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The last time Carole Smith was featured in these pages, she said she always knew she’d be a decision maker in a business environment who would positively affect people’s lives. That was a few years ago, but time doesn’t dull a follow-up question like “How?”

“Largely because my father and mother always made me believe that I could do anything I set my mind to and taught me the value of making wise decisions and how to trust those decisions—but to always keep in mind that those decisions had to be good for everyone affected by them, not just for me,” was her response.

No doubt she’s had ample opportunity to make those types of choices in her loan duties throughout her banking career. In fact, as the senior vice president and director of business development with Delta Trust & Bank, Smith still carries a portfolio of loan customers because of her background in commercial lending and the bank’s recent loan volume. Still, making decisions that positively affect people’s lives in the financial world is much easier than in other contexts, as Smith has seen through her involvement with Women & Children First (WCF): The Center Against Family Violence. Statistically, a woman will return to an abusive relationship eight times before she leaves for good. Women with kids want to make the decision with the best outcome for their children, but their concerns include “cultural, family and religious values, financial dependence on the batterer and a lack of alternatives,” Smith said.

“WCF works to remove obstacles and provide alternatives. WCF internal statistics show that, with our support (or similar support by others), a woman will return three times before moving permanently.” Sometimes, the consequences are grave. Arkansas rates fourth in the nation for women murdered by their abuser, and in 2008, there were 22 female domestic violence deaths in the state. “There is much work to do, but we are moving in the right direction,” Smith said.

The organization’s needs are constant, Smith said. Current funding needs include facilities, programs for survivors and prevention, additional staff members, additional salary to reduce turnover, training, translation services, legal representation for survivors and additional childcare for clients. The Woman of the Year Gala, which will be held January 15, is the organization’s signature fundraising event. As is custom, everything from the color scheme to the entertainment and the menu will consist of the honoree’s favorites; this year, that’s Arkansas First Lady Ginger Beebe.

The event creates a joyous environment, and there are plenty of things for WCF to celebrate, like the story of Vicky Williams, her son DJ Williams (a Razorback football player) and her two daughters, Vanessa and Valerie. “They were clients in our shelter many years ago, when Vicky and her children escaped to Arkansas from her abusive husband,” she said. In the past few years, the family went public with their story hoping to change lives. “The bravery and honor in making yourself so vulnerable by exposing the horrors of your past to the public continually amaze me,” Smith said. “I don’t have that kind of bravery.”