Ophelia Gaines Inducted into National Community Action Hall of Fame

Courtesy of action pact, inc.

Ophelia K. Gaines, retired Executive Director of action pact, inc., was inducted into the Inaugural Class of the National Community Action Hall of Fame at the National Community Action Foundation’s (NCAF) 2024 Legislative Conference in Washington, DC.

The National Community Action Hall of Fame was introduced this year to “recognize some remarkable individuals who have helped lead, strengthen and inspire the Community Action movement.” Gaines was one of only 15 inductees from across the nation.

Gaines was clearly moved by the honor. “I want to thank everyone who thought I was worthy of this honor…You just don’t know how much it means to me.”

“I also want to honor my first Executive Director, Mr. A.C. Harrison, who hired me right out of college and told me he saw something in me…I wasn’t sure if I was going to stay, but I stayed 44 years. The thing about Community Action is that it was never just a job for me. It was my life work, and I gave it my best,” she said.

Those who know Gaines will not be surprised that the Georgia Community Action Association chose her as Georgia’s first National Community Action Hall of Fame nominee for the state. Her leadership abilities became apparent as soon as she entered the field. On September 10, 1973, the recent Albany State graduate began her career in Community Action with Altamaha Area Community Action. Just three months later, she ascended to a Directorship.

Gaines would lead the agency’s Community Services Department until 2007, when she became Executive Director. She was at the helm of Concerted Services, Inc. (now action pact, inc.) until her retirement in 2017.

As a Community Action leader in Southeast Georgia with Altamaha Area Community Action/ Concerted Services, Inc./ action pact inc., Gaines formed partnerships with community leaders and government officials. She recruited influential people and got them engaged in the work of Community Action – fighting poverty and empowering the poor. “We had to have people with power who could speak up for us in Atlanta and advocate for change. This was one of my main goals,” she said.

Another main goal was to be the catalyst for change in the communities at-large. These partnerships with community leaders and government officials bore fruit in the form of meal-delivery vehicles, state-of-the-art senior center and Head Start facilities, financial empowerment classes, and support for many other ventures.

Her success as a woman of color was not enough for Gaines, who recruited more black people for positions of leadership throughout the agency and on its Board of Directors. She worked hard to have a board that “gave everybody a seat at the table” and reflected the diversity of the communities it served.

What accounts for her longevity in a sector known for its high burnout rate? Gaines credits her faith, which guided and protected her throughout her storied career. “I always knew I wanted to help people. That was a calling deep down inside me. We are put on earth to help each other. We have a mission. We must do these things,” she said.