Resource directors essential to success
12/6/2007
Messenger-Inquirer
When it comes to following through on all the giving that goes into the Goodfellows Club, the job falls on the family resource directors in the local school systems.
From identifying students in need to getting them the necessary clothes or school supplies, the resource directors are the ones who make it happen, said Carla Vied, secretary of the Goodfellows Club board.
"They're key to the Goodfellows being able to meet those needs. They're the hands-on people who see the needs in the school that allow us to meet those needs," Vied said. "We couldn't do it without them."
Each part of the Goodfellows process involves people who do a vital job, but without each part, the good work would fall through. For the resource directors, sometimes that means taking on a very active role, Vied said.
"As board members, we don't have any contacts with kids. Our role is raising money and administering the fund, but it's the resource directors in the school that identify the kids and then fill those needs, which sometimes means taking the children to a store and helping them pick out their clothes," Vied said. "It's everything, because we don't have direct contact with the kids. They're really the key to what we do. We just pay the bills."
Vied said that these workers also all do their work in a warm, giving way.
"The resource directors I know are very compassionate adults who want to help children and meet their needs in whatever way," Vied said.
Melanie Manley, a family resource director at Meadow Lands Elementary School, said she and the other directors are just happy to be part of the process.
"I enjoy my job a lot, and I feel that it's a real integral part to helping students succeed in meeting their academics, taking care of their other needs," Manley said. "We are kind of like a school social worker, but more than that. We want to work with all the students. Some of the things that we do are to meet the basic needs of students so that when they come to school, they're ready to learn."
Having backup in the form of the Goodfellows Club means that they have the help they need to do their job, Manley said.
"It's incredible. It just alleviates so many of the problems by being able to get kids what they need and by being able to utilize the Goodfellows not just at Christmas, but all year," Manley said.
"It's extremely important just to be able to call them, any time of year, to be able to meet kids needs with clothing or also with dental needs," Manley said. "It's just the basic things that most kids take for granted but don't have a way to get."
Manley also said it means a lot just to have the Goodfellows Club here in Owensboro.
"It's just fabulous. Our whole county seems to work together to support the Goodfellows. The generosity is always exciting to see, and at this time of year, it's especially nice to see people giving instead of worrying about receiving. To have them here shows what a good population we have here in Daviess County," Manley said. "We just don't feel that we could do the job we do without the Goodfellows, so we encourage people to support them."
Today's Roll Call
Previously reported: $32,986.05
Sandra Elder: $500
Friends: $275
Jerry, Koko, Lacey and Rachel Morris: $250
Potpourri Garden Club: $150
In memory of parents, Hubert M. and Louise Hale, granddaughter Heather Cox and brother and sister-in-law James (Jim) and Carole Hale by Hugh R. and Wanda Hale: $125
In memory of my wife, Bettye, who passed away on Dec. 19, 2001, by Jack Hicks: $100
In loving memory of Raymond C. Gilmore by Dorothy and John Mardis: $100
Jimmie and Estelle Coil: $100
In memory of Evelyn Speer by Dr. William H. Speer Jr: $100
Owensboro Area Doll Club: $100
In memory of Richard J. Payne by the Payne family: $100
Fidelis Sunday School Class of Yellow Creek Baptist Church: $50
Ramon Iles: $50
In memory of Michael Braden and Randy Barton: $50
Paul Raymond Wilkerson and family: $50
Paul Neil Wilkerson: $50
In honor of Louise Weston by Daviess County Middle Lunch Bunch: $45
In loving memory of our parents, Grace and George Burge, and our sister, Brenda Mason by Ann, Betty and Steve: $30
In memory of James Goodwine: $25
In honor of Nancy Best's retirement by TOPS No. KY46: $25
In memory of Randy Cline by Larry and Edna Bruce: $25
In memory of Delmar Gray, Mildred Tucker and Marjorie Kirtley by Ina Bratcher: $25
In memory of Justus Otto Bratcher: $25
Total as of Dec. 6: $35,336.05
