The Happy Highanders

Our Group
December Birthdays
And, a Birthday Cake

Sabra interviewing Margie
for October's birthday list

Meet . . .Sabra Scoggin

Sabra Scoggin knows the best way for a community to rebuild itself is for its own members to lay the foundation.

Scoggin left a career in nursing to become an employee in the fledgling Highland Center almost a decade ago. Soon thereafter, she decided to simply become a volunteer for the organization. She said her motivation was because she felt she needed to help others in need.

"I've always wanted to be a missionary, but some things in my life prevented that from happening," she said. "I feel this is my way of following that calling from God. I get so much out of it."

Scoggin's main duty as a volunteer is heading the senior program, an effort to give seniors in the Highland area an event to do on a regular basis. They feed local senior adults lunch for $3.50 and also present community speakers.

This past month we've had mayoral candidates speak at the lunches," Scoggins said. "They really loved it. It a way for them to socialize and get out of their houses."

Scoggin helped start and continues to participate in several other projects at the Highland Center including the Dress for Success program, which enables women in the Highland area to come and get interview-appropriate clothing to help start careers in the area.

She also helps plan the Thanksgiving Blessing program, a food giveaway that helps local families with the burden of food costs during the holiday.

While she values the orgnization that started after the Highland Church turned into the community center, she sees the success that the Volunteers of America brought when they began overseeing the center.

"It is fabulous what goes on over at the center," she said. "The Volunteers of America know how to serve people."

The center is equally happy to have her working there. Brandy McNeill, vice president of the children, family and senior services at the local Volunteers of Americcan office, believes Scoggin's efforts are commendable.

"Volunteers are priceless and Sabra is the most priceless of all." McNeill said. "To be honest, we could not do many of the things we do at the Highland center without her. She is caring, compassionate, patient and dedicated and the projects that she volunteers for would not operate without her constant support. There are few people in this world that donate their time and talent the way that Sabra does."
From THE TIMES, October 1, 2006

Below: Aneda, Margie, Bea, after enjoying the luncheon at The Highland Center

Click the photo to enlarge

Photo Below: Courtesy The
Glen L. to R.: Donald, Dr. Day
Jimmy, Lee. Click to enlarge

Dr. Pat Day Addresses Glen Residents

Volunteerism Is Big Among Seniors

And rightly so. They have the time and much of the resources. They are dependable and amiable in what they do. Many hundred of thousands of hours of volunteer work come from seniors each year in the Shreveport Area alone.

The photo above of Dr. Day and two of The Glen's residents and another volunteer was taken in January after Dr. Day addressed a large group of seniors in the auditorium. Many in the audience, residents of Village Health Care and Stiles apartments, were volunteers. Their contribution is immeasurable. Their services enrich the lives of people of all age groups from the cradle to the grave. Dr. Pat Day delivered a message of hope and encouragement to the residents of The Glen much like his trade mark sermons at The First United Methodist Church on Sundays. We appreciate Dr. Day's caring attitude and his encouragement of volunteerism. -- rankinotes

THE SENIOR'S RESPONSE

A college student

at a recent USC football game challenged a senior citizen sitting next to him, saying it was impossible for their generation to understand his. "You grew up in a different world," the student said loud enough for the whole crowd to hear, "today we have television, jet planes, space travel, man has walked on the moon, our spaceships have visited Mars, we even have nuclear energy, electric and hydrogen cars, computers with light-speed processing .. and uh.."

Taking advantage of a pause in the student's litany, the geezer said, "You're right. We didn't have those things when we were young; ......so we invented them, you little twit! What the heck are you doing for the next generation??"

I love senior citizens. - source unknown

The Last Nine Lines of Thanatopsis

by William Cullen Bryant

So live, that when thy summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan, that moves
To the pale realms of shade, where each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,
Scourged to his dungeon, but sustain'd and sooth'd
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave,
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.

More to come on the senior scene. The Rankin File salutes our seniors.