Storm and Chelsey Massey are doing a lot more than just counting down the days until Christmas. They have been counting pounds of meat too! The Stoddard County Gospel Mission has been receiving many donations throughout this holiday season but the Masseys have made a great impact on the families receiving food from the Gospel Mission this year.
Storm, a freshman at Dexter High School and a member of the wrestling team, and his sister Chelsey, a junior at Dexter High School and the current FFA (Future Farmers of America) President of the Dexter chapter, have been raising a hog named “Betty” for the past three years and this was the year that they decided to donate Betty’s meat to the Stoddard County Gospel Mission.
The brother and sister have received a lot of help and support from the community while taking on this huge project. But this is not their first rodeo, in fact, this is the second time that the duo has raised a pig and donated it to the Mission and to local families in need.
Ed Stole of the Meat Shop helped the Masseys get Betty processed. The seven hundred and thirty-six pound hog was processed and donated five hundred pounds worth of fresh meat to the local mission. The duo has proved to make a great team and their hard work and dedication will definitely be making a difference in the lives of the local families this year.
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Dexter, Missouri - Merry Christmas to Missouri Southern Healthcare. Perhaps a much needed gift arrived early this holiday season. It had been a long range goal to have a heliport on the property of Missouri Southern Healthcare and now it is a welcomed reality.
For the last several years the hospital has landed the helicopter in the parking lot. This of course required the assistance of the local police department and the fire department to ensure a safe route for the traffic. These folks have been amazing to help day or night and the hospital thanks them for their dedication and support.
Through the efforts of Missouri Southern Healthcare employees, Mrs. Kelli Chastain, Jeff Miller and Dennis Hanley they realized the need of the heliport.
Kelli worked closely with Randy Evertt and other employees of the Air Evac to form a partnership and assist with the funding.
Kelli also enlisted the support of Rick Shipman and his construction crew to donate their labor for the project. Mark Stidham and the city crews helped the hospital prepare the site. It was truly a team effort by all involved.
It is a pleasure and a gift not only for the hospital but for the community who will greatly benefit from this heliport. It will be easier and safer to transport those that need a higher level of emergency services farther away.
Jessica Snider, SMT Writer
Dexter, Missouri - After five years of being one of Dexter’s “go-to” places for great gifts and accessories, Bella will soon be closing.
The merchandise within the store has gone fast after people heard word of the going out of business sale, but there are still lots of great gifts that would be a perfect purchase this close to Christmas.
Today, Bella will be open until 2:30 P.M. and all merchandise is 60 percent off. There are still many baby items, jewelry, and lots of stocking stuffers left to be sold! This is the perfect opportunity for you to wrap up your last minute gift shopping for those “hard-to-buy-for” people on your list!
Stop by Bella today!
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Dexter, Missouri - After 30 plus years Phyllis Mason will no longer be the face of MJ’s Fashions in downtown Dexter, Missouri. Her retirement marks the end of an era.
Phyllis has seen so many wonderful changes throughout her years in downtown Dexter. She is pleased that people from all over Missouri and surrounding states have shopped at MJ’s Fashions. Even her local patrons will miss seeing her behind the counter each day.
Her son, Chris Mason, who is the Worship Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Arnold, Missouri wants everyone know that he is so very proud of his mom and knows she will be overwhelmed by your visits.
Everyone is welcome to stop by today between 9 am and 5 pm to wish her well. She might just offer you a cookie and a cup of coffee and then chat with you while she finishes her last day.
MJ’s Fashions is located at 12 East Stoddard Street, downtown Dexter.
Poplar Bluff, Missouri - With many New Year’s resolutions circling around in the air this time of year, it seems like everyone wants to live a healthier lifestyle or find more exciting and fun hobbies to defeat the previous year’s boredom. That’s why on Tuesday, January 1st, 2013, the Poplar Bluff Vipers are hosting their third annual 5K run on New Year’s Day. In previous years, this event has been a great success and they hope to continue it in this upcoming year.
The Poplar Bluff Vipers are an eleven years old and younger AAA traveling baseball team and they have found that a New Year’s Day 5K is a great fundraising event that they have used in previous years to earn funds towards their upcoming games, trips, and equipment. The Vipers often travel to cities in Missouri, Mississippi, and Arkansas to play other traveling teams in the Midwestern area. They are currently preparing for their third season.
This year, not only will the money be going towards the baseball team and their upcoming expenses, but they are also planning to donate a sum of their funds towards Lou Gerhig’s Disease Research. Lou Gerhig’s Disease or ALS, is a disease that effects the nerves throughout the brain and spinal cord, causing the brain to lose control of the muscles, which causes them to not function properly or at all. This young baseball team thought that it would be a great idea to donate the extra money raised at their own event so they could give to the ALS Foundation that are searching for a cure for this disease.
You can support both the Poplar Bluff Vipers Baseball Team along with the ALS Foundation by participating in the 5K and One Mile Run. On-site registration for the run will be held at the Three Rivers Community College Campus at 9:00am. The 5K run will start at 10:00am while the One Mile Run will be held at 11:00am. All people that haven’t pre-registered already can join the One Mile Run for $15 or join the 5K for $20. If you would like to run in both events, you can register now and only pay $25.
Door prizes will be awarded after both of the races have been completed. 1st place through 3rd place will also receive awards or ribbons. Both runs will begin and end at the Three Rivers Campus and they will end shortly after they are schedule to begin.
To register, you can email Early Childhood Center Speech Pathologist, Sharon Burkey, at sburkey@pb.k12.mo.us. For more information on the run or how to get involved, you can contact Roger Hanner at 573-300-1214 or Sharon Burkey at 573-718-0462.
After all, what’s a better way to start off the New Year with some fresh air, a good workout, and lending a helping hand to raise money for a worthy organization?
