WS Chronicle

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BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY 

THE CHRONICLE

Ben Piggott and the staff at the Carl H. Russell Community Center never miss a chance to give back to the community.

On Saturday, May 6, the community center held a luncheon for Mother’s Day.  This is the fourth year the center has honored the mothers in the community.  Carl H. Russell Director Ben Piggott says he gets a kick out of seeing the smiles on the mother’s faces and the opportunity to honor mothers who do so much for everyone else.

“To be honest, I was overwhelmed because I was expecting a crowd of around 40 but I wound up with a  crowd of 90,” he said.  “he had special prizes that we didn’t have last year but the main thing was for people to come out and bring joy to their mothers.”

“I also felt very pleased with the volunteer efforts that we had.  We had men serving the mothers and they were from the ‘Boys to Men’ group out of the Happy Hill area.”

Piggott says the Winston-Salem Recreation and Parks Department was a big help in putting the program together.  He wanted to give a special thank you to The Chronicle for getting the word out about the event because he said he wasn’t expecting such a large crowd but was pleased with the turnout.

Steve Grimes was the guest speaker during the Mother’s Day event.  Grimes brought his grandson and wanted to emphasize the importance of respecting one’s mother.

During the event, each person was allowed to stand up and give a short thanks to their respective mothers. Following that, everyone in attendance was treated to a gourmet meal that was donated to the center.  To finish off the night, the center raffled off special gifts.

“I just really want to show the kids that their parents have been young before and all the things they are trying to tell you is for their own good,” Piggott continued.  “I also want the kids to see that their parents can give them life skills that no one else can, so you must respect them, especially your mother, on this day.”