September 11, 2014 - A day filled with pride for America and caring for our community.
The day did not start like any other day. The day began hours before it normally would have for some. I know I was still rubbing the sleep out of my eyes when I walked through the doors to the Oaklawn Track Kitchen at 6:30 a.m.. The CEO & ECC breakfast went great, we had a lot of people show up with a smile on their face even though it was raining. If you were one of those at the CEO & ECC breakfast, thank you for coming.
8:15 rolls around, volunteers are coming from all over our community, meeting together under one roof - all because they want to give back to their community. They all came prepared to do whatever project they were assigned to do; whether it be hanging clothes, painting an assortment of things, stuffing boxes of food, refurbishing a pool table and foosball table, volunteering at Gensis Cancer Center, or doing yard work. Volunteers from all corners of our community were excited and thrilled to be a part of something to give back - they socialized together, ate together and volunteered together.
What better way to spend September 11?
Being one of the few going around to the different locations taking photos, I was able to see teams hard at work. Some teams joined other teams; most likely people they never met before. All accomplishing so many different things by working together with a smile...and sweat. Some teams worked outside through the rain, all the while with a great attitude. A few days before September 11th, I sent out an email to the team captains and to the nonprofits saying, be prepared for rain, some projects might change. One response blew all doubt out of the water, "Rain will not deter our team." I am thrilled to say that the rain did not, even though I did not see the outside teams firsthand, the pictures were evidence enough.
The teams I did see ranged from 2 people to plenty, all working hard to complete their tasks. All with a smile and great attitude. Unfortunately, I was at each location only a short time, but the time I was there, I could see the thankfulness and gratitude on the faces of each individual working there.
And what better way to finish off the Day of Caring event than by having grilled burgers and hot dogs for lunch made by Bancorp South staff! I know many volunteers who came to the lunch at the Farmer's Martket went back for seconds, possibly even thirds because the food was just so delicious. Thank you Bancorp South for all your hard work! The food was great!
Thank you volunteers for all your hard work to help make this day possible!
- Accent
- Bancorp South
- Bank of the Ozarks
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- City of Hot Springs
- Dept. of Workforce
- First Baptist Church
- Garland County
- Hot Springs Village Rotary
- JobCorp (Forestry, Painting, Carpentry, and Masonry)
- National Park Community College
- National Park Community College Alumni & Friends
- National Park Medical Center
- Regions
- Retirees
- Simmons Bank
- Smith's Consumer Products
- USBANK
- Young Professionals