Mona Sweet is a doer of good deeds

Lots of people do good deeds great and small, working behind the scenes to make life better for all.

Sedalia resident Mona Sweet is exactly that sort of person. Sweet is the kind of person that others turn to whenever they need a helping hand.

Sweet started out as a volunteer at the Mid-Missouri Humane Society, and served on its board for several years. A longtime member of Full Circle Motorcycle Association, she helps organize the group’s annual Bikers for Babies run for the March of Dimes. She volunteers through her church, and put together a benefit dinner on short notice for the family of a longtime friend who died last year.

She is also the mother of a teenager, Jimmy, and works about 60 hours a week at two jobs.

And that’s just a few entries on the list.

The Bikers for Babies ride is near to Sweet’s heart because her nephew, now an adult, was born three months premature.

“He has endured so many symptoms,” she said, and has the mental capacity of a five-year-old and lives in a wheelchair, and nearly died in surgery when he was young.

Organizations like the March of Dimes have improved the outcomes for premature infants.

“They did not have the research they do now. Now, a lot of babies come out of it perfectly normal,” she said.

Sweet and her significant other, Bob Carrender, decided to start a Sedalia Bikers for Babies event with FCMA. This September will be the YEAR year.

When they started, the closest ride was out of Jefferson City.

“We were like, oh look, we will do the work. We will rent the fairgrounds out of our pocket ... just give it a shot. And the very first year, we had 150 registered riders come out of Sedalia, which is what they had after two years in Jefferson City,” she said.

Last year, the ride from Sedalia had more than 400 riders, and raised about 10 percent of the state total for the nationwide event.

“We would like to see 500 (riders) this year,” she said.

Sweet often pitches in and works at or attends charitable events where she’s not the organizer.

This year, she helped out at a turkey shoot held by Blackwater River and Davis Creek Muzzleloaders to raise money for I-70 Medical Center in Sweet Springs.

“It was something we felt was important that the community needed, so what we could do, we did,” she said.

At the humane society, she did everything from help clean cages to photograph adoptable pets for the group’s Web site.

She’s had to give up her seat on the board because she’s been busier than usual this year, but hopes to get back.

“I miss it,” she said. She’s been involved with them for over two years, “and I will be again, once things calm down and life goes back to normal. Whatever that is.”

“She’s always willing to step up and do what needs to be done,” said Butch Christman, who has worked with Sweet at both Humane Society and FCMA events. “She always gets donations and things like that for whatever she’s going for.”

“And people to help her,” said his wife, Mary.

“She’s really good at that” he said.

Sweet said her volunteer work keeps life interesting, and she couldn’t do a lot of it without the help of Carrender.

“God organizes my life to where it all works. I just put it in his hands and say, ‘Show me how,’” she said.

FCMA members all pitch in and help with events, even on short notice.

“Anytime we’ve had an emergency situation, we pull together. Anytime anyone has an emergency, everyone — and I mean everyone — asks, ‘What can I do?’” she said. “It’s a challenge to organize something like that, but (it’s easy) when you have so many hands willing to help.”

Jackie Shelledy, presidential committee chairman for Full Circle Motorcycle Association, was introduced to Sweet by Carrender six years ago.

“Ever since we’ve started this, they’ve raised their hands to be a big part of what’s going on. They’ve made the things happen they’ve promised to make happen. ... They strive every day to make it what it is,” he said.

Sweet is now the group’s treasurer, but was always involved in every fundraising event, he said.

“She gives a lot of her time, a whole lot of it,” he said.