Community Service

"A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed"

The summer of 2007 was a time of drought. Who would have thought that the Franklin Library's landscaping beds could become so overgrown! With library funding being the same as in 1999, the library had relied on community service workers and volunteers to keep the beds weed-free and the bushes trimmed. Unfortunately, besides there being a drought of rain, there was a drought of volunteers. As director of the library, I was ashamed of how the exterior looked.

"A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED" is an often used phrase that means that someone who comes to your aid when you're in difficulty is a true friend. Charles Anderson is a true friend of the library. He stopped by the library one day in late summer to offer his aid and that of the Anderson Funeral Home staff. Charles said that they would form a new "Friends of the Library" group that would "adopt" the library landscaping. Charles and the library's new Anderson friends wanted to make the library a focal point in the community, rather than an eyesore. They worked in 90 degree heat, weeding, trimming, mulching, planting mums, and even washing windows.

Thanks to our new friends, the library board and staff are again proud of the exterior of the library. Anyone who would like to join the Anderson Friends of the Library is invited to stop by the funeral home to pick up a yellow "Friends" t-shirt and get information on how they can help.

Mary Novak, Director
Franklin Public Library

Community Leader and a Friend of the Walter & Audrey Deardoff Senior Center.

Charles Anderson owner of Anderson Funeral Homes located in Franklin, OR and Springboro, OR is among the business leaders in Warren County, OH giving back to their communities.

The following is just one example of the Anderson Funeral Homes' generosity to the community and the Deardoff Senior Center located at 605 S. River 8t, Franklin, OH.

The center opened its doors in April, 1993 to be a gathering place for area senior citizens sixty years of age and older. The centers mission has been to provide recreational/social opportunities, health education programs including health screenings on a regular basis, fitness programs, group travel, acting as the local senior advocate for coordinating services with Warren County Community Services and Elderly Services and working cooperatively with providers of senior services.

The Anderson Funeral Home family has helped us repeatedly to achieve these goals.

• Sponsor of the men's senior softball team each year including uniforms.
• The Deardoff Senior Center is on Charles Anderson's Christmas list, he is a very good Santa Claus with many elves to help our seniors to appreciate all of you.
• Sponsor of a band for our annual Mardi Gras celebration.
• Sponsor of motorcoach transportation to allow recreational day trips for area seniors coordinated by the senior center.
• Sponsor of luncheons with door prizes (Remember our Cincinnati Reds Tickets)
• Sponsor of the labor and consultant to complete a fence project to make the parking area safer.
• Education about pre-planning, Beverly Keen specialist available to assist you.
• Support to families during the most difficult times we will all face.
• Legacy, Lunch & Levy a program scheduled for October 24, at the Deardoff Senior Center. Another level of support as we work together to pass a senior levy to continue funding for senior services locally.