Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 2 October 2003 — Page 7

The Muncie Times • October 2, 2003 • Page 7

Huggins mission is to help those in need

Teresa Huggins is a Muncie native who has lived her entire life here. Being the third of five siblings, she believed that she would be the one that would not spend her life in Muncie. The contrary became true. Of the five siblings of Huggins, she is the only one that has stayed here. She has two sisters that live in Atlanta, GA, one who lives in Oklahoma and a brother that lived in California, but has recently relocated back to Muncie. When growing up in Muncie, Huggins attended Longfellow Elementary, where she is currently a student counselor. Afraid that it would reveal her age, Huggins would not disclose the junior high school she attended. She graduated from Central High School and went directly to Ball State University where she did her undergraduate work in counseling psychology. Huggins is not only a full-time counselor at Longfellow Elementary and the mother of four (another full-time job) she is also working on her doctorate in Christian counseling. "If I stick to it, I probably can be finished next year," Huggins said. "I wanted to be finished this

year, but some things came up. My dad was ill, [but] he's doing much better now." She started a lay counseling program at her church, which she is going to use as her dissertation. The focus is to train those interested in counseling. George, her husband, is a chairperson of the art department at Muncie Central. He recently finished up his administrating education at Ball State and is preparing for the test that will provide him a license in administration. Although he is not looking forward to taking the test, Huggins is pushing him to do so since he has finished the education portion. George was born in Detroit, to a Methodist minister who was given a church in the Indiana area. Beginning in Frankfort, then Noblesville where George graduated from high school. He moved to Muncie after that and married Huggins, his wife of 24 years. He is also the middle child of five. Huggins and her husband have four children together. They have one boy and one girl who both attend Ball State University. They also have two younger sons

who are still in high school. George is a chairperson at Muncie Central, and with their combined faith in God, he and Huggins stay busy with their children and the children of others who take part in an after school program. The Huggins' have a non-for-profit organization entitled Educational T.A.S.C.C. force. The acronym stands for Team Alliance of School Churches and Community. The force's mission is to work for the betterment of youth. Their motto is "Once youth believe, they have power to achieve." T.A.S.C.C. was begun in 1989. "[George saw] professional athletes started fighting ... we need to do something about that," Huggins said about how T.A.S.C.C. came about. "Kids are so drawn [to sports] to see some of their idols fighting that's not a good role model. He wanted to create something that would be a positive influence to the kids." After the Huggins' had their two youngest children, realizing that they were committing themselves to educating their two newest kids for the next

twenty years, along with the idea that they wanted to develop a safe place for kids to go after school, the idea for an after-school program was born. The program is called Kids C.O.O.L. That acronym stands for Character Options Orientation Leadership. "We became subcontractors of Family Services of Delaware County for a drug prevention program," Huggins said, describing the next step in her after-school program. "They (the contractors) get state dollars . . . and they do is contract other non-profit-organizations to run . . . drug prevention programs." The target age is between 10 and 14. The program has been meeting at Northside Middle school for approximately four years. Before that they met at Christ Temple Church. Huggins also works with a drug prevention program for Motivate Our Minds (MOM). In addition to the Northside after-school program, Huggins has developed a program at Central High school. "We get them [kids] involved in community projects, community

service, because we think that it's so important to give back," Huggins said of the importance of kids learning to give and not just take. "In December we usually do a talent/fashion show." They also do a Thanksgiving dinner entitled Feed My Sheep, of which the kids are directly involved in. That started eight years ago. Through the use of those kids and community volunteers, the Feed My Sheep dinner feeds anywhere between 700 and 800 people of Delaware County.

Teresa Huggins

OBITUARY

Bruce Blair passed away in Muncie on Aug. 24, 2003. His funeral service was held on Saturday, Aug. 30 at Union Missionary Baptist Church with the Rev. W. J. Jackson officiating. Blair, who was well known in the local music scene, was a member of Union Missionary Baptist Church where he was the percussionist for the church’s Praise Team. Blair

was also a past member of the Nap Town Riders motorcycle club and a veteran of the Vietnam war. He was preceded in his death by his parents, John E. and Jaqueline Blair; four uncles, Louis Blair, Charles Blair, Robert Harden and Min ion Blair He is survived by four sons, KiShawn Wilson of Mesa, Ariz., Brandon Thomas, Brenden Thomas

and Austin Blair, all of Arlington Texas; three daughters, Kayla Blair Chetika Sales and Monika Sales, all of Nashville, Tenn; two brothers, Mike Blair (wife: Cheryl) of Atwood, Ind; and Kent Blair (wife: Cherry) of Muncie; a sister, Jaralynn Blair (J.K.) of Muncie; four grandchildren; a host of cousins and friends; two nephews, Blair Broussard of

Muncie and Tirean Blair of Atwood; two nieces, Terina Blair of Indianapolis and Cori Pratt of Atwood; an uncle, William Blair (wife: Willa B.) of Muncie and five aunts, Mary Alice Clemens, Margaret Burks, Sara Ann Powell, Beverly Sims and Juanita West, all of Muncie.

Bruce A. Blair