PROJECT SOUTH TO HONOR VETS

EL DORADO — At the Williams Orthodontics and the Forth Family’s 6th annual Fireworks Show, host Project SOUTH (Serving Our Units at Home) will serve its community by honoring local veterans. Project SOUTH is a ministry dedicated to helping veterans and their families meet their “physical, emotional, spiritual and social needs in a God honoring way in order to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to them,” according to the group’s Facebook page. Volunteer Richard Dunlap said that there will be something for everyone at the annual event prior to the fireworks show. “We’re going to have activities for the kids. We’re going to have some games for them, bounce houses … and if you participate, you get a prize.” The Arkansas National Guard’s obstacle course will also be on site for those who want to test their skills. A group of SouthArk students and faculty who served in the US Armed Forces will be part of the pre-show to honor veterans, he said. “It’ll be the first year to my knowledge that veterans from (South Arkansas Community College) are going to be the flag bearers for the Fourth of July,” Dunlap said. Project SOUTH will be taking donations for the local Army National Guard unit that is deploying to Africa at the event. Donations will be used to make care packages for the troops, he said. Dunlap was deployed several times to Iraq and Saudi Arabia and said that receiving care packages from the community “makes a difference.” He recalled being in Iraq for 32 days when his unit was hit by a car bomb on May 6, 2004 — a day he called “the worst day of my life.” “Right after that, when I got back to my room, they brought the mail in and I had a care package from a school in Texas,” the veteran said. “I was down. I was hurting, but when I opened that care package and got those Oreo cookies, that’s what made my day right there. That let me know that someone besides my family really does care about me.” Items that Dunlap suggested the community to donate were lip balm, suntan lotion, shaving cream, razor blades and “something they can snack on.” In addition to getting non-perishable and cosmetic items for servicemen and women, Project SOUTH will also be passing some boots around to raise money for the Parkers Chapel Fire Department. “It’s just veterans giving back to the community. That’s all it is. We want to show everybody that we care about everybody,” he said. “We just want everybody to come out, fellowship and have a good time.” Gates to the fireworks show will open at 4 p.m. at the Victor Nipper Football Stadium, located in Parkers Chapel. The pre-show, to honor veterans, will start at 9 p.m. and the fireworks show will start immediately after. For more information, contact Richard Dunlap at projectsouth@ymail.com or by phone at 870-315-1116 or 870-862-3063. Brittany Williams may be contacted by email at bwilliams@eldoradonews.com. Follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook @BWilliamsEDNT for updates on Union County school news.

PROJECT SOUTH TO HONOR VETS

Photo Credit: Parkers Chapel Athletics

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