CRESTVIEW — Mae Retha Coleman is living proof of what one resident on a fixed income can do to help neighbors of lesser means.

Currently, her living room is a little hard to get through. That's because more than a dozen boxes partially filled with holiday food radiate from the fireplace into the center of the room.

By next week, the boxes will be filled and distributed to families from the Okaloosa County Head Start program and other people in need.

“I’m loading up a lot of things for people,” Coleman said, displaying two frozen turkeys that will also help the needy have a Thanksgiving feast. “I’ve got boxes everywhere.”

For more than 40 years, Coleman has prepared boxes of food for Head Start, and she’s been helping other needy folks get food even longer.

But the community activist’s generosity isn’t confined to the holidays.

"I do it every day," Coleman said. “A person don’t just get hungry at the holidays, so if I know about it, I fill up a grocery bag with uncooked food from my house for them."

SHOPPING FOR TWO

Despite losing her beloved husband, Ulysses, in 2006, Coleman still shops for two.

“When I go grocery shopping, I always buy in twos; one for me and one for somebody who might need something,” she said.

Needy folks learn about Coleman's contributions primarily from word-of-mouth, including from Head Start families and through her Mount Zion A.M.E. Church.

“The people who come by and ask, I know them,” she said. “What I most like is to give to mothers with children."

Head Start's Crestview families appreciate the thought.

“They look forward to Miss Coleman coming,” Head Start receptionist Cherry Parker said. “She does it every year and we just appreciate it…"

Coleman, a retired nurse, said everybody has the opportunity to do something for fellow residents.

“I’m on a fixed income, but God has enabled me to pass it to others,” she said. “There’s a lot of things you can do for your community. This is what I do and this is what I love.”

“She’s just a community person,” Parker said. “She’ll help anybody.”

HOW TO HELP

Crestview resident Mae Retha Colemansaid there are many ways that residents can help the less fortunate, and not just during the holidays. She suggests:

• Shopping for two, putting extras aside for the needy

• Donating non-perishable items to the Sharing and Caring community food bank, church food pantries or Head Start

• Volunteering at a church soup kitchen or cold weather shelter

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview woman has fed the hungry for 40+ years

FORT WALTON BEACH — An aquatic center for disabled people and a new office building to better serve domestic and sexual violence survivors now have additional financial support thanks to 250 Northwest Florida women.

For the past three years, women in Impact 100 have contributed large grants for local non-profit organizations. As part of joining Impact, each member gives $1,000 to go toward the big checks handed out.

Shelter House, which serves domestic and sexual abuse survivors, is among the winning organizations to receive a grant. With the $125,000, the nonprofit organization will move to a new office building in Fort Walton Beach. It'll have enough space for its growing staff, a children's waiting room and adult therapy room.

Horizons, which provides services to more than 400 people with cognitive, intellectual and developmental disabilities, will use the grant toward an aquatic center that offers recreational and rehabilitative health benefits.

There were 35 applicants for the Impact grants, which were narrowed down to five on Sunday.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 2 Okaloosa non-profits receive Impact 100 grants

CRESTVIEW — Pack 530 Cub Scouts may have had Veterans Day off from school, but that didn’t stop them from continuing their education.

Crestview Mayor David Cadle visited the pack and discussed the benefits and responsibilities of good citizenship with the boys, according to Den Leader Don Snyder.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview mayor discusses citizenship with Cub Scouts

CRESTVIEW —  Kirby Locklear, a Lumbee Native American, will share his culture and teach people how to dance like a Native American.

His presentation is from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. Nov. 25 at the Crestview Public Library, 1445 Commerce Drive.

This free program is designed for ages 4 and up. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview library offers presentation on Native American culture

CRESTVIEW — Organizers have taken several steps to address complaints of frequent Crestview Christmas Parade delays and to prevent accidents such as the injury of a child who dashed in front of a float last year.

Adding four more blocks to the Dec. 6 parade and prohibiting disbanding on Wilson Street are among improvements.

Download the 2014 Christmas Parade application here>>

“This year we’re going to extend the parade route,” parade director Cal Zethmayr said. “There will be more spectator area for people to watch the parade, so they won’t be seven or eight deep trying to catch stuff.”

Main Street Crestview Association organizers working with Mayor David Cadle, Police Chief Tony Taylor and Public Works Director Wayne Steele, mapped out the new route, Zethmayr said.

EXTENDED ROUTE

The parade begins on Main Street at Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, goes north to Cedar Avenue, turns west, and then heads south on Wilson Street to Beech Avenue.

The parade previously concluded at Main Street and Cedar Avenue. However, many parade goers watched from Cedar, which was not barricaded and was where a boy ran in front of a float.

Entrants will be prohibited from disbanding on Wilson Street before the railroad tracks, “because that holds up the parade,” Zethmayr said.

In addition, at least one representative from each marching unit must attend a Dec. 4 briefing at Warriors Hall, Zethmayr said. That's when entrants will receive line-up numbers.

“If you’re not at the meeting, you will not be in the parade,” Zethmayr said.

ONLINE APPLICATION

This year’s theme is “Christmas Around the World,” Zethmayr said.

Applications — available at www.crestviewbulletin.com/news/community — are due Nov. 26, Zethmayr said. The application fee, which begins at $10 for walking groups, can be paid online using PayPal. The parade is limited to 125 participants.

Being a family-friendly event, parading organizations’ amplified audio is limited to Christmas music, Zethmayr said.

To assure spectator safety and keep the parade moving, Crestview Police Department auxiliary and full-time officers will be augmented by volunteer members of the North Okaloosa Amateur Radio Club and the Community Emergency Response Team.

“We want to make it so everything moves smoothly,” Zethmayr said.

WANT TO PARTICIPATE?

WHAT:Crestview Christmas Parade

WHEN:5:30 p.m. Dec. 6

WHERE:Main Street, from Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue north to Cedar Avenue, west on Cedar and then south on Wilson Street to Beech Avenue

COST:Entry fees for school bands or musical groups, free; walking groups, $10; antique car, motorcycle, bicycle or mini-vehicle, $20; decorated car, truck or large single vehicle, $30; and decorated float with towing vehicle or flatbed truck, $40.

NOTES:Download entry forms at www.crestviewbulletin.com/news/community, complete and email back. Payment by PayPal is accepted. At least one representative from each entry must attend a mandatory 6 p.m. Dec. 4 meeting at Warriors Hall, Whitehurst Municipal Building, 201 Stillwell Ave.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Organizers tweak Christmas parade to improve flow, safety

CRESTVIEW — The Okaloosa County Parks Department is turning off northern Okaloosa's park restroom water during freezing temperatures.

The goal is to keep pipes from bursting. 

Signs will be posted on each door, temperatures will be monitored, and restrooms will open if weather warms.

Call 311 Citizen’s Information Line for more information. See www.okaloosafl.com for a list and directions to all Okaloosa parks.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: North Okaloosa County parks turn water off

FORT WALTON BEACH — Okaloosa County plans to use $1.7 million in Department of Defense grants to purchase 961 acres of land around the Shoal River from Haiseal Timber.

The acreage will greatly expand what’s known as the Shoal River Buffer, an area that protects Eglin Air Force Base as well as Okaloosa County’s future water supply, said Jeff Littrell, director of water and sewer for the county.

The county will use $1.1 million in Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration grants and $600,000 in Defense Infrastructure grants to fund the land purchase, which is expected to be completed by Dec. 31.

Under federal rules, REPI grants must serve a dual purpose: protecting the environment and military interests.

The Shoal River Buffer — which is undeveloped forest and wetlands — fits the criteria, Littrell said.

In 2006, the county purchased 353 acres of Haiseal Timber land on both sides of the Shoal River for 2 to 3 miles for the Shoal River Buffer.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: County to expand Shoal River Buffer

Walter Isaacson, author of best-selling biographies on Alfred Einstein, Benjamin Franklin and Steve Jobs, continues his success with this sweeping, thrilling story of the people who created the computer and the Internet.

This masterly saga is destined to be the standard history of the digital revolution and an indispensable guide to how innovation really happens and the inventive minds that transformed our lives.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Public Library Staff Pick: 'The Innovators," by Walter Isaacson

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview Public Library's lobby display cases feature “Windows From the Past,” a display of artifacts from the Baker Block Museum and vintage goods from the Baker Mercantile.

Educational, social, commercial and religious materials range from school books and post cards to a sacred harp hymnal, antique cameras and photos made from similar vintage equipment.

What at first glance could be mistaken for a child’s doll house tea service and cast iron stove are actually traveling salesmen’s samples, depicting in miniature the real merchandise.

From the Baker Mercantile, delicate needle work joins wine bottles repurposed as bird feeders. Homemade soaps poured in vintage molds remind viewers that after hog-slaughtering time, nothing went to waste, including the fat.

The exhibit runs through December. Contact the Baker Block Museum, 537-5714, or visit it at the corner of State Roads 4 and 189 to learn more about local history.

WANT TO GO?

WHAT:“Windows From the Past” exhibit

WHEN:On display through December

WHERE:Crestview Public Library, 1445 Commerce Drive

NOTES:The North Okaloosa Historical Association presents vintage artifacts from the Baker Block Museum and traditional handicrafts from the Baker Mercantile.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Windows from the past: Baker Block display at Crestview library