At 97 years old, Lucille Blackburn is a posterchild for living to serve others. Not only has Lucille been a dedicated volunteer for Meals For The Elderly in San Angelo, Texas, she has spent her life doing her part to improve the lives of others. Lucille has three children, Jane Thomas of El Paso, TX, Dr. Bill Blackburn of Kerrville, TX, and Lois Floyd of Tennessee. She also has four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Her family calls her an inspiration.

Lucille’s daughter, Jane Thomas, recalls a particular moment when her mother took in a family member in need. “When a second cousin became orphaned, my mother insisted on taking her in.  There were no extra ‘resources’ in our family at that time. It was an adjustment for us all.  She asked us all to tell everyone at school that she was mother’s daughter.  That certainly puzzled everyone — she was 13 — where had she been?  But everything worked out well.  She graduated from college with help from a family friend, and she is eternally grateful to my mother, who she calls ‘mother.’”

Several of Lucille’s children and grandchildren have followed in her footsteps of service, further commemorating her willingness to always help. Her daughter Jane is organizing a mentoring program for women in a homeless “transitional living” center in El Paso. Her son is a minister, and one granddaughter chose to be a social worker. Another granddaughter and her husband are serving in the Middle East. She is very proud of all her family and all of them learned volunteerism from Lucille.

Lucille has also been a blessing to the Meals For The Elderly program. She began volunteering for the organization eleven years ago, after retiring from working for SAISD for 40 years at the age of 86. She serves Meals For The Elderly and the homebound elderly who depend on the organization every week by helping in the office.

“I am so fortunate to have good health and be able to volunteer,” Blackburn said. With God’s help in volunteering, I hope to make a difference in someone’s life.” We should all be so fortunate to be as healthy as Lucille. She continues to walk one mile every single day. She strives to enjoy life and to help elderly people in our community. She visits elderly people confined to their homes through a program at First Baptist Church.

In the past when she was a meal delivery volunteer, she recalls that many of the elderly people who received the meals were more eager for the warm conversation than the meal itself. Although Lucille no longer delivers meals, she still maintains her independence by living in her own home and driving. She also enjoys keeping in touch with friends and family by emailing from her computer.

“Lucille has certainly been an inspiration to our staff. She makes the most of every moment and is a great example that you’re never too old to make a difference in the lives of others,” Charlyn Ocker, president and CEO of Meals For The Elderly, said.

Because of her dedicated service and her warm heart, Lucille has been nominated for the 2009 American Volunteer Award given by the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA). A video of Lucille has been created and people are encouraged to view the video and vote for Lucille at www.mowaa.org/americanvolunteer. Please help honor Lucille’s service to San Angelo by voting for her. To honor the winner of this award, $1,000 will be donated to the volunteer’s local meal program. For more information, please contact Meals For The Elderly at 655-9200 or visit MealsForTheElderly.org.