It’s all too common to celebrate the benefit a small number of people can make to the masses, but the opposite was demonstrated on Tuesday.

That’s when thousands came together to make a difference in the lives of around 500 families in Lawrence County, by supporting a replacement levy for the

Lawrence County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

Voters approved the levy by an overwhelming majority with 8,271 voting in favor of the levy, and 2,788 against it. That totals around a 75 percent support.

To board superintendent Pat Mollet, that more than a win for his group, it’s a message about the way the community feels about his program.

“It’s rewarding, it feels good, it’s exciting, but it’s also very humbling,” Mollet said. “It’s not about saying that we’re doing anything fantastic, it’s believing that people with disabilities have the right to service that will give them the opportunity to live a full life. That’s what it says to me.”

The department was formerly funded by two separate levies, a .5-millage levy started in 1985, and a 2-millage levy voted on in 1991. Those levies generate money based on the property values when they were established, meaning the income from the levy (around 25 percent of MR/DD’s budget) was stagnant.

The new levy passed on Tuesday combines the two levies into one 2.5-millage levy and updates the property values. Organizers say that the new levy will generate an additional $700,000 for the MR/DD board.

That’s music to the ears of Patty Primm, who is involved with MR/DD’s Tri-State Industries.

“I knew it was going to pass!” Primm shouted with a laugh. “Easy! I just kept my fingers crossed.”

Linda Hamilton’s daughter Christina is a graduate of Open Door School, and has also moved to Tri-State Industries. Hamilton said that she was slightly more reserved about the vote, but had still been optimistic.

“You always have doubts, you don’t want to be too complacent,” Hamilton said. “Everybody has worked really hard, and this tells me that this community really cares.”

Jack Finch, who had headed up the bond levy campaign, was one of the last supporters to depart from the gym of Open Door School where they watched results come in. As he prepared to leave the gym, he said that it was that it was not just the finally tally, but the sentiment behind it that he would always keep with him.

“It’s nice to know that there’s the support for the programs that helps all those special individuals,” Finch said. “That’s what’s precious.”