Pedal Pulls for Children

Annette Barber, patient account associate with Duke Medicine, arrives at work around six every morning. She won't leave the office until 4:30 or so in the afternoon.

The long days are perfect as far as Barber is concerned, because the four-day work week leaves Friday open for her to do as she pleases. And for Barber, that means volunteering.

"I never stay at home; I'm always moving," Barber says. "If it weren't for my daughter-in-law, who lives with us, the house would probably be a complete mess," she adds with a laugh. "But it wouldn't matter, I guess, because I'm not there anyway."

Barber is most often on the road, working with children or the elderly. A 24-year member of United Pullers of the Carolinas, Barber is the long-time director of Pedal Pull Against Drugs, a youth outreach program that combines pedal tractor competition with anti-drug education. She volunteers regularly through Tri-County Volunteers in Action and at Relay for Life events. She cooks for friends and family in need, and she raises money for local organizations. In her spare time, she works as a private-duty nurse for cancer patients.

"People say, ‘How do you find time to do all this?'" Barber says. "When you want to do something, you make the time for it."

During the month-long DukeConnects Challenge, Barber made time for 79 hours of volunteer service, all of which she recorded online. That made Barber the DukeConnects Challenge Individual Winner.

Barber traces her energy for service back to childhood, when her family taught her that going out of your way to help people in need is simply the right thing to do.

Today Barber's biggest volunteer commitment is Pedal Pull Against Drugs. Barber traces this passion back to her family as well: she became hooked on motor sports while watching her uncles race at the Orange County Speedway against the likes of Junior Johnson and Buddy Baker. She soon developed a particular love for tractor pull.

"I attended my first tractor pull in 1978," Barber says. "I thought it was so neat that you could actually walk around and talk to the drivers, look at the tractors, and you would see the kids running up and down the track yelling ‘Come on, Daddy' or ‘Come on, Mama.'"

Barber promotes that sense of family as director of Pedal Pull Against Drugs, a name she coined herself since the competition is part of the national Race Against Drugs. Her program has become a model for others that have formed around the nation.

The competition side of the program allows children, anywhere from 4 to 10 years old and in separate weight classes, to drive a specially geared pedal tractor that pulls a sled loaded with weights - Barber said the kids can pull up to five or six times their own body weight.

The pedal pull is what gets the kids to participate, but for Barber the best part is building a family and support network for the children, and educating them about how to stay away from drugs.

Many of Barber's kids, who know her simply as "Ms. Annette," have gone on to volunteer themselves. Her own sons have won scholarships for their civic engagement efforts, and her husband is an active volunteer. One of Barber's pedal pull kids recently thanked her publicly at his Police Academy graduation for inspiring him to become a Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer.

Inspiring others to give back is one of the biggest rewards for Barber. It's also why she chose to participate in the DukeConnects Challenge.

"As big as Duke is, people think Duke owns everything," Barber said. "They don't see how much the employees give back to the community. They don't see how much Duke gives back to the community. And they need to know."