By Betty Gandee

Fifth grade Big Otter Student Jaxon Brown has spent his entire life visiting his “granny,” 81-year-old Margaret Helen Hunt, in Laurel Nursing and Rehab Center.

“Granny sure has an awful big house”, Jaxon would say when he was younger. Visiting here has always been special to the Brown family because visiting the nursing home meant they could continue to make memories with a dear part of their family.

Jaxon became very involved in activities such as bingo, noodle ball, and numerous holiday events. Not only did he get to interact with his great-grandma, but with the other residents as well.  Jaxon’s mom, Daphne Brown, says she believes that it is important for kids to learn how to give back to the community with love and time.

“Spending time with the residents has really given Jaxon a strong foundation of giving,” said Daphne.

Laurel Nursing and Rehab Center is a staple of the community when it comes to donating to schools and extracurricular activities, and Big Otter students frequently visit the facility. “The school is great to the center and our residents. They come in their choir groups to sing and participate in different activities throughout the year and we enjoy the relationship between the school and center,” said Christina Starcher, executive director for Clay HCC.

When Jaxon’s class needed to do some fundraising, they asked the facility if they could help out the students and were surprised by the generous donation.  Jaxon wrote a letter about his experiences visiting his granny complete with multiple pictures thorough the years. Daphne says they responded with a heartwarming donation and the family and the school was very touched by their generosity. Starcher says that they were glad they could help.

The Browns say that their experience with the nursing home has been nothing short of amazing and the care they provide daily is phenomenal.  This donation will be used for the fifth grade class at Big Otter to fund field trips and to provide pizza, ice-cream, tee shirts, and duffle bags for each fifth grade student.