Community Events

Community events are open to the general public.  Community events often celebrate a holiday, a national day of recognition of a historical event, or provide information that would appeal to a majority of the population.

Katybug Shuffle

BJ Kirkpatrick Community Events, News

Katybug ShuffleThe Katybugs & Butterflies Foundation, Inc. will be hosting the Katybug Shuffle Walk for Warriors on Saturday, July 29 at Fairview Park in Sherman.  Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the walk will begin at 8:30 a.m.

The Katybug Shuffle Walk for Warriors is benefitting five families in Grayson County who are currently facing the battle of childhood cancer.  The Warriors are Kaylen of Pottsboro, Hannah and Zach, both of Denison, Katelyn of Van Alstyne, and Everleigh of Whitesboro.

The Katybugs & Butterflies Foundation was created to honor Katy Whaley of Pottsboro and in memory of Amanda Mauppin of Ivanhoe. The two families met at a family camp hosted by Children’s Hospital in Dallas and became friends.

The families quickly realized that in our area, there are no support groups to offer emotional or financial support for the families of pediatric cancer patients. The Whaley and Mauppin families wanted to change that.

After Katy completed treatment, her family decided to start a foundation to offer the much-needed support in Grayson and Fannin counties. The foundation’s name came about because Katybug is Katy’s nickname. The Butterflies, however, has a much more special meaning. After Amanda lost her battle to Rhabdomyosarcoma in 2012, Bonnie, her mother, gave Katy one of Amanda’s necklaces, a butterfly. And the foundation was named.

The foundation’s goal is to offer emotional and financial support to families from Grayson County or Fannin County facing the devastating diagnosis of pediatric cancer. The financial help is not income based, as this is a hurdle many families encounter.  If you or someone you know is facing a childhood cancer diagnosis, you may reach Katybugs & Butterflies Foundation, Inc. at katybugshuffle@yahoo.com or on Facebook (Katybugs & Butterflies Foundation, Inc.).

Make a donation or Register on Active.com

 

National Healthcare Decisions Day Events Hosted by Home Hospice

BJ Kirkpatrick Community Events
National Healthcare Desicions Day Events

National Health Care Decisions DayHome Hospice of Grayson, Cooke & Fannin Counties, along with other national, state and community organizations, are leading a massive effort to highlight the importance of advance healthcare decision-making—an effort that has culminated in the formal designation of April 16 as National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD). As a participating organization, Home Hospice of Grayson, Cooke & Fannin Counties is providing information and tools for the public to talk about their wishes with family, friends and healthcare providers, and execute written advance directives (healthcare power of attorney and living will) in accordance with Texas state laws.  You can get more information about these resources and events by contacting Nancy Jackson at 903-868-9315 or by visiting www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org.

Home Hospice of Grayson, Cooke & Fannin Counties is holding two Town Hall Forums.  On April 18, from 2:00 pm to 3:30pm. A town Hall forum will be at Covenant Presbyterian Church at 322 W. Pecan Street in Sherman.   On April 20, from 2:00pm to 3:30pm, a Town Hall Forum will be held at the Bonham Public Library at 305 E. 5th Street in Bonham.

Speakers will include local attorneys, doctors, social workers and other pre-planning specialist. This will give you the opportunity to ask questions and gain knowledge that can help with your healthcare decisions. Free information about advance care planning and advance directive forms plus other resources will be available during the forum.

“As a result of National Healthcare Decisions Day, many more people in our community can be expected to have thoughtful conversations about their healthcare decisions and complete reliable advance directives to make their wishes known,” said Nancy Jackson, Home Hospice Director of Community Development.  “Fewer families and healthcare providers will have to struggle with making difficult healthcare decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient, and healthcare providers and facilities will be better equipped to address advance healthcare planning issues before a crisis and be better able to honor patient wishes when the time comes to do so.”

Home Hospice of Grayson, Cooke and Fannin Counties is a 501(c)(3) local community-based organization founded in 1982 and serving our communities for 35 years. As the oldest and most trusted local hospice organization, our mission is to provide the best care and support enhancing the Quality of Life of our patients and their families. To learn about other community outreach programs offered by Home Hospice, please visit www.homehospice.org or visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/homehospiceofgrayson. For more information about National Healthcare Decision Day, please visit www.nhdd.org.

Super Bowl Champion to be at Annual Grayson County MLK Celebration

BJ Kirkpatrick Austin College, Community Events, News
Super Bowl Champion at Grayson County MLK Celebration

Super Bowl Champion at Grayson County MLK CelebrationThe 13th annual Grayson County Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Breakfast will be held Monday, January 16, at 7:15 a.m. in Mabee Hall of the Robert J. and Mary Wright Campus Center at Austin College. The cost is $15 per person, payable at the door, and admission is free for the faculty and students of Austin College and Grayson College.

Sherman and Grayson County Rotary Clubs, Wilson N. Jones Regional Medical Center, Austin College, Grayson College and the Sherman Neighborhood Recreation Committee sponsor the event.

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. George Koonce, Super Bowl XXXI Champion, former starting linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, and current Senior Vice President of University Relations at Marian University in Wisconsin. Koonce is known as the “Doctor of Defense” because he is one of only two men who not only played for the Packers but also earned a doctoral degree. He began his college career at Chowan College in North Carolina. Before graduating in 1989, he was named Coastal Conference Defensive Player of the Year. After a year stint in the World League of American Football, Koonce was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1992. He was a starter for eight years.

He continued his education by earning his bachelor’s degree at New York University in 1999, his master’s in Sports Management from East Carolina in 2006, and his doctorate from Marquette University in 2012. Koonce has served in a variety of athletic administrative positions at Marquette University (Wisconsin), Wisconsin-Milwaukee, East Carolina University, as well as for the Green Bay Packers. His dissertation, “Role Transition of National Football League Player: Using the Grounded Theory,” brought awareness to the challenges that NFL retirees face. In 2014 he co-authored Is There Life After Football?: Surviving the NFL with James A. Holstein and Richard S. Jones.

The annual parade celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr. will be held Saturday, January 14, at noon. All churches, civic and social groups, and members of the public are welcome. The parade route begins at 400 S. Travis Street. A service will follow in Wynne Chapel on the Austin College campus. For parade participation information contact Sherman Neighborhood Recreation Committee representatives Rev. Charles Brown Sr. at 903-818-4728 or Karen Brown at 903-209-6664.

Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 40 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of approximately 1,275 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.