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Around Town
From left: Gene Hutto, Joy Hutto, Mike Wulf, Ike Reeves, Mary Fausett, Robert Hall, Larry Hume, Lee Jarvis, Mike Langford, and Joel Bradberry.
August 11, 2023 - The Shelby County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8904 offered their service to the employees of Portacool on Thursday, August 3, 2023 by catering a meal at the John D. Windham Civic Center for an informational gathering the company was hosting.
Post members and Post Auxiliary members met early Thursday morning at the Center Fire Department to cook chicken quarters and sausage which were served for lunch along with potato salad, green beans, and whole kernel corn.
VFW Post 8904 and Portacool have had a supportive relationship for many years. Portacool has many times honored veterans of VFW Post 8904 during the month of November for Veteran's Day with a meal hosted at their corporate office along with a donation to the Post. In a previous press release from Portacool, they stated, "As a token of appreciation, Portacool and its employees made a donation to the VFW Post 8904 in honor of the many veterans across the country and those that work at Portacool for their sacrifice and service to this great country."
During this time of recovery, VFW Post 8904 was honored to be able to return the favor and provide the meal to Portacool. Thank you to Portacool for being a supporter of our community and an employer of veterans.
August 10, 2023 - A large group of ambassadors and friends attended Christian Love Private Home Care’s new chamber member ribbon cutting inside the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce office on Thursday, August 3rd to celebrate.
Tammie Luman was the first to welcome the new business, “We are here to celebrate a new business in the community, Christian Love Private Home Care. The owner is Tina Hutto, to know her is to love her.” Luman then presented Hutto with a Chamber of Commerce plaque and invited her to speak about her business.
Hutto gave a little history about herself, “I’ve been an aide, and did activities, and did restorative, and I’ve drove the van for the nursing home. And my passion is just helping other people, especially elderly people that sometimes get forgotten about as they get older or they get dementia, and sometimes they are not themselves.” Tina says her goal is to help others, regardless of their financial situation or diagnosis, “My dream is just to help others be able to live a long, successful life and just enjoy whatever time that they have left on this earth.”
Tina Hutto became a CNA in 2014 and was a caregiver in 2015. She earned her Activity License in 2018. She has been a CASA Volunteer for several years as well. Ms. Hutto was born in Center, and is looking forward to caring for individuals in her home county. She was inspired by Dorthory Shanan. After living with her for a year and half, Dorthory gave her the inspiration to help others in a positive way.
Christian Love Private Home Care provides 24-hour quality care, meal preparation, appointment scheduling, transportation, light housework, activities, and exercise with the most tender loving care! Call (936) 332-6509 to find out more.
From left: (front row) Melissa Rogers, Liesa Woods, Tina Hutto, (back row) Amanda Denmon, Sonya McBride, Genna Owens, and Chad Hutto
August 11, 2023 - SAKS Of Love continues in its journey of ‘Sending a Kingdom of Sacrifice of Love’ with a partnership with Hope Community Medicine which is ‘Founded in Faith, Focused on Family.’ The two joined to bring more to families in need. On Saturday, August 5, 2023, a ribbon cutting was held at SAKS Of Love’s new location inside Hope’s Tenaha Clinic, 164 Wall Street, Tenaha, Texas 75974 signifying the start of a new community partnership.
Tammie Luman, Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, congratulated Christina Leary, Executive Director of SAKS Of Love on its growth since the last ribbon cutting was held in March of 2022. Although the organization was appreciative of their previous location, they are thrilled to be where they are now.
Christina Leary expressed appreciation, “We want to say thank you for taking out of your busy schedules to be with us today.” Leary then introduced the team: LaShalla McCollister, Board Chairwoman; Frejai Tate, Vice Chairman; Ariel Higginbotham, Secretary/Treasurer; Antoinette Polley, Representative of The Community; Vicky Amy, Representative of Families; Whitney Cleveland, Representative of The Community; Kevin Jones, Representative of The Elderly; Pam Cleaver, Volunteer Coordinator; and Lorenzo Leary, Chief of Operations.
Leary added, “This has been a hard journey, a long 45 days. I can’t thank this group right here enough. We have done night after night, day after day, we’ve worked on our breaks, we’ve brought our kids up here, our families up here, we’ve ate dinner up here. We didn’t think we would be here today. I’m just so grateful.” She gave thanks to her family and all who have supported them along the way.
“Today, I wanted families to come in here, get the shoes that they need, get the clothes that they need, and feel confident about being parents. We wanted to bring a shopping center for parents to have a one stop shop.” Also, available to families on Saturday was a barber for kids to get haircuts.
Leary spoke about the journey to being in the location and described her and Mike Belgard’s first encounter. God’s hand was on the partnership that has developed between SAKS Of Love and Hope Community Medicine.
The partnership with Hope Community Medicine is an excellent opportunity to reach the community and offer additional preventive health and mental wellness supplies, services and options.
Christina wanted to let the community know that although we now are in this beautiful location, SAKS Of Love still needs your help. All the support, whether $2 Tuesday donations, item donations, or prayers, it is all still needed.
Caroline Horton gave away items in loving memory of her son, Brandon, and his legacy of love. Brandon Horton passed away on May 6, 2023.
Mike Belgard spoke about Hope’s journey to this partnership, “One day we had a meeting and I said, ok, we do a lot of medicine and we’re doing mental health, and we’re doing women’s health, and we’re doing all of these health projects, but there’s something that is missing. That is, there are a lot of determinants of health, there are a lot of things that determine how healthy people are… can they get good food, do they have a place to sleep at night, do they have clothes to wear, do they have clean water to drink.” Belgard challenged his staff to find ways to address those determinants of health. “We’ve got a mobile clinic coming within the next month.” Belgard described the goal of the mobile clinic is not to just bring medical care but to also distribute those additional needs such as clothing and food. About that time, when they were considering what to do, Christina Leary called and it was God’s perfect timing and partnership.
Belgard summarized the connection, "Our God is a great and mighty and powerful God and he uses the least to do the most. God does extraordinary things with ordinary people and that is what he has done here. There is a reason we are all here today."
SAKS of Love is open on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturdays of the month. On the 2nd Saturday, they serve the homeless. SAKS of Love serve Shelby, Angelina, Panola and Nacogdoches Counties. For more information, contact SAKS of Love at 936-800-8323 or on their Facebook page or https://saksoflove.org/.
Related article: SAKS Of Love Celebrates Tenaha Location with Ribbon Cutting
From left: David Chadwick (R.S.F.), Jerry Pinkston (R.S.F.), Whitney Scarber, Treasa Donnon, Nancy Bush, Fred Wulf (R.S.F.), Laticia Bomar (R.S.F.), Vicky Hudson (R.S.F.), and Frank Parker (R.S.F.).
August 10, 2023 - A contribution by The Bailey Family Foundation in memory of Kyle Glenn Bush was made to the Catherine Pinkston Roughrider Scholarship Foundation (R.S.F.). Helping to place the memorial plaque into the display case in the Center High School front hallway was Kyle’s mother, Nancy Bush.
Kyle Bush met the love of his life, Carla Ramsey and they married in 1992. They were blessed with three children and Kyle's world revolved around his family. Kyle worked in construction and wore many hats along the way; he made investments that allowed him to provide for his family in the best way possible. He enjoyed spending time in the woods and on the riverbank. He was an outdoorsman and loved fishing and hunting. Kyle was blessed with many friends and he was known for his ability to entertain and cook for a crowd. He was an outstanding 42 player and he and his daughter Kaylie claimed first place in the 2021 Grill Fest 42 Tournament. The Bailey Family Foundation honored the memory of Kyle Bush with an endowed scholarship under the Roughrider Foundation. The scholarship will be awarded for the first time in 2023.
To view the obituary for Kyle Bush, click here.
For more information about the Catherine Pinkston Roughrider Scholarship Foundation, visit online https://roughriderscholarship.org/.
From left: Jerry Pinkston (R.S.F.), David Chadwick (R.S.F.), Ashton Campbell, Brooke Lane, Fred Wulf (R.S.F.), Laticia Bomar (R.S.F.), Frank Parker (R.S.F.), and Vicky Hudson (R.S.F.)
August 10, 2023 - The Catherine Pinkston Roughrider Scholarship Foundation (R.S.F.) placed on August 2, 2023 a memorial plaque honoring the memory of Rick Campbell - a businessman, philanthropist, and Shelby County Judge. Present at the installation of the plaque into the display cabinet was Campbell's children, Brooke Lane and Ashton Campbell. The memorial contribution was made by family and friends and the scholarship was awarded the first time in 2022.
A native of Center, Rick Campbell graduated from Center High School in 1977. He then attended Tyler Jr. College and the University of Texas. Rick was involved in many organizations including Shelby Savings Bank, where he served as director and later as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He also served as a Trustee for Center ISD, Shelby County Beef Committee, Chairman of the Bone Hill Foundation, President of the Board of Directors of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, multiple leadership roles related to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Area Go Texan Committee, President of the Center Rotary Club, Director of Sheriff’s Posse, Member of the Poultry Festival Steering Committee, Member of Sharon Temple of Tyler, Member of Sam Samford Lodge #149 in Center, Member of First Baptist Church of Center, attended First United Methodist Church of Center, and 27 years as a Center Volunteer Firefighter. Rick received numerous honors and awards including Rotarian of the Year, Alumni of the Year of Tyler Junior College, Conservation Service Award for Ducks Unlimited, Friend of 4-H Award, Honorary Chapter FFA Degree, Shelby County Chamber of Commerce Young Citizen of the Year, and the Distinguished Service Award.
Rick owned the Center Livestock Company with his father, James Campbell, and was a founder of Port-A-Cool. After selling Port-A-Cool, Rick was honored to serve as Shelby County Judge. He generously donated to many charities and organizations, even helping build several new churches in the East Texas area. Rick loved to hunt, play golf, and spend time with his friends. He loved Shelby County, Texas but, most of all, he loved his family.
To view the obituary for Rick Lane Campbell, click here.
For more information about the Catherine Pinkston Roughrider Scholarship Foundation, visit online https://roughriderscholarship.org/.
From left: Judy Foster's family, Jaclyn Scarborough, Keaton Pratt, Allison Pratt, Eric Pratt, Kaleigh Pratt, Terry Foster with Tripp Scarber holding plaque, Whitney Scarber, Tyce Scarber, Treasa Donnon, Tucker Scarber. R.S.F. board members Fred Wulf, Laticia Bomar, David Chadwick, Vicky Hudson, Jerry Pinkston, and Frank Parker.
August 9, 2023 - Board members of the Catherine Pinkston Roughrider Scholarship Foundation (R.S.F.) stood with family members of Judy Foster as a memorial plaque in her memory was placed inside the display case in the Center High School front hallway.
Judy was a graduate of Lamesa High School and attended Texas Tech University and Lubbock Commercial College. She married Terry Foster and they were blessed with three children and a bonus daughter. Judy moved to Center in 1974 and started farm life, raising cattle, chickens and kids. She worked for Herider Farms and later for Bounds Insurance. Judy loved God, her family and her church and volunteered at church taking every opportunity to serve. Her recent years were spent with her treasured grandchildren and she supported their activities, encouraging them at every game, rodeo, concert or special achievement.
This scholarship is in memory of Judy Foster and will be awarded for the first time in 2023.
To view her obituary, click here.
For more information about the Catherine Pinkston Roughrider Scholarship Foundation, visit online https://roughriderscholarship.org/
From left: David Chadwick (R.S.F.), Jerry Pinkston (R.S.F.), Jeannie Gaines, Emily Glass, Tim Verner, Fred Wulf (R.S.F.), Laticia Bomar (R.S.F.), Vicky Hudson (R.S.F.), and Frank Parker (R.S.F.)
August 9, 2023 - A plaque was placed inside the Catherine Pinkston Roughrider Scholarship Foundation (R.S.F.) display cabinet at Center High School in honor of Judy Bowers on August 2, 2023.
This scholarship was endowed in honor of Judy Bowers, CHS Math teacher, who was known for excellence and preparing students for college math. Ms. Bowers graduated from The University of Texas in Austin. She taught at Center High School from 1968-1985 before moving back home to Baytown in 1985.
The scholarship was endowed by former students and friends who remember the standard of excellence set by Judy Bowers at Center High School. This scholarship was awarded for the first time in 2022.
For more information about the Catherine Pinkston Roughrider Scholarship Foundation, visit online https://roughriderscholarship.org/
August 8, 2023 - Two organizations were the recipients of the 50 Women Impact group’s grant money totaling $10,800 for the third quarter of 2023. Smyrna Kids and the Shelby County Historical Commission each were presented a $5,400 check on Tuesday, August 8.
Shelby County Historical Commission
The Shelby County Historic Courthouse is a registered historic landmark. The S.C. Historical Commission is committed to its upkeep and ensuring its restoration and maintenance. The requested funds will be used for ceiling repair and painting as well as the installation of period appropriate lighting on the first floor of the courthouse. If the courthouse is going to be preserved as a historic site for future generations, repairs and renovations have to be done – funds are needed to make it happen. Success is measured when a historic site is preserved for future generations and not allowed to deteriorate.
Smyrna Kids
50 Women Impact grant funds will be used to sustain and grow Smyrna Kids - a program that is making a difference in the lives of children and families in Shelby County.
Over the course of the last year, Smyrna Community Church's Smyrna Kids, an after-school ministry and Sunday bus rider program, has grown astronomically. In a post-Covid world and at inception, Smyrna Kids typically had 8-10 students who attended faithfully. Now the program averages between 80-100 students each Wednesday after school and 20-40 on weekends. 90% of the students who attend, travel to and from the program on church activity buses. Recently, the church converted its parsonage into more space for classes because the program was quite literally, bursting at the seams. With an operational budget of $0, Smyrna Kids is funded entirely by generous contributions from the community. While it has been tremendously blessed to have such support, it takes every dollar contributed to maintain the program, supply safe transportation, and provide nutritious meals to the participants. While growing numbers are certainly a positive indicator of program success, what is even more important is the impact Smyrna Kids program has had on the students individually, their families and subsequently the community.
August 8, 2023 - Toledo Automotive Supply (Napa) owners and staff celebrated Mike Johnson and his 40 years as an employee of the business and his service to the community on August 8, 2023.
Jasen Watlington commented that his father Cecil Watlington, who was present for the celebration, hired Johnson when he was 45. Before working for Toledo Automotive Supply, Johnson moved to the area from California.
Watlington commented Johnson worked a couple of other jobs before joining Toledo Automotive Supply back then, and he’s been with them ever since. Be sure to stop by Toledo Automotive Supply and congratulate him on his 40 years with the business.
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August 7, 2023 - Pizzeria celebrated with an official Grand Re-opening of their dine-in area on Wednesday, August 2, 2023 by slicing the ribbon provided by the chamber. All attending received a free slice of pizza.
City of Center Mayor David Chadwick and ambassador with the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce said, “Welcome to the Pizzeria again! This is a neat day, a fun day, a day full of memories, a day full of hopes, a day full of appreciation to the Jones family for having such a successful business in our community. I’m old enough to remember when it started, Phillip, with your dad and your mom and your uncle over at Daddy George’s Pizza on the corner and we thought that was the finest dining anybody could ever want because it was the first pizza place in Center, Texas.”
Mayor Chadwick continued reminiscing and then presented the Jones family with an engraved pizza paddle from the Chamber of Commerce in recognition of 50 years in business and service to our community. The Pizzeria is a family owned business since 1972 when Mike Jones first opened the doors.
Phillip Jones is the son of Mike and Cherry Jones and has been employed at Pizzeria since 1994. He recently took over ownership of the family business from his father. Phillip’s main goal is to continue the tradition of providing Shelby County and surrounding areas with great food at reasonable prices.
Phillip announced the addition of chicken to the menu.
He also thanked his general manager, Baileigh Barrera, and thanked all the staff who did the remodel of the dine-in area. They did a great job!
The Pizzeria is located at 225 San Augustine Street, Center, Texas 75935. Editor's note: If you live out in the county or just don't want to eat your pizza as soon as you get home, then order your pizza from Pizzeria uncooked and they will prepare it for you to take home and cook it in your own oven - fresh, hot pizza!
From left: (Back row) Wade Collard, Noah Leonard, Connor McCauley, Cashata Goodwin, Jon Salas, John Ford, T.J. Bolton, Ethan McElroy, (Front row) Chandler Jones, Phillip Jones, Allyssa Jones, Baileigh Barrera, Jaelyn Crawford, and K.K. Parker.
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