By Brian Livingston
blivingston@themeridianstar.com
Suffice it to say it is those elderly citizens of Lauderdale County today who yesterday made this region what it is now.
It was this thought that ran across the mind of Billy Barnett with the Lauderdale County Council on Aging as he looked out over the almost one thousand elderly people who crammed into the Frank Cochran Center Friday at noon to enjoy fried catfish lunches. He pointed out it was through the hard work and diligence of these people that shaped Lauderdale County and Meridian. It is they who worked hard, raised families and who have throughout the decades infused East Mississippi with the ethics and morals the residents enjoy today.
"These elderly people have really had a great impact on Lauderdale County," said Barnett, as he took a break from his duties serving the catfish lunches. "We owe them much more than just a catfish lunch."
May has been designated as Older Americans Month and during this time Barnett said the council has conducted a great many activities for the elderly including bowling and golf tournaments, bingo and other events geared toward keeping older Lauderdale Countians active. The annual fish fry is the culmination of the month's events and a way of saying "thank you."
Another entity saying thank you in their own way were guardsmen and women of the 186th Air Refueling Wing stationed at Key Field. Col. Franklin Chalk, the commander of the Air National Guard wing, said the unit has taken part in this event for as long as it has been around. His guardsmen and women cook the fish, prepare the plates and serve the members of the council. He said this is their way of giving back to so many of those people who have supported the Guard mission in Meridian.
"Many of these people are retired from the 186th," Chalk noted. "And many, many others have supported us throughout the years so yes, it's nice to be here for them and show them we haven't forgotten what they mean to us."
The Council on Aging is a voice on the local and national level for the elderly. It gives the aging population of communities who are vulnerable and disadvantaged solutions to improve their lives through activities to improve their health, programs on how to live independently, benefits, jobs and how best to remain active in their communities.
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