Las Sabinas, Volume 35, Number 4, 2009 Page: 27
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Las Sabinas History Journal and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Orange County Historical Society.
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building began in January 1998. The Finance Committee, Fund Drive Committee and
Building Oversight Committee were very busy throughout 1998. On October 1, 1998 we
were ready to move to our new home. This was possible due to the generosity of many
individuals, churches and the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation. The 90 plus
volunteer workers were in the building Monday through Friday of each week and many
Saturdays. When the renovations and repairs were completed, the workers and their
guest were invited to a gumbo dinner in the William J. (Bill) Butler Meeting Room (the
former YMCA gym). The official Open House and Building Tour was held Saturday,
October 31, 1998 and Sunday afternoon, November 1, 1998.
OCS added a new staff position in October 1998 when Curt Jeanise was hired as the
Director of Finance. He held this position until September 2002. Pete Miller replaced
him and held the position until June 2008. Danielle Heil became the new Director of
Finance that same month. OCS began having the monthly financial reports done by a
CPA firm rather than in house. The foundation laid in the early years for our finances
continued to be of utmost importance in our organization. With the help of the Service
League of Orange the client file information was uploaded into the OCS database.
Computers were installed in the interview offices, which helped us have more accurate
records.
The dedication, love, and conviction the volunteers, staff, and board of directors had in
1979 for the mission and programs of Orange Christian Services were just as strong in
1999. We continued assisting those in need in Orange County with basic life needs of
food, clothing and financial assistance. As we worked in our new location, we
discovered the need of additional space at the rear of the building. One door was being
used for both food and clothing donations and deliveries. It became difficult to keep the
food and clothing separated as required by food guidelines. A grant from the Stark
Foundation in 2000 enabled us to build a 13 X 44-foot addition to the rear of the building
with a door for food and a door for clothing. The grant also allowed us to install a walk-
in cooler in the food area of the new addition.
OCS continued its fundraising activities. We had steak dinners and barbecue chicken
dinners at our West Park location with dine in or take out. The hours involved were
numerous and the profits small but needed as we continued to help those in need. In
2004 we had Orange Christian Services 25h Anniversary Celebration at the Lutcher
Theater with a music and dance performance of GYPSY Spirit and a reception
afterwards. This event was very successful. We had scheduled another fundraiser
performance at the Lutcher Theater in October 2005 but had to cancel due to Hurricane
Rita damages to the theater and surrounding area.
The damaging winds of Hurricane Rita brought challenges to Orange Christian Services.
The OCS truck was blown onto its side and the truck shed destroyed. Even though our
building was not damaged, it was contaminated due to food product spoilage in the walk-
in freezer and walk-in cooler. All clothing had to be destroyed as well as food in bags or
boxes. Every ceiling tile had to be replaced, all walls painted, duct work cleaned, carpet
and upholstery sanitized before we could re-open. The freezer and cooler had to be27
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Orange County Historical Society (Tex.). Las Sabinas, Volume 35, Number 4, 2009, periodical, 2009; Orange, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth312948/m1/33/?q=Lamar+University: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Orange County Historical Society.