Donnie Beer : A Desire To Help Those Who Serve Our Country

Donnie Beer tells a story about her mother, “After mother retired, she did some work for NOW, the National Organization for Women, which was pretty controversial then, in the 1970s,” Donnie says, referring to the organization that works to support female candidates for public office. “One day, we stopped for gas — this was in the days when an attendant pumped it for you. A woman came out, and my mother said, “Do you think she know what she’s doing?” “Why wouldn’t she, Mom?” “Well, she’s a woman!” Donnie laughs. “My mother may have been working for NOW, but she was still a true southern lady.”

Donnie herself can be described as a true southern lady, one who is always impeccable, who stayed home when her children were small, who is infallibly gracious, and who, like her mother before her, is active in her church. But those who grew up in the south know that a southern lady is also likely to have strong convictions and act on them, to do whatever needs to be done in a crisis, to quickly come to the aid of neighbors or strangers in need, and to plow new ground as required. Donnie Beer is the quintessential embodiment of these virtues.

When she was three, Donnie’s family moved to Beaufort, where they lived until she had finished third grade, and they moved to Columbia. They were here long enough, and she was young enough, that for Donnie, Beaufort was home, no matter where else she might be at the time. Her first job, though, was in Columbia, at Fort Jackson, plowing that new ground as the first civilian – and the first woman – to ever work in a military
brigade.

Donnie, along with her husband, Russell, made it back to Beaufort in 1970, and she continued to work with the Military as a Civil Servant on Parris Island, until she left to work in mortgage banking and raise a family. It was not until after her children were in school that she found her true calling, continuing to work but volunteering wherever she found need, as well. To know Donnie is to be in awe – not only of her commitment to and love for Beaufort, but also of her energy. Her long-time colleague, Mayor Billy Keyserling, says, “Donnie never holds back. Give her a challenge and she is all in. Donnie is on the spot. She attends every meeting to which she is invited, has something to say and takes on
assignments to help and makes improvements where warranted. It is said that “all politics is local;” meeting the needs of those in need, Donnie is there.”

The list of all the jobs Donnie has taken on over the years is too long to recount, but some of the most recent or ongoing highlights include her twenty-three years of service as a member of Beaufort City Council, for which she is up for reelection this November. She has also been active with the Red Cross for fifteen years, and as a member of the Red Cross Disaster Response Team, meets the Fire Department at home fires and other emergencies to provide whatever is most needed: a blanket, a meal, a bed, or a shoulder to lean on. During the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in New York, Donnie was deployed to help with disaster assistance there, and speaks with gratitude of the opportunity to help, as she describes the scenes of destruction she witnessed. Part of her role was to work with liaisons from other teams, such as the FEMA Coordinator and a representative from the United Way, in order to bring as much relief as possible to the areas hit. Brighton Beach, Coney Island — the names fall
off her tongue. “Coney Island almost disappeared,” Donnie says, shaking her head.

Perhaps because so many of her family and of Russell’s have been in the military and fought in wars, there is a special place in Donnie’s heart for men and women in uniform. As a member of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce, Donnie was instrumental in creating a Military Appreciation Day, and she has worked with the USO to see that soldiers are hailed at both deployments and homecomings. She feels a kinship with and reverence for others who respond when the country is threatened; Donnie organizes the Annual 9-11 Ceremony at Waterfront Park each year. She also has worked for a long time with Starbase, a program that works with students at risk of failing science or math. “This is the only one of three such programs in South Carolina that is on an active military base,” Donnie says proudly, as she describes the tools they use to capture the students’ imagination, including a 3-D printer.

One of Donnie’s sons was in the Navy, and two of her grandsons joined the military. One, Brandon, was a medic who has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. His best friend was killed, and Brandon had to put him in the body bag. “You aren’t the same after that,” he told his grandmother. Mindful of his experience, Donnie was actively involved in bringing the Lt. Dan Concert Independence Fund to Beaufort, to create a positive experience and raise money for “Wounded Warriors.” When the program was moved to Charleston, she helped found and is Chair of Healing Heroes of the Lowcountry (HHLF), whose mission is to raise money for treatments for soldiers who are wounded during active duty, with a particular emphasis on PTSD.

The organization’s Treasurer, Dick Rooney, worked with Donnie to get them up and running. He notes, “Without Donnie Beer, the HHLF wouldn’t be half the entity that it has become; her dedication to our military, her tireless drive to establish and accomplish the goals of HHLF, her humility and her reputation in the community are the qualities that make Donnie the lady that she is. We have been  working together for fewer that two years; every day my southern education reaches a new higher level.  When Donnie says, “I just do the best I can, she is truly being humble.”

Story by KATHERINE LANG | Photography by SUSAN DELOACH