Leon County held its annual 9/11 Day of Remembrance and Service on Thursday. This year’s volunteer project was to repair and beautify the home of military veteran Louverne Thomas.
On Wednesday, the county community met at the 9/11 Memorial to honor the nearly 3,000 men and women who perished on that date in 2001. Then on Thursday, they gathered in Woodville.
Dozens of volunteers did the work. Leon County Commissioner Christian Caban, whose district it is, says this is the 13th year the county has honored the tragedy of September 11th in this way.
“We get folks from all over Leon County government and different departments,” he said. “We get volunteers. We show up at 7:30 in the morning and we rehab different parts of our community. Last year was a neighborhood, this year we did Ms. Louverne Thomas’s house. She was a six-year Army veteran. And so, we really appreciate her and her commitment.”
Thomas was a supply clerk in the Army, on active duty in Fort Bliss, Texas for three years and a reservist in Quincy for three more.
“I’ve been in Woodville about 35 years,” she said. “When I got out of the military I moved there, bought that property and I’ve lived there ever since. I love it! I love the area.”
Now Thomas’s house is repaired, pressure-washed, painted and landscaped. She says she’s just going to sit and look out at the flowers.
