December 13, 2008
When times are tough - who you gonna call? Try the students and faculty of Arab Elementary School.
The Arab Optimist Club, with the help of the generosity of the community, has been providing poinsettias to the residents of the Golden Living Center Arab since 1997. This year the Optimist club struggled to gather the needed donations for the project -- that is until the students and faculty at Arab Elementary heard about the need.
AES raised enough money to purchase 57 of the 84 poinsettias needed to provide each resident with their own plant. Optimist club member Melody Taylor said they received a large "envelope containing smaller envelopes and Zip Lock bags full of dollar bills and coins". "They bailed us out - what a great place place to live, I love Arab and the Arab Elementary School students and faculty," Taylor said. Each poinsettia cost $3.50.
AES faculty member Reda Hallman said the fund raiser for the poinsettia project was just one of several Christmas projects that the students and staff have participated in. The students have also mailed cards to members of the armed forces and have prepared care packages for patients who find themselves in the hospital during Christmas.
L-R Back Row: Eric Allred, Trent Revelez, Hunter Alexander, Cody Davis, Caleb Corley. Front Row: Andrew Rodenberry, Dalton Cowan, Justin Nelson, Nicholas Knighton, Carter Mitchell. Click photo to enlarge Photos by Dwight Hayes
This year's poinsettia project is special for another reason. For the first time, cub scouts from Arab Pack 60 participated in distributing the poinsettias to the Golden Living residents. The scouts and members of the Optimist club distributed the plants to individual residents and decorated the common areas of the Golden Living Center Arab Saturday morning. Scouts from the Tiger Cub, Wolf Cub, Bear 5 & 6, and Webelos dens helped with the distribution.
Arab Optimist club member Kent Gibbs said approximately 140 poinsettias were placed with the residents and in the common areas of the center.
