Talk of the Neighborhood: Local achievements and honors for Sept. 9, 2011
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Groesbeck group spreads hope in Joplin
Members of the Groesbeck Rebuilds America organization are in Joplin, Mo., providing that community, which was devastated by a tornado May 22, with a “Stars of Hope” project.
Approximately 3,000 stars will be painted by schoolchildren in Joplin with messages of hope, love and courage as they continue to rebuild their lives.
The “Stars of Hope” project is an outgrowth of the response from the 9/11 attacks.
Each of the stars also represents the lives lost at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and at Shanksville, Pa., on Sept. 11, 2001.
Groesbeck Rebuilds America members have put in many hours to hand-cut and base-paint the plywood stars and the stakes that will be displayed with this project.
Funds for the project were raised locally, and the group is supported by the New York Says Thank You Foundation in New York City.
Helping prepare the stars and stakes for the project are (from left) Pat Samuels, Rainey Samuels, Jan Bohls, Eva Vincent, Valerie McDade, Wyatt McDade, Mary Rand, James Vincent, Hunter Vincent, Jayson Vincent, Rian Samuels, Jim Bohls, Misty Samuels, Justin Dobbels and Megan Kluna.
Photo submitted by Jim Bohls
Lighting project benefits Talitha Koum Institute
Northwest Waco Rotary Club member O.L. Sharp and his company, OLS Electric Inc., donated 100 percent of materials and labor to completely retrofit the lighting in the Talitha Koum Institute’s nursery rooms, which had been operating with exposed fluorescent bulb lighting.
The new lighting is softer, more calming and can be adjusted for optimal infant brain development, which is critical for the specialized work done at the center for children living in extreme, multigenerational poverty.
Sharp initiated the project in partnership with Northwest Waco Rotary Club, which also funded improvements to the center’s gym ventilation fans.
Photo submitted by Erin L. Ivy
RIGHT: O.L. Sharp (left) stands with Nan Holmes, executive director of the Talitha Koum Institute, upon the recent completion of a lighting project at the Talitha Koum Institute.
Setting parade’s pace
Scouts from Waco Troop 308 lead a Fourth of July parade in Rico, Colo., during the troop’s 10-day camping and backpacking trip in the area this summer.
Photo submitted by Eddie Morrison
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