HANNIBAL, MO -- Helping people help themselves -- that's the motto of a Hannibal organization that kicked off its 40th birthday Monday afternoon.
A men's group from what was then known as the Second Christian Church started Douglass Community Services to help meet the needs of their community.
And 40 years later, their idea is still going strong and then some.
We are the World was a fitting song choice for Monday's celebration kickoff for all the many social services Douglass Community Services provides.
Executive Director Dave Dexheimer said, "Douglass Community Services is what we call an umbrella organization. The umbrella is part of our logo. We are a grantee for a number of programs. We have five programs, actually.
They include Head Start; Court Appointed Special Advocates or CASA; the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program; Kids in Motion, which provides work enrichment skills to teenagers and pre-teens; and Community Support Services, which distributes food to more than 500 families each month, not to mention provide rent and utility assistance.
Dexheimer said, "Just last Thursday, we had our Marion County USDA commodities distribution and in less than three hours, we had more than 300 families go through here for food and our emergency food pantry numbers are up for that."
Douglass also is celebrating five years in its building, which was a gift from physicians with the Hannibal Clinic. Executive Director Dave Dexheimer hopes the kickoff celebration will not only educate the public about Douglass' many services, but also recruit volunteers to help it help others. Rajah Maples,
The Douglass Community Services building also houses the Free Clinic, which serves low-income, uninsured patients in Northeast Missouri.
The Free Clinic is always looking for volunteer physicians to provide medical care for those in need.
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