Flomaton Police Chief Chance Thompson started his 'How Are Ya!' program well before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and people were put in lockdown. Now that we are in a lockdown on a virus that apparently doesn't treat our senior citizens well, its great to have such a program in place in Flomaton.
We talked with Chief Thompson and his feeling was there were many senior citizens and other handicapped people who were basically in lock down before the virus hit.
Many are home alone with nobody to talk to. Thompson initiated the program where he will personally call the seniors and shut-ins, who have registered for the program, once a week to just check on them and see how they are and if they need anything.
Just recently he paid a visit to Sophronia Quinley, the first person to sign up for the program, to present her with a cake in celebration of her 84th birthday.
We tip our hat to Thompson for taking on this venture. Many of us we may not understand the importance of a simple telephone call. But to someone living alone, that call is very important. It serves as some type of security.
While we salute Thompson, it also made us think that the community needs to follow in his footsteps. We all know senior citizens. They live in our community, some maybe next door or down the street.
Especially in these uncertain times, we also need to reach out to these people and simply say “How Are Ya!”
In many instances, family members can't visit because of the pandemic and that personal touch can mean a lot.
We will get over this pandemic at some point but remember there will still be people in our community who are under a lockdown.
Thank you Chief Thompson.
