Melanie Douglas Selected as Rotary Service Above Self Recipient
Melanie Douglas was the guest speaker at the June 8, 2021 Lexington Rotary Club meeting. She was the recipient of the Service Above Self Award at the conclusion of the meeting.
Photo by: W. Clay Crook / The Lexington Progress
Article by W. Clay Crook-
Melanie Douglas, who is the Coordinated School Health Coordinator for the Lexington City School System, was invited as the special guest speaker for the June 8, 2021, Lexington Rotary Club meeting. After her presentation, she was surprised to find that she had been selected by the club as the 2021 Service Above Self recipient.
The Service Above Self award goes to the community member who most exemplifies the club’s motto of “service above self,” and Rotary President Kelli Grice said that Melanie had exceeded all of those expectations.
In addition to her work with Lexington City Schools, Melanie has been a vital part of the backpack programs, the Lexington Civic League, numerous mobile food drops and pantries, and extensive volunteer work with the 4-H and FFA.
Melanie has been a part of LCSS for twenty-four years, saying that, “I’ve had a real passion with working for children since I was very young.” It wasn’t until she started teaching, however, that she didn’t realize how many things that school age children really had to do without, and that it just wasn’t children in another county, another state, another country, but those in her own community. Absenteeism, hunger, homeliness, and sickness, “and so many other issues,” she said, tie in to create challenges that hinder what otherwise would be a successful student. School nutritionists and school nurses are vital for a healthy student body.
The Henderson County Health Department, the state Department of Health, and UT Extension are some of the local partners and they help provide some of the resources available from the state. Coordinated School Funding helped provide water bottles during COVID-19 when…
For the complete story, see the June 9th edition of The Lexington Progress.
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