CLUB
NEWS!
Master
Gardener Spoke at Civic Club
On
January 18th, 2010 Louisiana Master Gardener Jim Brooks
presented a program on "Pruning Shrubs And Trees".
Jim,
who is also a member of the Calhoun Civic Club, has spent years studying
the craft of gardening, and graduated the LSU
Ag Center's Master Gardener Program.
If
you missed this informative program, you can get more details about
the Master Gardener Program by contacting the LSU
Ag Center.
Health
Fair & Veteran's Appreciation Day a hit at Calhoun
Saturday,
November 14th, was a special day.
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First, we hosted a Wellness Walk & Health Fair sponsored
jointly by the Calhoun Civic Club & the Northern Louisiana Family
Care Clinic to help raise funds for a wellness park in Calhoun.
The
Health Fair provided information booths, health screenings, free
refreshments, Space Jumper & face painting for the kids, free doorprizes,
Chick-Fil-A prize wheel & a visit from Miss Louisiana, Katherine
Putnam.
These
events, held at the walking track right behind Calhoun Elementary School,
saw a wonderful crowd who eagerly participated. If you have questions
or need informaton about next year, call 254-2426.
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Second, the Veteran's Appreciation Day began right after the
Health Fair and featured Lee Estes, author of Fading Warriors,
a book chronicling 47 stories of veterans and their service to America.
We
also had a fish fry for our veterans, a country music band and a car
show provided by Northeast Louisiana Street Rod association.
This
event was held at the Calhoun Civic Club Community Center, which is
also behind the Calhoun Elementary School at 189 Calhoun Loop Road.
Thanks
to all the hard-working, community minded volunteers who helped us get
healthier, honor our vets, and enjoy some good fellowship time with
the great people of West Ouachita Parish!
Coach
Jerry Lovett's family honored by Louisiana Legislature
The
Calhoun Civic Club Community Center recently served as the location
for a special ceremony honoring one of our charter members, the late
Coach Jerry Lovett, by the Louisiana Legislature.
Coach
Lovett's love for people and his tireless service to our community were
recognized and honored with a proclaimation by the legislature. It was
delivered by Representative Jim Fannin and Senator Bob Kostelka, both
of whom spoke lovingly about their close relationship with the Coach
over several decades.
Mrs
Joyce Lovett received the proclaimation on behalf of the family, and
spoke graciously about her and her family's appreciation for this honor.
May
Coach Lovett's memory serve to encourage the rest of us to work hard
to see our area improved and become a better place for all who live
here.
Coach Lovett's family after the
presentation
Those responsible for presenting
the proclaimation
(L to R: Rep. Jim Fannin, Club
President Richard Young, Sen. Bob Kostelka)
Governor
Bobby Jindal held town hall meeting at Civic Club
Louisiana
Governor Bobby Jindal recently
held a town hall meeting at the Calhoun Civic Club Community Center
at 189
Calhoun Loop Road in Calhoun.
After speaking on various ethics issues for around 45 minutes, he then
fielded questions from the audience.
A full report on the meeting appears at the newspaper link below:
http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20081213/NEWS01/812130314/1002
Our
thanks to Governor Jindal and his staff for making this visit possible.
CLICK
on this link for more photos of the Governor's visit...
Congressman
Rodney Alexander spoke at Calhoun Civic Club
Congressman Rodney Alexander,
who represents Louisiana's 5th Congressional District, recently spoke
at the Calhoun Civic Club's regular meeting at our Calhoun Civic Club
Community Center at 189
Calhoun Loop Rd.
Congressman
Alexander gave a legislative update and expressed the desire to work
with our group on upcoming projects.
Thanks
to the Congressman and to all who attended.
Calhoun
Civic Club Community Center hosts variety of meetings
Since
we recently completed the new Calhoun Civic Club Community Center
at 189
Calhoun Loop Road (just behind Calhoun Elementary School) - a center
that provides
meeting space for around 100 people and
even houses offices for two local utilities - it has been the site of
a variety of meetings.
Naturally,
the Calhoun Civic Club meets there, but we've also used the building
for community meetings and even political rallys and speeches by various
candidates. We're grateful to have such a building in Calhoun, and we
hope it will be used for many years to promote a better quality of life
for western Ouachita Parish.
So,
thanks for the generous help of our sponsors,
club members and local businesses, who made all
this possible.
CLICK
HERE to see a list of the fantastic businesses & individuals
who donated time, effort and materials to this project:
Thanks
to all who made this dream happen! (And thanks to LaDonna Matheny
for the great photos.) CLICK
HERE TO SEE PHOTOS...
Louisiana
Elected Officials award state flag to Calhoun Civic Club
Many thanks to Senator Bob
Kostelka, Representative Jim
Fannin and Police Juryman Mack
Calhoun for presenting the Civic Club with a Louisiana state flag
to fly over our new Community Center. We appreciate these public servants
and we thank them for the support they've given to great civic projects
in our area, including the Community Center.
(L to R - Rep. Fannin, Senator
Kostelka & Police Juryman Calhoun)
Calhoun
Civic Club awards eight $500 scholarships & one $2,000 scholarship
Each
year the Civic Club awards several scholarships to high school seniors
in western Ouachita Parish - last year in May we again awarded nine
seniors with $500.00 each to help continue their education, with one
added feature - one of those students will also receive $500 per year
for the next 3 years, totalling $2,000.
The
faculty and administration of West Ouachita High School recommended
these students to us, and we were honored to be able to award these
funds.
We've
already begun to receive thank you notes from these wonderful young
people:
"I
was praying, trying to figure out how I was going to pay for college,
and then I was awarded your scholarship. Thank you so much for considering
me!"
-T.N.
"Thank
you for the $500.00 scholarship. It will come in handy with my college
education." -J.E.
As
a civic organization, we're thrilled to be able to raise these funds
and award them to deserving, motivated young people in our area.
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OUR
MISSION:
Civic-minded
citizens organized the Calhoun Civic Club in 1976 as a community service
organization dedicated to improving the quality of community life
in the fast-growing western part of Ouachita Parish.
"Improving
the quality of community life" means that we're committed to organizing
and supporting physical improvements in our infrastructure: the roads,
public buildings, schools, etc.
It also means that we're committed to improving the educational system
in our parish, and to supporting the religious and patriotic values
of this area.
We accomplish these goals by spearheading several civic projects each
year.
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OUR
PROJECTS:
Each
year the Calhoun Civic Club awards several scholarships
to graduating high school seniors to help them with college expenses.
For
the past several years, we've awarded $500.00 scholarships to 9 qualified
high school students in Western Ouachita Parish.
These
scholarships are granted in cooperation with local schools, based on
recommendations by the school staff and faculty.
One
of our most important projects to date has been the construction
of the Calhoun Community Center, a place for local groups to
meet - and built without tax dollars. See the news
section below for more details.
As
another project to improve the public life of our parish, the Civic
Club periodically circulates petitions
in our area. These petitions, which usually concern physical improvements
to the public roads & facilities of West Ouachita Parish, are collected
and sent to the governing body that has jurisdiction over the needed
improvement.
One very visible project we've begun is the placing of positive
billboards and signs on our roads, informing motorists about
the wonderful quality of life in the Calhoun area.
We've also installed several flagpoles & flags
on the grounds of area churches, free of charge.
And during the holiday season, the Civic Club distributes over
150 cheer baskets to the elderly or needy citizens of the Calhoun
and West Ouachita area.
The Calhoun Civic Club often hosts guest speakers,
who share information with the club and who also receive feedback from
club members on improvements needed in this area.
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OUR
MEETINGS:
The
Civic Club meets each Monday night at 6:00 PM
at the new Calhoun Civic Club Community Center at 189
Calhoun Loop Road (behind Calhoun Elementary School.)
During our meetings we have an informal meal together, and then discuss
the business at hand; members often bring up ideas to help improve the
quality of life in our area.
Often
the club meeting will feature a speaker- usually an elected official,
a pastor, an educator, politician or other community leader.
Our club funds the meals and projects in two ways-by monthly dues from
the members ($20.00) and by fundraising efforts during the year.
Join us in helping to promote a better quality
of life for western Ouachita Parish.
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OUR
OFFICERS:
Richard
Young , President - richardrealty@bellsouth.net
Bill
Matheny, Vice President
La
Donna Matheny, Treasurer
Ray
Cook, Recording Secretary
How
To Join:
Here's
how you can make contact and unite with us in our efforts to improve
this community:
Join
us for a meeting of the Civic Club on Monday night at 6:00 PM.
We
meet at the
Calhoun Civic Club Community Center at 189
Calhoun Loop Road (behind Calhoun Elementary School.)
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CONTACT
US:
If
you'd like more information, email our President at:
richardrealty@bellsouth.net
or
call LaDonna Matheny at 318-348-3865
Click
here to download a printable club brochure (PDF format)
Click
the map to locate our meeting hall at 189 Calhoun Loop Rd...
Calhoun
Civic Club, Inc.
P.O.
Box 162
Calhoun,
LA 71225
A
501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation
(For
info about our website contact:)
kroberts@calhounchurch.org
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