01/18/2026
What an INCREDIBLE day! The MLK Day of Service was nothing short of powerful!
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve,” and on this day, more than 85 people showed up ready to LIVE out those words.
Today was a day where hearts, hands, and purpose came together to serve those who once served us.
First, we want to thank Mayor Tracy Andrews who BELIEVED in what this day could be, what it stands for, and for the WORK it took to bring it together. Because of our Mayor, and the many community partners who said yes, this day became exactly what Dr. King envisioned, love in action, service with purpose, and all people coming together to lift one another up.
The Washington County Council on Aging is a place full of stories, decades of hard work, sacrifice, and love. On this day, the same walls that carry so many of those beautiful memories were met with paintbrushes, servant hearts, and hands ready to give and we have so many partners to thank!!
Thank you to Chipola Area Habitat for Humanity for leading the painting project and for bringing skilled volunteers from Chrome Retreat and an amazing group of FSU students. Because of you, our space is fresh for 2026 and ready to welcome all who ARE, and all who will BECOME, part of our WCCOA family. It is going to be an incredible year!
In addition to the fresh paint, teams moved through every part of the building, touching each room with love, and a commitment to leave it better than before, so we can be ready to serve our seniors with pride. A huge thank you to Washington County Health Department's SWAT team, House of Prayer's Youth Ministry, Grant Tabernacle AME, Fresh Start Anti-Drug Coalition’s Girls With Goals, Rooted and Rising Academy, Art of Manhood, and the Chipley Woman’s Club for cleaning, sorting, organizing, and restoring every room, closet, pantry, and shed with such care.
We are grateful to Washington County Board of County Commissioners and Chairman David Pettis for painting right alongside our volunteers and for supporting us, as the county allows us to use this beautiful space to serve seniors. We want our seniors to know this is an extension of HOME. A place they are always welcome at any time.
Thank you to School Board Member Dr. Lou Cleveland for working behind the scenes this week to help us prepare for this day.
Thank you to our WCCOA Board members, President Tricia Dedge, Vice President Tracy Andrews, Trish Duce, Tamekia McKinnie, and Milton Brown, for serving right alongside the community. Your service to our seniors and support to our staff has impacted us in such positive ways this year!
We were especially humbled to watch community donations become something lasting. Volunteers helped us create the WCCOA Community Care Closet, a special space filled with personal care items and essentials for seniors. These items will always be free to any senior who needs them, because dignity and care should never have a price!
But... we did not stop there! Outside was transformed too. Thank you to Chipley High School's JROTC for tackling yard cleanup and hauling away more than 60 bags of leaves and trimmings.
This day was lifted by generosity at every turn. Thank you to Josephine Robinson-Floyd for cleaning supplies, Southpoint Contracting for prep and finish work, Sherwin-Williams for helping make this as cost-effective as possible, and to the City of Chipleyand Florida Power & Light for supporting not only this effort but your continued partnership.
Thank you to Positive Empowerment for an incredible lunch that kept everyone going, and to Chipley Piggly Wiggly for making sure every volunteer stayed hydrated with bottled water.
Thank you to Community South Credit Union, First Federal Bank, Innovations FCU, and the Kiwanis Club of Chipley for investing in this project! Without you it would not be possible.
Thank you to Tony Centeno with the Chipley Bugle for coming and sharing this story with the community, to Valerie Lawton for capturing it so beautifully in photographs, and to Mr. Tommy Andrews and Rick and Brooke Kowalczik for always showing up with willing hearts.
Because of each of you, every space, inside and out, now tells the story of love and care that went into this day.
With more gratitude than we can ever express, we want to be clear... This day was not just about paint or cleaning. It was about love in action. It was about neighbors serving neighbors. It was about honoring Dr. King’s legacy by living it.
So, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! These words are simply not enough. From deep in our hearts, we are grateful to each of you and to our community for showing our seniors how much they matter. This was commUNITY at its best, and we will carry this day with us always.
I am honored to serve you, our community, and our seniors every day as Executive Director of WCCOA.
With love and admiration,
Kristin Martin
