A world of good started with Jakylovich’s simple desire to help

Patricia Jakylovich has spent a lifetime finding ways to serve.

First it was as a member of a convent as a young woman, then as a nurse and later as a member of the Women’s Army Corps.

For the 26 years that followed that service, she was a staff member for the mental health department with the Veterans Administration.

Today, the children and teachers of Lake Road Elementary know Jakylovich, 73, as the kind volunteer who helps students with reading.

She is the woman who sits in on school-parent activities for those students who don’t have anyone else to attend.

Jakylovich is the nice lady who donates supplies and items for boys and girls whenever a classroom or project runs short.

She is the caring adult who sees the students who need positive attention the most, and finds a way to connect.

For these reasons and many more, Jakylovich was nominated as a Difference Maker of the Year, and is one of the 10 finalists for 2020.

Jakylovich was submitted for the honor by Lake Road Elementary teacher Jessica Burnette.

“Patricia Jakylovich, most affectionately called Ms. Pat J, has been blessing the students at Lake Road Elementary School since 2016. Her willingness to help others and her selfless nature define who she is,” Burnette wrote. “She is caring, compassionate and always considerate of others. She has the gift to see a need and do everything in her power to meet that need.”

Burnette was in her first year as a Poplar Bluff R-I second-grade teacher when Jakylovich started as a volunteer. Jakylovich decided to volunteer one day a week at the school after reading an article in the Daily American Republic.

Last year, Jakylovich volunteered three days a week. COVID concerns are hampering her ability to volunteer this year, but Burnette hopes to arrange video chat visits with her students.

Lake Road is only one of many places Jakylovich has offered her time and care over the years.

Whether it’s making sure a 92-year-old widow, who lives nearby, doesn’t have to struggle to the mailbox every day or writing encouraging letters to a friend whose mistakes landed him jail, Jakylovich finds many ways to show the world how much she cares for everyone around her.

“I feel like I have to. It’s just little things,” said Jakylovich, who is reluctant to speak about her efforts. “I find my people by accident. I didn’t do it on purpose. It just happens.”

There were times in her life, growing up with a widowed mother during hard times, or struggling as an adult, when people reached out to help, Jakylovich said.

“That’s where I get my strength and my energy from, to serve,” she said, adding, “I have just tried to bring it (and give back) what I have been affected by.”

Poplar Bluff hasn’t been the only place to benefit from Jakylovich’s helping hands.

Before her retirement, Jakylovich would borrow money from her credit union to join mission trips each year during her vacation.

It didn’t matter if the trip was sponsored by the Baptists, the Methodists or another faith-based group. If they were going to help, Jakylovich wanted to participate.

Her basic principle after all is, “Be kind. Always be kind.”

Through these efforts, she has traveled to serve children and those in need across the world. This includes Haiti, Nicaragua, Russia, India, Ukraine and South America.

Jakylovich often asks if she’s made a difference, said Burnette.

Yes, Ms. Pat J, Burnette believes, then and now.

“I think she has made me understand how Poplar Bluff is more of a community,” Burnette said. “Coming from a larger school district and larger city, I began to see how people can give back.”

To others who might think about serving in some big or small way, Jakylovich says, “If you’ve got this idea in your head, don’t dilly dally. Just do it.”