Exchange Club of Cleveland, MS

09/04/2026

💙 Serving Our Local Youth 💙

The Exchange Club of Cleveland was happy to provide dinner for the students at The Well this week as part of our Youth Program of Service!

The Well provides a welcoming place for local 6th–12th grade students to gather each Friday night, and our members were excited to help make this week’s meal possible. We served Zaxby’s chicken tenders along with macaroni and cheese, chips, cookies, brownies, and other desserts. 🍗🧀🍪

Members also donated extra drinks, plates, napkins, forks, and other supplies for The Well to have on hand for the students in the weeks ahead.

A big thank you to all of our Exchange Club members who donated food and supplies and helped deliver and serve! We loved having the opportunity to support The Well and the young people they serve. 💙

09/03/2026

🧯❤️ Supporting Foster Families & Child Safety

As part of our ongoing commitment to Child Abuse Prevention, the Exchange Club of Cleveland donated five fire extinguishers to CPS to be provided to foster families whenever needed. We’re grateful for the opportunity to help provide a little extra safety and peace of mind for children and families in our community.

Pictured from left are President-Elect Celia Knighton, Joyce Juitt with CPS, and Exchange Club President Belinda Williford.

💙 Together, we make a difference!

08/27/2026

We enjoyed a little Delta State history at today’s Exchange Club meeting! 💚

Exchange Club member and Delta State University President Dr. Dan Ennis shared the fascinating history of the Young-Mauldin Cafeteria, where our club now holds its weekly meetings.

Dr. Ennis took us back to the early days of Delta Teachers College, when the area was originally planned for—and later used as—a baseball field, before the cafeteria was built during President James Ewing’s tenure and opened in April 1966. He also shared historic photographs, original blueprints, and details about the building’s unique Space Age-inspired “Googie” architecture.

Thank you, Dr. Ennis, for giving us a closer look at the history behind our new Exchange Club home!

📸 Dr. Ennis is pictured with Exchange Club President Belinda Williford.

08/26/2026

💙 The Exchange Club of Cleveland is proud to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Delta by helping provide after-school snacks during a temporary gap in funding.

Want to help too? The Cleveland Club is currently accepting donations of food or money to help keep snacks available for the kids until regular funding resumes October 1. Every little bit helps! 💙

08/25/2026

Earlier this month, the Exchange Club of Cleveland continued one of our favorite annual traditions by providing dinner for the Kappa Delta Gamma Psi ladies at Delta State during recruitment week! 💚

We are so thankful for our long-standing partnership with Kappa Delta and for their continued support of our child abuse prevention efforts through their annual Shamrock fundraiser. This dinner is just a small way for us to say THANK YOU for all they do to support our club and our mission throughout the year.

We appreciate you, Kappa Delta, and look forward to another great year of working together! ☘️💚

08/21/2026

Today’s Exchange Club program featured Jeff Joel, Director of Investigations with the Mississippi State Auditor’s Office.

Jeff shared an overview of the State Auditor’s Office, with a closer look at the Investigations Division and some of their recent case work. With 24½ years in law enforcement and the last 14½ years with the State Auditor’s Office, Jeff brought plenty of experience and insight to today’s program.

Thank you, Jeff, for joining us and sharing more about the important work your office does across Mississippi!

📸 Pictured: Bob Williford and Jeff Joel

08/13/2026

💙

We are incredibly proud to see our Executive Director, Denise Strub, recognized as one of Oxford Living’s Hometown Heroes.

Denise’s journey from journalist to advocate has been driven by one purpose: making a difference in the lives of children and families throughout North Mississippi. Every day, she leads our mission to prevent child abuse, strengthen families, and ensure parents have the resources and support they need to thrive.

This recognition is a reflection of Denise’s heart for service and the life-changing work happening at the North Mississippi Exchange Family Center. We are grateful for her leadership and for everyone who supports our mission.

Congratulations, Denise, on this well-deserved honor. Your impact is felt throughout our community every single day.

08/06/2026

The Exchange Club of Cleveland officially kicked off the 2026-2027 fiscal year today with the induction of our new officers and Board of Directors!

Congratulations to our incoming leadership team:
⭐ President – Belinda Williford
⭐ President-Elect – Celia Knighton
⭐ Secretary – Dena Weeks
⭐ Treasurer – Debbie Maxwell
⭐ Directors – Bob Williford, Cindy Weaver, RW Brown, Leslie Williams, Rose Strahan, and Courtney Swart

We also recognized two members for their outstanding service during the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Congratulations to Debbie Maxwell on being named Distinguished Club Treasurer and to Dena Weeks on being named Distinguished Club Secretary.

To wrap up the meeting, Debbie presented the club’s year-end financial report, providing members with a detailed overview of the club’s finances, programs of service, membership, and the impact made throughout the past fiscal year.

Here’s to another great year of service above self!

07/23/2026

What a privilege it was to present our 2025–2026 Exchange Club of Cleveland year in review today! ❤️💙

Looking back through everything our club accomplished this past year was a great reminder of what can happen when people come together to serve their community.

🏆 Some highlights included:
• National Service Award
• District Edward North Child Abuse Prevention Award
• Distinguished Club Treasurer – Debbie Maxwell
• Distinguished Club Secretary – Dena Weeks

Over the course of the year, our club completed 34 service projects:
🇺🇸 Americanism – 7
🤝 Community Service – 7
👧 Youth – 11
💙 Child Abuse Prevention – 9

We also looked back at the many outstanding weekly programs and speakers who educated and inspired us throughout the year before ending with Exchange’s Vision, Mission, Core Values, Motto, and Covenant of Service—a reminder of why we do what we do.

I’m incredibly proud of everything our members accomplished this year and grateful to serve as secretary. Thank you to everyone who helped make 2025–2026 such a successful year!

07/16/2026

🏆 Exchange Club of Cleveland Honors 2026 Book of Golden Deeds Recipient John Paul Gates

Today, the Exchange Club of Cleveland was honored to present our 51st annual Book of Golden Deeds Award to John Paul Gates in recognition of his extraordinary dedication to serving others and making our community a better place.

The Book of Golden Deeds Award is the National Exchange Club’s longest-running program, established in 1919 to recognize individuals whose quiet acts of volunteerism often go unnoticed but make a lasting impact on their communities.

John Paul has spent more than 31 years in EMS, including the past 22 years with Pafford EMS, while also generously giving countless hours to churches, civic organizations, fundraisers, disaster relief efforts, and community events throughout the Mississippi Delta.

Whether preparing meals through Delta BBQ & Catering, helping raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charitable causes, responding to disasters with Operation BBQ Relief, or simply lending a helping hand wherever needed, John Paul has consistently demonstrated a servant’s heart and a willingness to put others first.

He was nominated by Maribeth Crews, whose heartfelt nomination beautifully captured the countless ways John Paul has quietly served our community over the years.

Congratulations, John Paul, on this well-deserved honor. Thank you for your compassion, generosity, leadership, and unwavering commitment to serving others. Your example reminds us that some of our community’s greatest heroes are the ones who quietly go about making a difference every single day.

❤️ Unity for Service. Making a Difference. Every Day.