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A Heidelberg Thanksgiving tradition
Mayor offers annual dinner for elderly
HEIDELBERG — Heidelberg Mayor Juan Barnett continues to give to the community as he hosted his seventh annual Thanksgiving dinner for the elderly.
What started as a simple Thanksgiving gathering seven years ago at the Heidelberg Community Center has become a yearly tradition that senior residents from the Jasper County area look forward to each year.
“It’s an opportunity for me to show my appreciation especially to the elderly in our community,” said Mayor Barnett who esteemed each of his guests as a valuable asset to the Heidelberg community.
“The dinner is to let the seniors know that they have not been forgotten,” the mayor added. “We want them to feel special.”
Along with the senior citizens, officials and individuals from Ellisville State School’s Jasper County Industries (JCI) also attended the event.
Barnett said this is the second year that he’s extended the invitation to JCI.
Daphne Creel, public relations-community programs for JCI, said the people affiliated with Jasper County Industries have started looking forward to the event.
Creel said Ellisville State School’s Jasper County Industries offers individuals participating in its Community Employment Program the opportunity to enhance their abilities through employment in a less restrictive environment.
Also as a part of Barnett’s annual event, a group of teenage volunteers from the Town of Heidelberg’s Mayor’s Youth Council was on hand to assist more than a hundred guests at the luncheon.
Barnett said the Youth Council, which is comprised of young people from Heidelberg Academy and Heidelberg High School, served the elderly and other guests during the event.
“We didn’t want the seniors to have to do anything,” Barnett said. “We just came together to show some love.”
Barnett, who finances the project yearly, said he received some support this year from Thatch & Thatch Law Firm of Heidelberg.
Creel said with a population of only 840 at the 2000 Census, this Jasper County town is never short of friendly and smiling faces who try to live up to their town motto, “Dig Deep. Live Well.”
The mayor said the event, which attracted approximately 175 people, continues to grow.
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