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Operation Baby Lift, a military action at the close of the Vietnam War, airlifted Vietnamese children to safety in US installations. The orphans were eventually placed into foster care and adoption. In the spring of 1975, Kay assisted the program at Ft. Benning, Georgia, in an elementary school turned temporary orphanage. The children were never left alone, and Kay worked with others in 12-hour shifts feeding, comforting, and playing with them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During Bart\u2019s last duty assignment at the Pentagon, the couple\u2019s church, located\u00a0in Springfield, Virginia, worked in groups with Martha’s Table. Martha\u2019s Table ministered through a soup kitchen to those in need on the streets of Washington, D.C. An old ice cream truck loaded with soup, sandwiches, and volunteers made various stops to offer food and personal care to those in need. \u201cI was a \u2018hop-off-the-truck\u2019 type that circulated among the gathered crowds, much to Bart\u2019s chagrin, but it fed my soul,\u201d said Kay.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That experience served Kay well when the local Ministerial Association agreed to try a six-week soup kitchen program in 2016. Kay jumped in, motivated by her Washington experience and the heart to help the hungry in our area. The six-week program is now in its sixth year, and Kay\u2019s enthusiasm for it has only grown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The volunteer seed was planted early in Kay\u2019s life, but others continually inspire her. \u201cPeople dedicated to their cause and following it with passion \u2013 and those who give so much more than I ever will or can \u2013 inspire me. And the ones whose goodness reeks so heavily it can be felt, but who quietly, anonymously work behind the scenes \u2013 these are the things that inspire me,\u201d Kay said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like self-sowing flowers, one act of kindness blesses more than the receiver. It goes on to ignite more deeds, multiplying both the number of givers and receivers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kay\u2019s garden blooms year-round. -GN\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A VOLUNTEER IN all of life\u2019s seasons, Shelbyville\u2019s Kay Bartley has lived a life of service. From her early days of marriage to the present, Bartley has covered a lot of ground. She has sown many seeds.\u00a0 During college, Bartley met her husband, Randall (\u201cBart\u201d), while a captain in the United States Army based in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":13126,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n