Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — Amidst the talented performers and good food of An Evening with the North Stars held annually at the Loring Job Corps Center (LJCC), Matthew and Katherine Palmer of the Carson Road Pentecostal Church in Woodland were awarded the 2009 Community Citizenship award.
Introduced to the audience by LJCC Dorm Manager Raymond Thompkins, Katherine and Matthew Palmer were presented with the 2009 Community Citizenship Award during the annual Evening with the North Stars at the Loring Job Corps Center.
Raymond Thompkins, Dorm Manager at LJCC, introduced the Palmers to an audience of over 100 and spoke about how the youth ministry provided by the Palmers has touched the lives of the LJCC students — sometimes even staff.
“The first night [that the Palmers] came to the center, there were maybe three or four students who attended bible study,” Thompkins remembered. “The Palmers jumped right in as if they’d been coming to the center for years; the word started spreading, and the groups got bigger and bigger,” he said, adding that the Palmers even hosted movie nights and a concert for the students.
“They’re just wonderful people,” Thompkins said.
Also receiving awards during the event were the family of Darrell Doody, Roger Niles and Frank Payne.
Those who attended An Evening with the North Stars enjoyed dinner cooked by the culinary students at the center and entertainment that showcased a variety of students and community members.
“The evening went outstandingly,” said Tammy Foster. Foster works with Admissions at the JLCC and happened to organize the evening. “We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from community members and students who performed that evening; the students thought it was the best Evening with the North Stars that we’ve held.”
