Monthly Archives: May 2016

Titus County Reads wraps up year

Posted on by Lynda Stringer

May 24, 2016 | By LYNDA STRINGER

 

57450fbd529aa.image

 

Contributed Photo|TITUS COUNTY CARES

 

 

Titus County Cares has closed the book on another successful Titus County Reads school year.

The program works a little differently than people might think about a reading program. The volunteers are paired up with a student for one-on-one reading time during the week. The kids read to the adults in most cases as a way to help them improve their reading skills.

“Volunteers enter the schools each week to read for 30 minutes with their first grade reading buddy,” said Mary Katherine Milam, Titus County Cares marketing director.

“The little girl I read to at Annie Simms, Natalia, loved to read to me, but sometimes she wanted to take turns, so I would read the left page and she would read the right page,” said Kim Crabb, who began volunteering with the program this year. “But, the boy I read to at E.C. Brice, Christian, he never read anything to me at all. He was so sweet, but he never said a thing to me all year. It kind of broke my heart, but on the other hand, Natalia talked plenty for him.”

Crabb said the little boy’s teacher said he was very shy, but very smart.

“She said, ‘He’s getting it, I promise,’” Crabb said. “I loved it, especially when you see them making progress.”

She said Natalia progressed through several reading levels.

“I wasn’t actually sure when I went into this how helpful it would be, but I was really impressed. I saw a lot of growth in her reading,” Crabb said.

More than 100 volunteers signed up for the program.

“Many special relationships have been formed while literacy was being promoted,” Milam said.

Crabb said she plans to volunteer again next year; she may even take on three students.

Every elementary student in Titus County received a new book and a book bag as the program wrapped up for the year.

“The books were taken to each elementary campus and laid out by grade level on tables in the lobby.  Each class came by and the children were able to choose which book they wanted to take home to keep and read,” said Titus County Cares Executive Director Judy Lee.

Milam said the most impressive part of the program is the community involvement. She said Judd Marshall, the superintendent of Mount Pleasant ISD has been a huge supporter.

“We owe much of our success of the program to his encouragement. At the first of the school year, he challenged all of his administrators to read with a student on a different campus from where they work.  It has been exciting to see these principals at different schools,” Milam said.

Milam said the children who get the one-on-one time with the same caring adult each week have been the biggest winners.

But, it has been pretty special for the grown-ups, too.

“Week after week the smile from my little buddy when he saw me made my day,” she said.

Lynda Stringer is a Mount Pleasant-based freelance writer and the owner of Stringer Media. Contact her at Lynda.Stringer@outlook.com.

 

Colonel donates Shields of Strength

Posted on by Lynda Stringer
May 20, 2016 | By LYNDA STRINGER

 

573fc583314c8.image

 

Kellye Cooper displays a Shield of Strength| Photo by LYNDA STRINGER

 

 

 

Ministering Our Military received a surprise donation from a veteran who has been on a mission to “carry the load” for soldiers for many years.

U.S. Army (Ret.) Col. David Dodd recently learned about the Mount Pleasant-based organization and its efforts to support military troops and the Carry The Load National Relay, which makes its annual stop in Mount Pleasant on May 27.

M.O.M. hosts a rally and lunch for the Carry The Load team and invites active duty military, veterans, police officers, firefighters and first responders to a free lunch and the community to join them in the Mount Pleasant to Winfield leg of the Carry The Load Walk.

Dodd, who served in the military for more than 27 years, including two deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan, offered to donate “Shields of Strength” dog tag necklaces for the group to distribute to those who attend the rally. The necklaces come in a wide variety of styles and have Bible verses on the back.

Dodd will also walk with the Mount Pleasant team and will serve as the event’s keynote speaker.

Kellye Cooper, the co-founder of M.O.M. said Dodd contacted her saying he wanted to partner with the group and donate the dog tags for the rally, for Gold Star families and for every care package the group sends to military troops.

“I sent him an email that said, ‘This is great. I love the offer, but I don’t want to ask for too many’ and asked if they could give me an estimate of what I could ask for,” Cooper said. “Col. Dodd emailed me back and said, ‘We’re talking thousands. You ask and we’ll provide.’ He said that when they can no longer provide, God will find a way.”

Cooper said more than 1,000 people attended the rally last year at the Mount Pleasant/Titus County Chamber & Visitor’s Center. The rally starts at 10:30 a.m., with the national relay team will arriving at around 11 a.m.

“They are providing a Shield of Strength for every single person that attends. I have one for every first responder, one for every member of M.O.M. with the appropriate branch of service. and also, they sent folded flag Shields for every Gold Star family that attends.”

Cooper said she can’t put into words what the generous offer means to her group.

“I have probably cried more tears over this than anything in a long time. This is unbelievable to me,” she said. “I’m absolutely blown away.”

The Shields of Strength necklaces were created by Kenny Vaughan, the story of which is told in his book of the same name. Vaughan won the 1996 national championship in water-ski jumping after striving for the title for 15 years.

Dodd, a man of deep faith, came across Shields of Strength while serving in the Army. He found soldiers wearing the dog tags they had attached to their military issue tags. The Shields had the verse from Joshua 1:9 inscribed on them: “I will be strong and courageous. I will not be terrified or discouraged, for the Lord my God is with me wherever I go.”

While on active duty, Dodd handed out more than 10,000 Shields of Strength tags to members of the Armed Forces, military families and senior U.S. and international leaders.

He told Cooper that he’s never seen a ministry that changed lives the way the Shields of Strength ministry has.

“He said he could try to give people Bibles all day long and they wouldn’t accept them, but if he gave them that Shield, they would attach it to their dog tags and somewhere along the line, they’d read the scripture and come back later and ask about it,” Cooper said. “We always said this ministry was about God, that we wanted God to be foremost and what better way to present this than in a way that people will accept it.”

Dodd said he has a special request for those who receive a Shield at the rally.

“We will ask them to wear the Shield and when they see a member of the Armed Forces or a First Responder, to thank them for their service and give them their Shield of Strength.”

The idea ties perfectly into the mission of Carry The Load, which seeks to bring back the true meaning of Memorial Day and honors the military and those who serve their communities in first responder roles.

“The word picture created by Carry The Load is powerful on many levels. Warriors do carry heavy loads of combat gear and equipment. Often they carry heavy mental and emotional loads,” Dodd said. “They will carry the load as far and as long as they possibly can without asking for help. That is how they are wired, to carry the load for others.”

The Shields of Strength will be an additional gesture from a grateful community to a deserving few who take on the challenge to serve.

Lynda Stringer is a Mount Pleasant-based freelance writer and the owner of Stringer Media. Contact her at Lynda.Stringer@outlook.com.

 

Jo’s collects diapers for needy tushies

Posted on by Lynda Stringer
Caroline Blackard-Jos Diaper Drive

Caroline Blackard donates to Jo’s diaper drive.|Photo By LYNDA STRINGER

May 13, 2016 | By LYNDA STRINGER

The first thing a parent does when their baby is crying is check their diaper. But, what if it needs changing and there are no diapers left in the bag? That’s a dilemma many families in need face and when they turn to Titus County Cares for help, right now, they are being turned away.

“Titus County Cares has been out of diapers for two months,” said Caroline Blackard, the acting manager at Jo’s Coffee Shop, which launched a diaper drive Friday for the organization to help meet the need. Many of the staff have small children and understand what a huge issue it can be for parents. Blackard said Belle Baker, the mom of a 2-year-old boy, is the leading force behind the drive.

“Where she lived before there was a place where foster families could pick up things like that, so she has been involved with diaper drives before,” Blackard said.

The staff reached out to Titus County Cares to find out what their situation was with their stores of diapers. The organization said Kimberly Clark had donated seven pallets of diapers a little over a year ago, which lasted six months.

“Since then they have taken cash donations to buy diapers, but they haven’t had any children’s diapers to hand out at all for a few months now,” Blackard said.

Jo’s has set a goal of collecting 5,000 diapers during the campaign, which will run through June 18. That should provide a 10-week supply of diapers for the organization. Titus County Cares will distribute the diapers to parents who qualify for financial assistance and have been verified to have children three years of age or younger living in the home.

“This is something our employees decided to do to give back to the community,” Blackard said. “It’s something that is near and dear to their hearts.”

When donors brings in a box of 100 diapers, they will receive a free 12 ounce drink from the coffee bar. For a bag of diapers, customers will receive $2 off their purchase.

Blackard said the diaper drive is the latest community service project the coffee shop has been involved in. Jo’s, which part of Ark Ministries, just wrapped up a weeklong sale of blueberry muffins provided by Pearl’s Kitchen at the end of April. For each muffin sold, Jo’s donated $2 to CASA of Titus, Camp and Morris Counties. Jo’s had an anonymous matching donor as well.

“We had a goal to sell 250 muffins and we met that on the last day. With the matching donation, we were able to give CASA $1,000,” Blackard said.

The coffee shop is also planning a pet portrait day to raise money for the Mount Pleasant Animal Shelter.

 

MP observes National Day of Prayer

Posted on by Lynda Stringer

May 6, 2016 | By LYNDA STRINGER

Prayer-2

Photo by LYNDA STRINGER

 

Pictured from left, Daniel Evans, Dawna Land and Gustavo Caamal pray together on a bench outside the Titus County Courthouse for National Day of Prayer Thursday morning. 

Prayer gatherings sprouted up around Mount Pleasant on Thursday as the annual National Day of Prayer observance was held across the country.

The events were loosely organized in a come and go style at the Titus County Courthouse early in the morning and at noon and mid-morning at Heav’nly Foods using the national theme, “Wake Up America.”

On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott proclaimed May 5 as the Texas National Day of Prayer at the state’s NDP breakfast in Austin. The date coincided with the national observance held every year on the first Thursday in May.

“These are trying times, and there is an urgent need to pray. America is at a time of crisis as some try to silence the faithful and purge God from the public square,” Abbott said at the prayer breakfast.

Karen Oakerson, Trinity Baptist Church Preschool Minister and Community Involvement Director, organized the Thursday morning prayer gathering at the courthouse.

“We wanted an opportunity for believers in our community from all different denominations to come together and pray in the Lord’s name and pray over our community, our nation and our state and also to take individual prayer requests,” Oakerson said.

Jeremy Thomas, Pastor of Center Church said the event was a great opportunity for the community and the different churches to come together.

“I noticed a lot of emphasis in praying for our city and for God to work in our city and our nation and I think that’s always important, especially in the times that we’re in,” Thomas said.

“It’s important to have unity of the believers in a town and in our country, so it’s a great way to do that.”Abbott said.  “We live in the greatest country in the history of the world, but we must also realize how our nation has become broken” and that “our nation was founded by the rule of law originally handed down by Moses. We have strayed from that law.”

He said Americans can use opportunities to be a witness for God’s grace not just on designated prayer days, but every day.

“We must do this if we are to steer America back on course,” Abbott said. 

“We must never be shaken. America must never be shaken. As long as we build our fortress on the rock of God, America will never be shaken.”

For the May 5th observances, Dr. Tony Evans, the 2016 Honorary Chairman, wrote a special prayer to be simultaneously read throughout the nation at noon.

Lynda Stringer is a Mount Pleasant, TX-based freelance writer and owner of Stringer Media. Contact her at Lynda.Stringer@outlook.com.