Betsy Smith is DeKalb County through and through. Not only was she born and raised in the area, she has moved on to become a businesswoman and to serve the community through volunteer service.

Betsy was born in Smithville to Ronald and Barbara Gard. She attended school in DeKalb County, graduating from DeKalb County High School before moving on to Cumberland University where she studied marketing.

Later she would meet and marry Cliff Smith of Smith County, and together they have two sons, Michael and Jacob, with two daughter in-laws and four grandchildren. The family now lives just outside of Alexandria, a community Betsy says she loves.

Betsy said she worked at Toshiba for 17 years as a sales trainer, before working for a company out of Canada, Dutailier, as a sales representative as well. Eventually she began her career in real estate.

She has been in the realty business for eight years, working through Town and Lake Realty at 208 East Public Square in Smithville. When asked why she decided to go into the real estate business, Betsy said she felt she was led there. “It felt like it was somewhere I needed to be. I felt led to go into that field, and I’ve really enjoyed it.”

When asked about her volunteerism in the county, Betsy said she loves working with her church and other organizations. Said she stays busy at work, church, and helping out where she can.

“I do most anything that I possibly can,” Betsy said. “My church is Allens Chapel Church in Smithville, out on Coconut Ridge Road. We have a weekly food ministry that is going on about 21 years. We serve the community with food they can prepare themselves. We work with a non-profit on collecting food from various things, from meats and dairy products, to produce and a mixture of items.”

“With Covid, we converted it into a drive-thru service that goes completely around our church,” she explained. “That’s every Saturday morning. We unload the truck once a week on Fridays, and on Saturday mornings, regardless of the weather, we are out serving those in need. Right now, we are serving approximately 200 families weekly.”

Betsy also works with a local charity that helps children in need. “I also work with the Last-Minute Toy Shop in Smithville. My area in that is wrapping gifts,” she said with a laugh. “I think it’s a great thing that is helping a lot of families, and it’s something I believe in. I have also sponsored that program since it started as well. It provides Christmas gifts for newborns up to the age of 18, providing for those in need.”

In addition, Betsy volunteers with DESA Thanksgiving and Christmas community meal delivery, and volunteers at the Walk to Emmaus. She says she volunteers on small scales when the opportunity arises

When asked what she loves about living and working in DeKalb County, Betsy mentions its beauty and the quality of its residents.

“First of all, it’s a beautiful area and it’s centrally located to almost everything anyone needs. But it still has that smalltown feel. DeKalb County has some great people that live here, great businesses, and obviously the community is growing and offering new things, especially to new visitors to the area. I love the lake and my dad was a professional fisherman, so I spent a lot of time on the water.”

“There are so many things I love about DeKalb County,” Betsy said “But most of all, it’s home.”