GAINESVILLE, Texas – The Gainesville State School “Men Of
Distinction” arose early on Valentine’s Day, with one thing on their minds: To
bake valentines cookies.
The cookies they prepared were oval shaped sugar cookies
adorned with red and pink hearts. The youth collected them into little red gift
bags with a shimmery gloss. They added three chocolate heart shaped valentine
candies to each carefully packaged bag, taking pride in ensuring each one was
just right.
They arrived at the Pecan Creek Nursing and Rehab center in
Gainesville with their goodies in tow. They met up with the Activity
Coordinator Meagan Arrington who identified the residents who could have a
goodie bag. Gainesville Dorm Supervisor Carla Lane said the residents
were very excited to see the boys and find out that they were bringing
Valentine’s Day gifts. “Are those for us?, I haven’t had a sweet in a long
time,” said one of the residents.
The young men presented each of 25 residents with a
gift bag. They sat and chatted with several of the older people. The Men
of Distinction youth, who are 18 and nearing their time of release, earn the
privilege to participate in the program, which focuses on living skills for
when they are on their own. They learn about cooking, writing resumes and
maintaining finances. They were excited to visit the nursing residence and said
they can’t wait for their next visit when they plan to build a set of raised
flower beds, enabling the nursing home residents to garden.
The visit made an impact. One of the students reports that
he wants to become a registered nurse and would love to do his internship at a
nursing care center.