Sun Automotive. Duck my ride contest.

 

Pastor Bill White, that’s how I‘m starting this. I met the White family, Judy and their daughter Paylin, of “Hope Community Center” Pre-School and Church at 1212 South A Street, and just stayed. Bill White holds it all together, he is the corner stone of this pre-school and church; He once said, “Our work should be here in two miles from this church as he stretched his hand out in 97477. I thought that admirable, he wanted to help the section of town that needed it most, and I looked on a map and found the pre-school is the only one in South Springfield. Bill is like that; an easy conversation with him will reveal he had his own T.V. and radio shows. “I put a lot of famous faces on my shows or events.” as Bill by passed the question about Paylin the director of the Pre-school who has a Masters in Education from the NCU being the God daughter of the legendary Pat Boone?

All I got was a “Yep.”

Bill is very unassuming man humble man, and very busy keeping things going 6 days a week with the pre-school every week day and church Sunday. A month ago their van died. The finances were just keeping the pre-school and church running, “We have small church these days about forty, and barley enough students now, but we can take on several more” he replied in a marketing meeting at “SCORE” when asked by a Bill a man who worked with Ray Crock owner of McDonalds as a marketing tactician. I had to ask about a picture I saw of him in an old news clipping years ago describing his show with an “ex-convict” change and giving back. I said I heard of that name, his was a big time mobster way back, famous too?

“Yep” he replied to that question.

 One of the fellowship allowed Bill to use a car for a few days; a teenager of all people gave up his car, until another of his flock bought him an old putter to get around town.

 “I had no idea” Bill said to me referring to the surprise, “and they don’t make a lot of money.” He was amazed. I was not so much as he, you see there is something deeper that keeps this group together as Judy his wife says, “We are the house of misfit toys.” “We are all broken separately but, together we work things out.” she said with a smile, and what misfit meant was that many of us have been and are fighting medical issues this writer included. I could go on about how Hope Community Center pre-school needs a safe new ride to pick up kids after kindergarten, or how they lost all their money losing a son who battled Leukemia years ago and a return to the Willamette Valley and family, to keep his work going…

I will end it with a Sun Automotive at 255 South A street, and a conversation while asking for the form on “Duck my Ride’ contest. I had been talking to Bill about a Saturday free BBQ event I was thinking of doing at the Hope Community Center and he said he won’t be able to attend any benefits during the fall on Saturdays. I asked why? He replied, “I get to do one thing this year and is a season ticket to watch the Ducks.” He had a big smile on his face. “Got to have my Ducks”

“Yep” I got say Bill is a solid life long Duck fan.

 

Chef John