Royalty serve those who have dedicated lives to service

Special to Leader-Press

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” 
Accruing more than 5,000 hours of service to the community each year, the Copperas Cove Five Hills royalty answer the call to serve on a consistent basis and Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend was an opportunity to serve those who have dedicated those their lives to serving others.
The royalty were honored to bundle up and brave the cold temperatures Saturday morning for veterans who have given so much for our country. Our titleholders including Copperas Cove Five Hills Junior Ambassador Kaydence Weary helped retrieve nearly 8,000 wreaths from the graves of veterans buried in the state cemetery, removing the pins and bows and packing the wreaths away again until next year. 
“It was great to be able to go out and help retrieve all the wreaths from the soldiers’ gravesites with my grandparents who both served in the military,” the 4th grader said. “Helping fluff the wreaths and put new bows on them, laying them on the gravesites and then collecting them back for next year is an honor and I’m proud to do it since not all of them have family members to come out and do it.”
This is the fourth consecutive year that the royalty have prepared, laid and removed the wreaths from the graves of the veterans.
The Copperas Cove Five Hills royalty also rolled up their sleeves and served the meal and drinks to the guests at Copperas Cove’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. dinner.  The younger royalty served as greeters as guests arrived while the older royalty helped prepare for the meal. For Senior Ms. Five Hills Hope Ransom, the event was inspiring.
“I was a little shocked to see a white man as the speaker to honor a black hero, Dr. Martin Luther King.  I thought to myself, ‘Surely, there is someone of color, someone more familiar with the struggle, someone more suitable for this endeavor.’  So, in this attendance, where the white people far outnumbered the people of color, I took a seat as I prepared myself to be, at best, entertained,” Ransom said.  “To my surprise, I was both educated and entertained.  Dr. Joseph Burns reminded me of the terrible injustices in this world that MLK called us all to stand against, as he simultaneously energized me to do the same, and he did it all by calling out the hypocrisy and narcissism of a heartless people.  Martin Luther King’s heart, message, reason for living, and purpose for dying, was communicated through this white man, which is a testament to the powerful  life-changing energy that still lives and moves forward in any person with a heart to love.  I was, am, and will always be thankful for the opportunity to serve the meals at this event, because it was my willingness to serve that gifted me with the opportunity for my heart to be affected by a man, who like Dr. Martin Luther King, some people counted out, simply because of his color.”
The royalty also participated in the 20th Copperas Cove Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Walk on Monday.
In royal sightings this week, the royalty will receive their President Volunteer Service Awards before the Copperas Cove city council tonight and serve as judges as the regional DECA conference on Saturday.