“Courage does not always roar; sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying I will try again tomorrow.”  Mary Anne Radmacher

    The holidays are just around the corner and everybody knows the “Tin Can Man,” Gary Turbville, founder and director of the Cans for Kids children’s ministry, but Center Hill CDC Program Chairperson Kacy Lucky gave him a glowing  introduction anyway. After all, he is a “hometown” boy!

    Born with a servant’s heart, Turbville began his ministry in 1995 providing goodies for a couple of families he knew to be in need. After a disabling back injury in 1999 (he fell from a roof) prevented Turbville from returning to his job at Earthgrains Bakery, he took it to another level. Touched by the plight of needy children, he began one man’s journey to bring some joy into young lives at Christmastime. As the need grew and his pockets emptied, he began to recycle cans to provide funds for his endeavors. For many years, he did this on his own until the ministry grew bigger than he ever dreamed and morphed into a 501C charity with a board of directors. Turbville, however, has not lost his humility in its growth, remaining a man of great faith and simplicity.

    “We are in our 19th year. In 2013, we collected and sold 20,280 pounds of aluminum cans, which provided $12,422.73 of revenue.” Turbville said. “We received $18,247.27 in donations making a total of $30,670, all of which was used to help families throughout the year culminating in funding 248 children for Christmas, along with fruit and candy to an additional 110 children. The Christmas program alone was approximately $17,500.

    “Many times, it is grandparents that are left with raising grandkids and they are on a limited income. Even with food assistance, they come up short of groceries that fourth week before the funds are renewed.”

    Turbville expressed his appreciation for the support to Cans for Kids.

    “Lauderdale and Kemper counties were truly a blessing to our ministry in 2013. At this point, we are looking to be about the same for this year, although I do not have the figures yet,” he said.

    Asked about the process of selecting the children who are helped with the note that there are parents who do not try to do better for themselves, Turbville stated, “When I go to a house, I look at the children first, not the parents. The children can do nothing about the circumstances of their lives. I try to encourage the parents or grandparents, to keep the little children in school and and get them in church. Education is the key to breaking the cycle.”

    Deuteronomy 15:11 says “For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee, saying Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto they brother, to the poor, and to the needy, in the land.” This seems to the the mission statement for Cans for Kids and a personal motto for Turbville. 

    Can drops can be found throughout the city and county. There will soon be one at the Center Hill clubhouse.

    To learn more about Cans for Kid, call (601) 513-0805 or write to 10898 Gilbert Joyner Road, Meridian, MS 39301. The website is www.cansforkidsms.com

    Brent Stephens began the evening with a devotion titled “Can You Help?” that actually was a segueway to the Cans for Kids presentation. The presentation was the story of a high school in Barrow, Alaska.  

    “The administrators were tired of seeing students get into trouble and drop out at a rate of 50 percent,”  read Stephens. “To keep students interested, they started a football team, which offered them a chance to develop personal skills, teamwork, and learn life lessons. The problem with football in Barrow, which is farther north than Iceland, is that it’s hard to plant a grass field. So they completed on a gravel and dirt field.

    “Four thousand miles away in Florida, a woman named Cathy Parker heard about the football team and their dangerous field. Feeling that God was prompting her to help, and impressed by the positive changes she saw in the students, she went to work. About a year later, they dedicated their new field, complete with a beautiful artificial turf playing surface. Parker had raised thousands of dollars to help some kids she didn’t even know.

    “This is not about football or money. It is about remembering ‘to do good and to share’ (Hebrews 13:16). We are reminded by the Apostle James that we demostrate our faith by our actions (Hebrews 2:18). The needs in our world are varied and overwhelming but when we love our neighbor as oursselves, as Jesus said (Mark 12:31), we reach people with God’s love.”

    Ending his devotion with prayer and blessing, refreshments were served.

    Stanley Lucky’s safety presentation was on the importance of heater safety.

    “October is Fire Safety Month. Cold weather will be here. Make sure you check or have checked all your heaters and heat units especially gas units that can put off carbon monoxide,” Lucky said.

    A new slate of officer nominees was presented by Doerner and voted on by the membership. Officers for 2015 are: Robin Doerner, president; Kacy Lucky, vice president; Colleen Willis, secretary-reporter; and Georgia Snowden, Treasurer. Trustees remained the same – Lou Ella Limerick, Robert Hughes and Georgia Snowden.

    The meeting closed with the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag.

• Submitted by Cathy Clearman, reporter