, Jino Family, Mortensen Family, Ives Family.

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Photo: Keith Smith