By Tod Balsbaugh, Jackson-Feild Homes
The children at
Jackson-Feild Homes have been assisting the residents of Emporia Manor
and Greensville Manor in Emporia, Virginia by making a variety of gifts
and delivering them to residents once a month.Theresa Hicks, Program
Coordinator, initiated this effort last fall. She wanted to instill a
sense of community service in the Home's residents. The residents have
made such items as Halloween cup cakes, decorative wreaths, snowman
candy canes, Valentine centerpieces and their most recent gifts of
butterfly treat bags. When delivering these gifts, Hicks encourages the
children to interact with the residents. In doing so, both children and
residents are enriched and changed. Through the simple act of being
kind, the boys and girls are instilled with a sense of pride. The
children look forward to the next trip where they can share their lives
and talents with others.