BLESSINGS BOX

COX MONETT:

Cox Engineer Mark Conn took it upon himself to construct a new, custom blessing box at Cox Rehab and Sports Medicine as the older donation box began to deteriorate due to weather and use. Physical Therapist John Blackburn, Engineer Mark Conn, Chaplin Brian Smith and Clinical Director Rebecca Webb with the new blessing box at Cox Rehab and Sport Medicine located at 700 Cleveland Ave.

Blessings in abundance

Cox Monett is spreading blessings throughout the community through Cox Rehab and Sports Medicine located at 700 Cleveland Ave. in Monett.

The rehab and sports medicine facility has hosted one of three local blessing boxes for the past several years and may be the first blessing box to appear in Monett thanks to the efforts of local physical therapist John Blackburn.

Blessing boxes are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year for community members to donate food or other nonperishable items for residents in need. In return, those who may need something from the box are welcome to open it up and take the donation whenever they can.

Recently, the original box placed at the rehab facility by Blackburn in 2016 was replaced with a brand new, custom built box made to last as it serves the community

“It’s not my original idea,” Blackburn said. “I saw it on TV a long time ago, and I thought it would be a good idea here because it’s really in keeping with the values here at Cox.”

When the first box went up all those years ago, it was a lower kitchen cabinet that Blackburn had found and refurbished. Once he had placed the first blessing box at the rehab center, then Monett High School student Abigail Patton took the blessing box on as a Go CAPS project, working with Blackburn and other community organizations to create a donation schedule that ensures there are always donations available for the box.

Blackburn explained that the community partners who supply donations for the blessing box bring the food and other donation items to the rehab facility, and staff at the facility check the blessing box daily and restock items as needed.

“That ensures that there’s always something in the box and somebody can’t come by and clear out all the donations in a day,” he said.

The program has worked almost flawlessly since it was conceived, but recently, the original blessing box placed by Blackburn had begun to show the wear and tear of its age.

That’s when Cox Engineer Mark Conn stepped in.

Over the years, Conn has been responsible for making repairs to the blessing box, and recently, he came to the realization that the box was too worn out to serve. He began scouring his shop at Cox and identified some

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scrap wood and went to work.

“There were parts laying on the ground, the plywood was sheeting off and I couldn’t make it stand upright anymore,” Conn said. “I’m not a carpenter by any means, but I was able to make a 40-inch box. Then I got some pallet wood that I had at home that I use for making signs and used those for the siding, and we used a polyurethane finish that will help the wood hold up through the weather.”

As a personal touch, Conn included a framed note inside the box to remind everyone who donates or accepts a donation about the trials and tribulations we all face.

The note reads:

“I asked for strength …

God game me difficulties to make me strong

I asked for wisdom …

God game me problems to solve

I asked for prosperity …

God gave me brain and brawn to work

I asked for courage …

God gave me danger to overcome

I asked for love …

God gave me troubled people to help

I asked for favors …

God gave me opportunities

I received nothing I wanted …

I received everything I needed.

Trust in God”

“It’s a motto to live by, for the givers and takers,” Conn said, adding that he also included an addiction hotline number inside the box for anyone who may be struggling as they receive a donation.

Rebecca Webb, the clinical director at Cox Rehab and Sports Medicine said the blessing box is a perfect fit for the facility.

“This is the community I grew up in, and it’s important to help others, and that’s our motto at Cox Rehab,” she said.

The new blessing box was placed in front of the rehab facility on Cleveland Friday, May 13, with a dedication ceremony that included a prayer from Cox Volunteer Chaplin Mark Smith, Blackburn, Conn and others. n

by Muneeba Hasan

Muneeba Hasan is a first-generation Pakistani American who can fluently speak Hindi, Urdu, and English. Born and raised in Arizona, she graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics. She is currently completing her Master’s in Clinical Nutrition Diagnostics at Cox College in Springfield, Missouri. She is passionate about nutrition and health and strives to foster a career in educating individuals about the benefits of eating a well-balanced diet and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

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