The spirit of volunteerism was alive and well in the Miss-Lou last week.

Groups of teenagers from across the South gave back to our community while a group of local girls raised money for animals in need.

Before we prepare for the week ahead, let’s take a look back at some of the highlights from last week:

• More than 200 students helped paint, landscape, build ramps or renovate several houses around our community as part of the World Changers organization, which is an initiative of LifeWay Christian Resources. We thank the students for all their hard work.
• Mae & Friends Lemonade Stand raised $7,200 for the Natchez-Adams Humane Society Shelter in their sixth annual fundraiser. The group of girls is quickly becoming a Miss-Lou tradition selling lemonade, baked treats, crafts and T-shirts. We can’t wait to see this group continue helping the community in the coming years.
• A group in Vidalia starts the recovery process each week for men and women with addictions or other struggles. Celebrate Recovery, which is hosted at First Baptist Church, is a Christ-centered program that interprets steps similar to those of Alcoholic Anonymous. We thank the group for helping and wish the participants well on their journey ahead.
• Natchez High School rising senior William Ross used his violin to communicate with other teenagers from around the world during a recent trip to a six-day orchestra program for string players. Ross hopes to continue studying music after high school at Mississippi College. We applaud Ross for his work and talent and are grateful for the music programs in Natchez schools for producing great musicians like him.

Summer will be over before we know it, so let’s enjoy the remaining time ahead as we start another week here in the Miss-Lou.