PIKE COUNTY, Mo. — Of all the awards Don Patrick has gotten, the last one will always stand out.

Patrick, who retired April 1 as President and Chief Executive Officer of the North East Community Action Corporation, received the 2022 Charles Braithwait Leadership Award from the Missouri Community Action Network during its annual conference May 3 in Branson.

Braithwait, who died in 2014 at age 83, was a key Community Action leader in Missouri and across the nation. The award is the top honor given by the statewide network.

Patrick and Braithwait were close colleagues, and worked on many Community Action initiatives. In his acceptance, Patrick said “for that I will always honor and cherish this award more than any other award I have or will ever receive.”

Patrick was nominated by NECAC Acting Director Dan Page, who highlighted the many successes and advancements Patrick oversaw during more than 36 years at the helm.

“Through all these challenges, Donald Patrick kept the course and he did so because he kept the vision,” Page said. “His vision was always to meet the needs of the clients, keep his staff functioning and meet the needs of the community.”

The Missouri Community Action Network says Braithwait’s “spirit of leadership remains strong and that the award winner is someone who “exemplifies the energy and dedication demonstrated” by him.

Braithwait was a school superintendent in Lowry City when he decided upon a career change and joined the fledgling Community Action movement in 1965. Seven years later, he successfully sued the government to keep Community Action programs in place. Braithwait helped found the National Community Action Foundation and was appointed by President Gerald Ford to the Commission for Economic Development.

Patrick joined NECAC on Oct. 1, 1985, and recalled his early relationship with Braithwait in an effort to form a Missouri Community Action Political Committee. He also noted Braithwait’s role in speaking at one NECAC annual meeting and convincing a national Community Action executive to address another.

“As a man who gave up an established background and career in education and turned into one of the early pioneers of the Community Action movement – that’s Charles Braithwait, a man who will always be remembered for taking the time to help his fellow neighbor in need,” Patrick said.

Page also highlighted some of Patrick’s significant accomplishments at NECAC. The agency’s budget expanded from $2.5 million to $29.1 million, programs were added and the workforce grew. Page said Patrick also “put in place a leadership team over the years that he then mentored to pick up the gauntlet when he left – to see his vision and make it their own and to continue to take NECAC” into communities it serves.