Family members volunteer at county’s drive-thru vaccine site

Published 12:00 pm Saturday, April 3, 2021

The Walters family is no stranger to helping those in — and outside — their community.

During summers they have worked with Service Over Self, the one-week-long youth-led mission project, and both Abigail Walters Harper and her brother Evan Walters have participated in mission trips to Honduras.

Monday, the brother and sister, along with their mother, Kathy, all volunteered at the county’s drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination site.

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Kathy said she has volunteered at the site several times before, where she helps out with paperwork, but this was the first time Abigail and Evan have been able to volunteer.

Both brother and sister are nurses and came out on one of their off days to help administer shots.

“It was just having worked in the COVID unit for so long and seeing what it has done to the community,” Evan said, as to why he decided to help out.

“It was just sad and devastating to see the people in there and this was just a little way to be giving back and to do as much as we can to stop this thing (virus) from spreading,” he said.

Abigail, who is a labor and delivery nurse, said she, like her brother, wanted to help.

“I thought it was awesome to help out and be a part of this thing for my community and it has been really good to know I was helping slow the spread of the virus,” Abigail said.

There were 765 vaccines administered Monday, Kathy said, and she could not have been more proud her children had been part of helping out.

“I was just so proud of them. Just knowing they were volunteering their time to help others. I thought it was wonderful,” Kathy said. “It was a proud mama moment, and I don’t know how many people I told that they were my son and daughter.”

Monday was Kathy’s fourth time to help out at the vaccination site, but not the first time to lend a hand during the pandemic.

She was involved with the Masks Now Coalition, a national volunteer organization that gives people free masks.

Asked if they would help out again, all three said yes.

“It was a really good experience,” Abigail said, and it was good seeing other nurses and volunteers out there helping.”

Abigail said it had also been rewarding to hear from those receiving the vaccine.

“It was just really awesome to see how grateful everyone was,” she said. “A few older couples were telling us how great they thought the experience was and how they were so thankful that they had a community like this where people come together.”

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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