By: Rhea Burns
Where did you come from, where did you go, where did you come from Cotton Eyed Joe? Has it really been 15 long years ago? “A Boot Scootin Time in 2009,” The day was April 4th, the location was Fresno, CA, the arena was rumbling with the sound excitement…and a few other surprises that California Rainbow was waiting for. There were forty of us grand officers that had come from across the great state of California, we represented thirty-one different assemblies. This was the time that we were supposed to float out from behind the curtains and amaze the Grand Assembly with our beauty, grace, and totally fabulous dresses. For those sitting (more like jumping hysterically) we were nowhere to be found, we had the biggest surprise. “We’re soarin’, flying’” and there we were, the Epic Eagles, we were soaring down the sides of the arena, we had changed the informal entrance forever, putting our own unique mark on Grand Assembly. There we were shimmering and gleaming in the light, our gold dresses just shined, and the deep orange waist and bow on the back of our dresses was beautiful. It picked up just the right amount of sparkle from the jewel encrusted lace bodice. As the grand officers twirled, two stepped, and kicked up them heals California realized that they had been completely transformed into an old Western town, every grand officer was playing the part wearing cowboy boots and stomping down the biggest line dance I had ever seen. Then the rumble came of another sort, Mrs. Martin was driving a John Deere tractor into the arena, and there I was praying that she wasn’t going to dump me off the back of it. Everyone was out of their seat cheering and completely entranced in that moment.
That day 15 years ago was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was surrounded by the most talented and beautiful girls (inside and out) in the world. We had become sisters that year, and truly bonded under the wings of our state Mom Mrs. Rita Smith, and our State Dad Mr. Dave Smith. We kept Mrs. Martin on her toes and interjected everything we could to make our week personal and special. We had the honor to dedicate the 79th annual California Grand Assembly to Glenn & Sara Lee Martin, and they truly deserved it. They were always there laughing at our jokes and shenanigans, providing comfort when we were stressed or upset, and making us into the family that we are today.
One honor of that week was to be able to present a check of $80,750.88 to Family Soup, our Grand Service Project. An organization that is dear to my heart and really makes a difference in the lives of families with children with disabilities. What are some things that Family Soup is up to now? Some of their current projects and new programs include: iCan Bike, Early Start Family Resource Center, Family Empowerment Center, Special Needs Project, and Disaster Preparedness Workshops. They are continuing to operate their Able Riders Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program and have seen a huge increase in involvement with it. Their iCan Bike Program uses adapted bicycles, a specialized instructional program, and trained staff to teach individuals with disabilities to learn to ride a two-wheel bike independently, a simple thing that many people don’t think about that gives individuals with disabilities independence and confidence. This February Family Soup is partnering up with the County of Sutter to provide classes to help families prepare for disasters by preparing an emergency evacuation plan. These classes are very important because they focus on the unexpected and can mean the difference between life and death. Family Soup is continuing to offer facilitated support groups for parents and caregivers targeting different special needs, activities to bring parents and siblings together, and training and partnerships in collaboration with community agencies.
So where did we go Cotton Eyed Joe? The Epic Eagles have transformed, we have spread our wings, soared to new heights, and ventured around the world. Very literally! We have changed hair color, gained new wrinkles, visited new places, and accomplished some of the very best things that you can do in life. We have lived and enjoyed every day! We are now moms, spouses, and aunts. We are now college graduates with associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, masters, and doctorates. We are now business owners, teachers, government workers, professors, therapist, counselors, engineers, caregivers, and volunteers. Many of us work every day to make the world a better place, to engage in humanity, and connect with people. We have taken the lessons of Rainbow and the wisdom of our majorities and placed them into our everyday lives. We love others and ourselves, we embrace religion and let it guide us, and we spend time with nature to connect to it. We sadly have felt the loss of life and have come together to remember it. We have expressed our patriotism and used our voices to stand up for what we believe. We have made promises and have kept them, we have served unselfishly in so many ways, never forgetting the lesson of service. We continue to have faith and hope, and believe in charity. I could not be any prouder of these Eagles! We are celebrating our 15-year anniversary this year, that is 3,652 days since our opening “Where did you come from, where did you go,” and I believe we came from a beautiful legacy of Past Grand Officers, and continue to represent that legacy as we continue to go along in this journey of life.
