East Texans truly shine their lights

Published 7:40 pm Saturday, January 3, 2015

East Texans continued to display their generosity in December with the annual year-end Shine Your Light campaign, and the Tyler Paper counts itself privileged to be a part of it again.

The campaign lasted through Dec. 31, with donations exceeding $167,000.

“After seven years and close to $1.2 million, we continue to be amazed at the generosity of this community,” says Tyler Paper Publisher Nelson Clyde. “This year’s campaign met its matching funds goal faster than any other year and in spite of reaching that goal, donations continued to pour in, which confirms this community knows best what the ‘least’ of its citizens need.”

This year’s matching funds totaled $72,500, with donations from the Harold and Rosemary Beaird Fund, the Niblack Charitable Fund, Herb and Melvina Buie, the Clements Family Foundation, the Tyler Morning Telegraph, Barbara and Billy Bass, Citizens 1st Bank, Southside Bank, Michelle and Martin Heines, Your Philanthropy in honor of the YP Collaborative and a donor who wished to remain anonymous.

This year’s contributions will support eight nonprofits, including the East Texas Food Bank, The Salvation Army, People Attempting To Help (PATH), Meals On Wheels Ministry, the Samaritan Counseling Center, Gateway to Hope, Gospel Village, a program of the Boys & Girls Clubs of East Texas; and The Hospice of East Texas WINGS Program for Bereaved Children.

Since its inception in 2008, during what seemed to be the darkest days of the economic meltdown, Shine Your Light sought to help meet the most pressing needs in the community.

“Clearly the economy is in a recovery, so rather than responding to an economic crisis, the community is meeting the needs that remain,” Clyde observed. “In good times and hard times, we’re still going to have a large portion of our society that needs help, and we are called to respond in, all circumstances, to those needs — in the worst of times and the best of times.”

As in past years, the Tyler Paper highlighted each charity in the days leading up to the end of the year.

“People often say, ‘I decided to give again because of something in the stories,'” Clyde said.

Many of the ministries and front-line agencies that Shine Your Light assists do far more to help than their names might suggest.

Meals On Wheels, for example, has a huge impact on the region. Meals On Wheels delivers over 3,000 meals daily in six counties — that’s as many as the Austin regional agency provides. It’s not just nutrition; often, the daily deliveries may be the only regular human interaction the recipients get. Lives have been saved in East Texas when Meals On Wheels drivers find seniors who have fallen or become ill.

Another example is the Hospice of East Texas. Many of us are familiar with — and grateful for — its mission to help those whose illnesses are terminal.

But the agency also has a program called WINGS, which helps children who are in the process of grieving the loss of a loved one.

Agencies like these continue to help meet the needs of our families and neighbors. And East Texans continue to help meet the needs of these agencies.