There’s a scripture in the Bible that describes how I feel about Tamina. It says, “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours.” 

Sunday mornings are what I remember best about living in Tamina as a girl. I would walk down a dirt road to a white church. I always found comfort there, and that white church stayed in my mind even after we moved to Houston. 

In 1974, after I moved back to Tamina with my husband, Ranson, and our children, we wanted to build our own house. Someone said, “You remember that old church? They’re tearing it down and selling the property.” Well, we bought that land, and my house stands exactly where the church once stood. So, there it is. When I go home, I can walk the land that was so important to me as a girl. I feel blessed to have grounds that are holy and were designated to God. And God has given it to me. This is where I am supposed to be.

Later, we bought the property next door, and established the Tamina Community Center, where we first offered after-school programs for the young kids in the neighborhood. 

The Community Center has grown. We offer childhood learning and after-school programs and have just started a program for the elderly. It’s all about serving Tamina, to keep it strong. Education is very important to our children. 

It’s because of the generosity of our neighbors in surrounding communities and grant awards that we have been able to sustain and grow this center. 

I’m proud of the Tamina Community Center mission: to improve the quality of life through education, programs, and activities for people with emphasis on unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperation, economics, creativity, and faith. Every day I tell the kids there’s no me without you and no you without me. That’s how my family has lived. That’s how Tamina has stayed a community all these years. We’re in this together. We have to be responsible for each other. This has all been a lot of work, but it’s exciting and it points to a good future for Tamina. That’s the number one reason I get up every day.