August 12, 2025 — Hendrix College alumna Michele
Paden ’94 has turned personal tragedy into purposeful leadership, dedicating
her life to two powerful causes that serve communities across Arkansas:
Families Against Distractive Driving (FADD) and the Diamond Volunteer Chapter
of Canine Companions. Based out of Mountain Home, Paden dedicates her time as a
speaker, advocate, and volunteer, improving lives through public safety
awareness and service dog training.
“It has really just evolved out of my passion
to make a positive out of a negative situation and timing; everything fell into
place at the exact right time,” Paden said of her paths to both organizations.
Unfortunately, it began in the wake of a family tragedy that changed
everything.
In August 2013, Paden’s nephew, Grant Pyle,
was paralyzed in a car crash caused by distracted driving. He was just two-and-a-half
weeks into his senior year at Magnolia High School. Grant was a passenger in a
vehicle whose driver lost control while using a cellphone. The crash left Grant
a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down.
In response, Paden and a close family friend
launched Families Against Distractive Driving (FADD) in 2014 with the mission
of spreading awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and preventing
similar tragedies. Since 2016, Paden left her full-time job to dedicate more
time and energy to FADD as the organization’s CEO and president.
During FADD’s busiest year in 2017, she
traveled to over 50 speaking events, and while the COVID-19 pandemic slowed
operations, her advocacy has continued across the state and beyond. She has:
- spoken at the National Transportation Safety
Board in Washington, D.C.;
- worked with Arkansas legislators to propose
stronger distracted driving laws, including hands-free legislation;
- presented at Miss Arkansas, inspiring future
leaders to drive responsibly;
- been recognized in 2019 by the Arkansas
House, Senate, and Governor for FADD’s efforts to make our roadways safer; and
- traveled many miles over the entire state
speaking to schools, clubs, and civic organizations.
“You wouldn’t get in a car with someone who
is drinking and driving,” Paden often says. “So why would you get in the car or
stay in the car with a distracted driver?”
For Paden, FADD is not just about her nephew.
“This group isn’t just about Grant—it’s about saving lives from death and
injuries,” she commented. “Distracted driving is not a ‘FADD.’ It has always
been a problem, and cell phones have taken it to a it a whole new level.”
Answering the Call: Canine Companions and the
Power of Service Dogs
The Paden family’s journey with Canine
Companions began in 2017 when Grant received his service dog, Waldi, from the
national nonprofit, which provides expertly trained service dogs—valued between
$50,000 and $60,000—to people with disabilities at no cost.
Inspired by the impact Waldi had on Grant’s
life, Michele and her family began raising service dogs through Canine
Companions’ puppy raising program. In July 2018, they received their first
puppy, Celene, who was turned in for professional training in February 2020.
Although she did not graduate from professional service dog training in
Oceanside, California, Celene found a permanent home with the Padens as their forever
pet.
Their next dog, Roxy, completed her full
training in early 2023 in Irving, Texas, and was placed through PAWS for
Justice, a statewide program supported by the Arkansas Office of the Prosecutor
Coordinator. Roxy now serves as a courtroom facility dog for victims or
witnesses of domestic violence, helping both children and adults during police
interviews, forensic exams, and court proceedings.
“People ask us all the time: How do we raise
these puppies and then give them up? Seeing all the lives Roxy touches and
helps through difficult times makes it all worth it!” Paden said. Michele and
her family are very fortunate to still have contact with Roxy who lives with
her amazing handler, Fawn Borden, in Conway.
Last
fall, Michele and her husband, Matt, were honored to serve as finishing raisers
for a puppy named Klancey. They stepped in when his original raiser, a college
student, was studying abroad in Italy. Klancey graduated from professional training in May and is now a
courtroom facility dog in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
In June 2025, the Paden family welcomed
Pepper, an 11-month-old puppy transferred from Canine Companions’ prison
raising program with Pollock Prison in Louisiana. Pepper is their fourth dog in
training as part of their commitment to the Canine Companions mission. They are
scheduled to receive their next prison puppy in February 2026.
In 2024, Michele assumed the leader role of
the Diamond Volunteer Chapter of Canine Companions which serves the entire
state of Arkansas and is part of the South-Central Region, headquartered in
Irving, Texas. Volunteers across Arkansas—including college students and
families in Conway, Little Rock, and Fayetteville—help raise service dogs,
promote disability awareness, and fundraise for Canine Companions.
Chapter volunteers also raise public
awareness and recruit students and families to support Canine Companions’
life-changing work. The national organization celebrates its 50th anniversary
this year and breeds approximately 1,500 puppies annually to be raised by
volunteers for people with disabilities.
A Hendrix Journey
Before her work in advocacy and raising
future service-dog puppies, Michele Paden spent four years working in the
Hendrix College Office of Development under then-Vice President Ellis Arnold.
She credits her time at Hendrix, both as a student and staff member, for
shaping her values.
“Hendrix taught me how to love and accept
people for who they are,” Paden said.
A proud member of the Class of 1994, Michele
Paden exemplifies the spirit of service, compassion, and leadership Hendrix
strives to instill in all its graduates. Through her work with FADD and Canine
Companions, she continues to lead by example—empowering others, advocating for
justice, and raising future service-dog puppies that transform lives.
About Families Against Distractive Driving
(FADD)
Founded in 2014, FADD is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to ending distracted driving through education,
community outreach, and legislative advocacy. Inspired by a family tragedy,
FADD promotes safer roads, advocates for distracted driving legislation and
distracted driving victims, supports future leaders, and presents educational
programs on distracted driving.
About the Diamond Volunteer Chapter – Canine
Companions
Established in 2022, the Diamond Volunteer
Chapter is part of the South-Central Region of Canine Companions. The chapter
unites puppy raisers, graduate teams, and volunteers throughout Arkansas to
provide trained service dogs to children, adults, and veterans with
disabilities—at no cost to recipients.
About
Hendrix College
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is featured in Colleges
That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges
and celebrated among the country’s leading liberal arts colleges for academic
quality, engaged learning opportunities and career preparation, vibrant campus
life, and value. The Hendrix College Warriors compete in 21 NCAA Division III
sports. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since
1884. Learn more at www.hendrix.edu.
“… Through engagement that links the
classroom with the world, and a commitment to diversity, inclusion, justice,
and sustainable living, the Hendrix community inspires students to lead lives
of accomplishment, integrity, service, and joy.” –Hendrix
College Statement of Purpose