SCOTT: Ministerial Association presents check to Winchester EMS
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By Carmen Ensinger
Carmen Ensinger/Scott County Times
Presenting a $1,500 check to the Winchester EMS are, left to right: Karen Hardwick with Winchester Methodist Church, First Christian Church Pastor Craig Walters, McMillen and First Baptist Church Pastor Bill Baughman. The check represents the proceeds from the First Responders Appreciation Day event held on Oct. 15.
Members of the Winchester Ministerial Association presented a $1,500 check to the Winchester EMS recently, which was the proceeds from the First Responders Appreciation Day held on Oct. 15.
Winchester First Baptist Church Pastor Bill Baughman said the event was the brainchild of Winchester Assembly of God Pastor Cindy Colbert.
“At one time or another, she has had to use the services of all of our first responders,” Baughman said. “So, she knows just how important all of them are – fire, police and ambulance – to our community and she really wanted to do something to show them just how much we, as a community appreciated them.”
Baughman said Colbert came to him as a representative of the Winchester Ministerial Association to see if it was something they would like to be involved with.
“I said of course we would and it kind of snowballed from there,” Baughman said. “Between the two of us, we started contacting the local churches, businesses and organizations and soliciting help.”
Baughman said there were a lot of people and organizations that got on board and supported it.
“It was just phenomenal the amount of people who wanted to help out,” he said. “I brought it up at a Kiwanis meeting and the Kiwanis said they would buy the meat for the event. One of the Kiwanis members was also an Oddfellow and he said he thought the Oddfellows would be willing to cook the meat.”
In keeping with the showing of appreciation, each member of the fire and police departments, as well as each volunteer with the ambulance service was presented with a special Bible.
“These are not just ordinary bibles,” Baughman said. “Each bible comes in a box and is inscribed with their name along with the emblem of their branch of service.”
For the event itself, there were lots of events for the kids to take part in.
“The Sandy Creek Baptist Association paid for the bounce houses and the popcorn machine and I did a magic show for the kids,” Baughman said. “Some of our other sponsors helped with the posters for the kids and the cards they made. Altogether, our sponsors donated thousands of dollars to help make this event a success.”
The one event everyone was looking forward to, however, had to be postponed because of the weather.
“It was so cold out that we couldn’t have the dunk tank, which I think everyone was looking forward to because we had a pretty good line-up of people to get dunked,” Baughman said. “But it was just too cold. We dunked one person and then called it quits.”
The decision to hold it in the middle of October was done so for a special reason.
“We chose October because Oct. 28 is National First Responder Day,” Baughman said. “However, I’m all for moving it to a warmer time of year next year.”
Which means there is the off-chance that there will be another First Responder Appreciation Day in the very near future.
“I don’t think it really matters what time of year we hold it – what really matters is that we get behind our local heroes, many of which are volunteers,” Baughman said. “That we let them know that we really appreciate them putting their own lives on the line to save ours.”
Baughman said there were so many that worked at making the day a success.
“None of this would have been possible without the support of the city of Winchester, the Ministerial Association and area churches,” Baughman said. “Then, of course, there are the many donations of time, talent and monetary donations from the many individuals and businesses in Winchester and surrounding area.”
Some of those that Baughman would like to say thank you to include: Alsey Baptist Church Pastor Jeff Daak, Cornerstone Baptist Church pastor Ted Rhoades, First Christian Church Pastor Craig Walters, Winchester United Metho1dist Church, Cindy and Danny Colbert, Attorney John Paul Coonrod, Gary and Barb Dorsey with Dorsey Sentry Hardware, First National Bank of Winchester.
Thomas Coonrod of Great Scott Market, Kiwanis, Marshall Chevrolet, Chuck and Wilma Loomis with Mission Cultivators, Odd Fellows Pioneer Lodge #70, Jim and Chele Brown with Rural Area Ministry Network United Community Bank of Winchester, Winchester Bowl, Winchester Mayor Rex McIntire, Winchester Elementary students for homemade cards and posters, Winchester Pharmacy and numerous other donations and helping hands.
