Judy Anderson leads the Port O’Connor School children in their Christmas musical presentation at the Annual Senior Citizens Christmas Luncheon.
-Photo by Bill Tigrett

The POC Service Club is as busy as always this season. Several important projects are in the works, and we have added several new members to our group in recent months. We continue to welcome interested women of all ages to join us. We meet the 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. in the back room of the Community Center.

I want to give a special shout out to POC Service Club Member Leslie Morris and her dad and local business owner Charles Harr. Leslie and Charles donated the beautiful new American, Texas and POW flags for the flag raising celebration at our November Veterans Day BBQ fundraiser. They didn’t just buy a set and a spare but three new sets of flags for the outdoor pole at the POC Community Center. Our wind and weather really damages our flags, so this donation should have us looking proud for several months to come. Leslie manages The Office bar and her dad is the owner. When you see them, share your appreciation please.

Our annual POC Service Club Community Christmas Lunch was Friday, December 2, 2016. Seniors, retirees and their guests enjoyed traditional holiday fare and Christmas décor with a theme of ‘O Holy Night.’ The food was delicious and the fellowship terrific. Special thanks to all the cooks, decorators, servers, dishwashers, those who cleaned up and all our extras such as husbands, kids, mothers and others who helped and pitched in to make our luncheon a big success. Huge congratulations to our trio of honorees, the Citizens of the Year 2016: Ms. Mary Ann Claiborne, Mr. Doyle Adams, and Mrs. Wanda Redding. All three are great representatives of those who give selflessly in our community. It was a pleasure to recognize them in this way.

The 2016 Toy Run and Boat Parade was fun and festive despite the weather and wind. The boaters really outdid themselves and all enjoyed the fun. The yard and light décor in our little town was anything but little. Great job!

It is our joy and pleasure to develop and complete service projects for POC, fund scholarships for local students and contribute meaningfully to the community we love. We work hard to raise funds for our work. One of the largest sources of funding is our biannual garage sale. The next one is early April, so we are gathering gently used items now. If you want to donate, we will put them to good use. Please do not leave them at the county barn. We are utilizing another storage site for donated items. Please call Diane Cooley at 903-467-6335 and ask for assistance in donating items. Thanks so much.

So, until next time, be safe, live simply, love openly, forgive generously and remember this quote by NY Times contributor and bestselling author H. Jackson Brown who says, “Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.”

So, if you are feeling a little down, come by. We have your antidepressant ready!

Even the ceiling was beautifully decorated for the Christmas Luncheon. -Photo by Kelly Gee

Some of the Service Club members who helped to with the Christmas Luncheon. -Photo by Kelly Gee