Kids' Column

Honoring our Veterans Center and its Day Care

In a round-about-way we salute our veterans through this column this month. The only veterans center in the state is located in Wilmore. The Kentucky Veterans Center was re-named on July 4, 1998 to the Thomson Hood Veterans Center. The name change was a memorial tribute to LTC George B. Thomson and Mrs. Beatrice F. Hood.

The THVC has a day care facility that provides employees care for their children. Parents are able to interact with their own children on their breaks and at lunch. This is a very contemporary effort that the government is offering to their employees. At the THVC the children are also exposed to interaction with the veterans who live at the center. The kids and veterans have a great deal in common--the gift of sharing their special relationships.

There are 52 children in the day care. Some children are dropped off by the bus after school. The ages range from infants to grade school age children. The center is under the leadership of Janice White, the Director, and Sheila Mason, who is a supervisor. Other day care providers follow lesson plans for each age level. Each class has a weekly visit with the veterans. Some of the intergenerational activities include story time, doing art work, caroling together at Christmas, painting eggs at Easter, and Friday, October 30, the kids' parents are providing candy to the residents to hand out for HaIloween trick or treat!

A Veterans Day ceremony will be held on November 7th at the THVC. The parade starts at 1O:OO a.m.; it leaves the Mt. Freedom Baptist Church parking lot and will head toward the THVC. After the parade this year, there are many inside activities which include a program and reception. Stop by and shake the hand of a man who served our country. These men reached out in times of war to defend and provide for us. This is why we, who were kids then and adults today, still live in the United States of America.

--Kim Deyer