Chickasaw woman chips in to assist hurricane victims

Rhonda Barnett

Contributed by Tony Choate, tribal media relations

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area, Rhonda Barnett, a Chickasaw who lives in the Tulsa, Okla., area saw a story about a local company was offering to deliver high volume pumps to help clear the floodwaters.

In operation for only a few months, the company had been building approximately three pumps per month. FEMA wanted 20 much larger pumps delivered in less than three weeks

Barnett immediately decided to help.

Reading that company officials had driven their own cars to Baton Rouge to tell FEMA officials about their plan, Barnett phoned her brother, who works for American Airlines, to arrange a flight for their return trip to finalize the details.

She then called the company officials to let them know the flight was available if they wanted.

After the president of the fledgling company called to thank Barnett for arranging the flight, she offered to come to the shop to do whatever she could to help.

“I just asked if I could come and do anything,” said Ms. Barnett. “I wanted to get involved in way that would really make a difference.”

Ultimately, her help did make the difference in getting the job done.

Late one weekend the business owners needed sheet metal to seal the pumps, but did not know where to turn.

Ms. Barnett called a friend who delivered the material just in time.

She said “the president of the company told me later, ‘you didn’t know it, but if you didn’t get that sheet metal, the job would have collapsed.’”

Barnett also arranged to have lumber delivered on a weekend, rounded up a wide variety of odds and ends, and arranged for meals for employees working long shifts.

She was quick to point out, however, that it was a group project.

“There were a lot of people who pitched in to help. There was a great enthusiasm and energy to get things done,” said Barnett. ” There was no second to be wasted.”

While the company was working on a government contract, many of those involved, including Barnett, were working on a volunteer basis.

“I never heard anyone talk about how much money they were going to make,” said Barnett. “It was about saving lives. These people were going to be able to save lives.”

With this chapter of her life behind her, Ms. Barnett is moving on to help others.

Recognizing that importance of a positive mental attitude in improving production in the workplace and the quality of life in general Ms. Barnett has developed a program called “Messages in Motion” to help people develop a more positive outlook.

“The Chickasaw is so created, that when a passion fires/ignites our souls, adversities vanish,” said Ms. Barnett. “The message I hope to express from this is adversities force one to take their eyes off the things of this world and look inside. That is when one will discover who they really are.”

“That’s what I want to do now is to go into the workforce to help people think in more positive ways. I want to help people improve their attitudes and their lives. I want my legacy to be helping people.”

Rhonda Barnett is the great granddaughter of Chickasaw original enrollee Jacob Durant. She is the daughter of Lois (Durant) Ward and James Ward.

For information about “Messages in Motion” call (918) 258-4030.