Fifteen years ago, Martha Ray found a new home in Osage County, and she's spent those years making it a better place for everyone to live.
Ray left her native southern California when she and her husband had an opportunity to retire from their careers - hers in public relations, his in project management. Looking for a change of scenery, they found a 100-year-old house on 30 acres outside of Linn, where the only person they knew was Martha's sister.
Fixing up the house kept them busy, but she couldn't stay retired for long.
"I didn't plan on going back to work," she said. "After a couple of years here - we spent the time redoing the house and making it our own inside, and he was getting used to working on 30 acres and what that takes - I realized there were a few things I was missing. I didn't know anyone other than my sister, and I didn't have any friends. In my experience, you either make them in school or at work."
So she answered a job ad to work part time for Central Missouri Community Action helping clients in need pay their electric bills.
And just like retirement didn't stick, part-time work didn't either.
When her supervisor left, she took on a larger role within the social services agency's Osage County office. Then, about five years into the job, CMCA reorganized the office and made Ray its community organizer.
"That was kind of made for me. That was exactly who I thought I could be," she said. "I loved it. I got to meet so many people and work with the partners from schools and churches and business and organizations."
Her role was to ask what needs existed in the community and work with the community to find solutions together.
"You can't go in and tell a community - particularly in Missouri - what they need to do to make their community a better place to live," she said.
Instead, she explained, it was about encouraging people to join community action teams formed around causes they were interested in - they formed a dozen teams, with up to 200 people involved.
While Osage County's community action teams ranged from promoting agri-tourism to supplementing the work of food pantries to creating a system of care for mental health needs, one initiative Ray is particularly proud of is the community's ongoing anti-drug efforts.
The Osage County Anti-Drug Community Action Team works with the county's schools, law enforcement and community to lower underage drinking and drug use. It uses grants to fund education in the schools and administers an annual survey of students that's more detailed than the state's.
"Four years later, it's a nonprofit recognized by the federal government and the state of Missouri," Ray said. "It started with a small community action team, and we're very proud of that."
Even now, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, OCADCAT is providing training for every school age group with educational videos available to students and parents, Ray said.
The anti-drug initiative is one of many Ray is proud of from her time at CMCA.
"I didn't expect to go back to work, and then I had the chance to do that," she said. "It truly had such an impact on me and has kind of given me an opportunity to do something that was strictly for the love of doing it - and that's not something that everybody gets to do."
Now, she's hoping retirement sticks this time.
And part of knowing it was time to move on was knowing she could trust her successor.
"When I was looking for the person to replace me, I knew that if I found somebody that was trustworthy, that person would not have any issue making it in Osage County," Ray said. "That's truly what it boils down to in this county: If they can trust you, then they're going to go along with you and make life better for you and for the community at the same time."
CMCA found that person in Jenn Millard, Ray believes. Millard will serve as community organizer for Osage and Moniteau counties.
"She's the most trustworthy person I know. She's strong; you can believe what she says. She wants to make an impact," Ray said. "I know it's in good hands."
As for Ray, Osage County will remain home for her and her husband, along with their farm full of goats, chickens and cats. When travel is safer, they plan to spend time visiting national parks; friends throughout the United States; and their two sons' families in California and France.