She’s opinionated, strong-willed and sometimes stern, according to some, but those who know her well say Becky Cornwell has a heart of pure gold.
Cornwell, a former school bus driver with the Marshall County School District, has been working to ensure that those who need it most have basic necessities like clothing and food. She has served as the director for Marshall County Caring Needline for more than 20 years, taking on all of the duties that come with the job and some that don’t. Her daughter, Amanda Cleaver, said she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Cleaver said her mother began volunteering with the organization several years ago, and was there often enough that it offered her a position once it became available. It’s been where she devotes most of her time, working well beyond when pay stops for the day.
“I think she just loves helping people,” Cleaver said. “…She works at Needline, but she also volunteers at Needline. … The car shows, when they have the car shows if the proceeds go to Needline she volunteers and she goes and picks all that up. The postal food drive, that’s volunteer time. She’s allotted so many hours a day, five days a week and that’s all. There’s no overtime, she doesn’t get 40 hours … I don’t know what she gets paid, or how many hours she gets paid, but when the day is over at noon, her pay doesn’t continue regardless of what she’s doing.”
That dependability is a quality friends say is a cornerstone of her personality. Betty Jones has known Cornwell for about the last two years, since the two began scrapbooking during a monthly craft night at First Christian Church. Jones also volunteers once a week with fellow congregation members at the church to help at Needline. She said Cornwell is good at taking on difficult work at her job, from working with inmate assistance to executing on the day-to-day operations. While it’s work, for Cornwell it’s more like a devotion to service. Jones said she knew she could call on Cornwell for support.
“She’s very nice, she’s a good person to know,” Jones said. “If you ever needed any help, I wouldn’t feel any hesitation about asking her.”
That devotion is an extension of her faith, Jones believes, and is present in all she does. Her love and commitment to her family serves as a shining example. Jones said she takes up the causes of her loved ones, and does what she can to show support.
“She has a sister who has health problems, and she’s always posting on Facebook to keep her sister in your prayers,” Jones said. “ … She also supported her husband at Relay for Life, he’s a survivor. They were both there. And so is her sister. … I know she’s there for her sister, and she’s there for her children.”
In addition to her participation in Relay for Life and work with Needline, Cornwell has volunteered to help with a church intiative that would provide support and a retreat for women previously incarcerated or those who have loved ones in jail, despite not actually being an active member of First Christian. According to Cleaver, her mother is a member of Pleasant Hope Baptist; still, the difference in doctrine has little to do with her love of people.
It’s a side not everyone gets to see. Cornwell is often all-business, but Jones said she has a fun, sharp sense of humor and is a good friend to those who know her. It’s something Rhonda Henson said she sees each week during crafting sessions at the church, though that’s not the only capacity in which she’s seen Cornwell throughout the years.
Henson and Cornwell worked together, driving for the Marshall County School District. Cornwell also volunteered time with the band boosters when her children participated with the organization some years ago. Cornwell was active in her efforts, and it’s something that hasn’t changed.
“She’s very kind-hearted,” Henson said. “… She’s a really good-hearted person. … I was really needing something one time, and I mean, she talked to me on the phone for an hour trying to find a solution to fix it. And when accidents happen or a fire, she’s gone out in the middle of the night and helped with that.”
Henson said Cornwell worked diligently to ensure that Needline continued to operate smoothly, particularly during the holiday season. Cornwell volunteers every night, without fail, to work the annual food drive at the Christmas light display at Mike Miller Park in Draffenville. She does it without pay, and without want of recognition, Henson said.
Collection begins the day after Thanksgiving and runs through New Year’s Eve. Cornwell helps collect goods from 5-10 p.m. before Christmas and then continues after Christmas, going to the park to collect funds for deposit, count canned goods donated and provide relief for other volunteers.
“She’s there every night. Every night,” Henson said. “She will not plan nothing except for that.”
It’s out of concern for those who use the services Needline drives her, Cleaver said, and one that she takes home with her. The holiday season, in particular, is one she takes seriously. In addition to the food drive at the park, Needline works to obtain community sponsors to help provide Christmas gifts for children who might otherwise receive nothing. Cleaver recalled a time when two days before Christmas, Cornwell learned that a sponsor would not be able to provide Christmas for a special-needs child as initially planned, and found a way to make it happen.
“He had asked for like an Xbox and a couple of games, and that’s more than what we usually do. I mean, if they’re sponsored that’s one thing but through Needline, I mean we can’t do that for every kid that comes through,” Cleaver said. “And she was just heartbroke, because this little boy was not going to get to have Christmas. So, as a family we got together and we decided that we would forfeit our Christmas for this little guy to have Christmas. So then, she took all of us shopping and we got to pick out his Christmas, and we got to take it and deliver it for him.”
The example her mother sets is one she strives to achieve in her own life, everyday.
“She is very strong, and she stands up for what she believes in, and she’s very caring. She cares about other people and what they’re going through. … She is my hero, without a doubt. She’s just always willing to help somebody, it doesn’t matter (what the circumstance).
“She is who I aspire to be,” Cleaver added. “… I’m not sure where this county would be without her.”