Noon Exchange Club honors Exchangite of the Quarter at meeting
Fri, 2016-08-26 05:00
News Staff
Special to Leader-Press
The Noon Exchange Club of Copperas Cove met on Aug. 12 at Lil’ Tex Restaurant. Club President Inez Faison called the meeting to order. Club Member Dr. Parker Bogue led the invocation, and Past President Dennis Ayres asked everyone to join in the Pledge of Allegiance. Board Member Norma Crawford shared birthdays and anniversaries. Member Pat Thomas presented Richard Gardner the Proudly We Hail Award for displaying of the American Flag proudly in front of his home. As part of his acceptance Richard Gardner shared that the flag is placed alongside of a plaque which serves as a memorial to fallen soldiers.
“My flag is flown in memory of my two best buddies who were killed in Vietnam.” Then he said reverently, “It is not my flag, it is our flag.”
Club Member Pat Thomas then called Minister Jerome McCaskill and Minister Karen McCaskill forward to receive the Senior Citizens of the Quarter Award. The McCaskills perform ongoing praise and worship volunteer work around the community, Fort Hood, and surrounding nursing homes. Karen often aids the Boys and Girls Club and the couple assist a chaplain at Darnall Hospital on Fort Hood. Jerome accepted the award and thanked the club. “We go to four or five nursing homes a month,” Jerome said. “We go to all the nursing homes and spread the good news and being a servant is a 24-hour job. It is a constant relationship with God.”
Finally, President Elect Mike Blount presented the Exchangite of the Quarter Award to Laura Jordan. “The Exchangite of the Quarter is an individual in our club who goes beyond the norm, which includes volunteerism and participating in Exchange community service,” Blount said about the award. “Laura Jordan is involved in everything we do as a club, especially with the Music at the Gap this quarter. She has been a wonderful asset. That is what we do as a club, we volunteer at community agencies that are doing good work.”
After the award ceremony, Club Member Pat Thomas introduced the guest speaker Central Texas Council on Aging Ombudsman Coordinator Margaret Matthews. Matthews oversees 25 ombudsmen in seven surrounding counties and 46 nursing home facilities.
“Ombudsman means representative”, Matthews began when referring to a person who investigates nursing home complaints. “Over 60 percent of residents do not receive visitors. They do not have anyone to speak for them.” Ombudsmen pursue residents’ rights, complaint investigations, rules and laws.
“We diplomatically go to a nursing home management person and persuade facilities to see things from the residents’ views,” Matthews said. “I have been doing this for 15 years. This is more than a job; it is my ministry.”
The meeting closed with the Child Abuse Prevention Drawing by Board Member Angela Fields and the Covenant of Service led by Club Member James Stubbs.