Keith Vire

Keith Vire doesn’t turn anyone or anything down.

Vire has led the Arkansas Support Network for a quarter of a century. Sometimes he has done that by discussing policy with lawmakers, and sometimes he has done that in less glamorous positions.

“It has not been very long since I did an overnight shift,” Vire said. “I have no problem wiping someone’s butt. I’m not afraid to clean bathrooms and unclog toilets. That’s what they need, and that’s what we do.”

The Arkansas Support Network provides support and counseling for 1,500 disabled individuals and their families in northwest Arkansas. A big focus recently has been on job programs, and the Arkansas Support Network is doing a pilot program called Employment First. “This is bringing a lot more attention and work,” Vire said.

Vire said the network never turns anyone away and tries to tailor each program to the individual’s specific needs and abilities. “We have a zero-reject program,” Vire said. “We’ve never turned anyone away. We will support everyone. We will never kick anyone out. It’s something I consider the right thing to do.”

Vire, 65, will kick himself out by the end of 2017. He said he doesn’t want to retire but a succession plan is in place. “I’m essentially at this point in my life where I’m winding it down,” Vire said. Vire said he will do his successor the honor of getting the heck out of the building so he or she can properly run the nonprofit. He plans to stay active raising money for the Arkansas Support Network. “I would miss it tremendously if I didn’t get to do any of that,” Vire said. “I’ve been a fixture here, and when I’m not the CEO, I can’t be in the building.”

Raising enough money seems a never-ending task, but Vire stays the course. Working with disabled people and their families has given him that perspective. “It’s really difficult,” Vire said. “We take the attitude that we’re just going to do it.”

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