I’m not a big fan of chocolate.
I don’t dislike chocolate; I just don’t like it as much as my wife and our 14-year-old daughter, Emma, do. They seem to have an obsession with the stuff. As far as my wife and Emma are concerned, there is nothing that can’t be improved with chocolate.
Sometimes, even a non-chocolate-obsessing person such as myself becomes tempted. When that happens, I will get up from the couch, walk into the kitchen, open the pantry door, pull out a handful of whatever chocolate we happen to have on the shelf, and take it back to the couch.
Later, my wife will walk into the living room and see me sitting on the couch.
“What are all those wrappers doing here?” she’ll ask.
“I don’t understand your question,” I will say.
I guess what I’m saying is that deep down, I like chocolate more than I think, which is why I feel qualified to help judge the upcoming Chocolate Extravaganza. It will be held from 1 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, 3535 John Q. Hammons Blvd. This is the second year for the Chocolate Extravaganza, which is a benefit for the Dream Team of Hospice Compassus.
Teresa Severs is the volunteer coordinator for Hospice Compassus. She said the Dream Team is made up of volunteers who work to turn dreams into realities for hospice patients. The Dream Team concept, Teresa said, is similar to the Make a Wish Foundation.
On Tuesday, Teresa and I chatted about the important work performed by the folks at Hospice Compassus. Teresa said the goal of the organization is to provide medical, emotional and spiritual support for terminally ill patients and their families. A typical hospice team is made up of medical staff members such as skilled nurses and aides, along with chaplains, social workers and volunteers. The nurses oversee the patient’s medical care, and the chaplains and social workers help with emotional and spiritual needs. The volunteers, Teresa said, are there to back up the professional staff.
“They might sit with a patient so the caregiver can run errands or simply take a break,” she said. “They also might visit a patient at their home or at a nursing home to simply provide a friendly face.”
I told Teresa that I imagine it’s impossible to describe the importance of the work done by the staff of volunteers with Hospice Compassus unless you’ve experienced it firsthand. I also told her that I can’t imagine how tough it is emotionally at times.
Teresa agreed that the hospice work is not a day at the beach, but she said the people with Hospice Compassus are able to find solace in their work.
“The satisfaction is walking away knowing you made a difference,” she said.
The Chocolate Extravaganza organizers are looking for chefs, restaurants, caterers, churches and civic groups to enter the Hospice Compassus chocolate challenge. The goal, organizers say, is to find “the most scrumptious, mouth-watering chocolate confections in the Four-State Area.”
If you would like take part in the challenge or make a donation to the Hospice Compassus Dream Team, you may call 417-623-8272.
Tickets to the event, which will allow folks to sample the chocolates in the competition, are $10. They may be purchased by calling 417-623-8272 or at the door on the day of the event.
DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA for Mike Pound’s column? Call him at 417-623-3480, ext. 7259, or email him at mpound@joplinglobe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikepoundglobe.
Local News
Mike Pound: Chocolate Extravaganza for worthwhile cause
- Local News
-
-
Missouri Southern art students to raise funds for Moore, Okla.
Throughout periods of historical change, art has always played an important role, Kahlief Steele contends. “A lot of art came out of the Renaissance period, and the same thing happened after the Great Depression,” said Steele, an art major who will start his junior year this fall at Missouri Southern State University.
-
City manager: CID owes Neosho $158,257
The Big Spring Plaza Community Improvement District owes Neosho $158,257, City Manager Troy Royer told the Neosho City Council on Tuesday night. Royer had filed an open-records request under the Missouri Sunshine Law with officers of the CID he could identify, which he had said wasn’t easy.
-
Ground to be broken for Pittsburg project; 10 homes planned for moderate-income residents
City and Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce officials will participate in a groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. today at Lincoln Square. An open house also will be held in the home under construction in the new development.
-
Mike Pound: Office space no place for litter box
I knew my wife was lying when she told me to relax. “It won’t be that bad,” she said. “Relax. I’m sure all writers have had to put up with something like this at least once in their career.”
-
Donations helping JHS music programs rebuild after tornado
Building a repertoire for the Joplin School District’s orchestra program is a challenge for Kylee VanHorn. “Every time I get on the Internet and look at the music sites, there are so many pieces I want to purchase, and I just don’t have the money,” VanHorn said.
-
Defendant chooses not to testify in Miami murder trial
Donna Shirley testified Wednesday that Dustin Boggs had blood all over his hands and clothes when she encountered him in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart store the afternoon Danyel Borden was killed.
-
Former Jasper County official's sentencing slated today in fraud charges
Rita Hunter, former Jasper County public administrator, is to be sentenced today in federal court in Springfield. Hunter, who held office from January 2005 through December 2008, pleaded guilty last November to document fraud, a charge related to illegal obtaining of federal benefits.
-
MSSU board approves settlement agreement with fired president
Bruce Speck, whose contract as president of Missouri Southern State University was terminated last week, will receive the equivalent of a year’s salary as well as housing and health insurance benefits through the end of the year.
-
Mindenmines man charged in first-degree assault case
Barton County Prosecutor Steven Kaderly on Wednesday charged a Mindenmines man with first-degree felony assault of another man, who was in serious condition at a Joplin hospital. The felony charge against Charles Lee Kerby, 32, alleges that on Sunday he assaulted John Bryant, 58, causing serious physical injuries. The assault happened in the 800 block of Tucker Street in Mindenmines.
-
State auditors start review of Jasper County Circuit Court
Workers for the office of Thomas Schweich, Missouri state auditor, have started an audit of Jasper County Circuit Court. The state review was described as “routine” by Spence Jackson, a spokesman for Schweich’s office.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Missouri Southern art students to raise funds for Moore, Okla.
