Wards say goodbye

Upon hearing that lieutenants Jay and Michele Ward were leaving Odessa, a client of the Salvation Army asked if he could hitch a ride with the family to Miami.

Jay Ward turned him down.

But if it were up to Michele Ward, she'd take everyone from the Permian Basin to her new town.

"If I could stick them in a box and take them with me, it would make it a whole lot easier," Michele Ward said.

The couple was recently promoted from sergeants to lieutenants and reassigned to the Salvation Army's 135-bed Adult Rehabilitation Center in Miami.

They moved to Odessa two years ago, along with their three children.

"We've come to love Odessa and this community - so it's sad," Jay Ward said.

Since the two began work at the Salvation Army in Odessa, they believe they've made great strides in improving the organization.

"It's been a real team effort," Jay Ward said. "We were in debt when I came here. We were able to get out of debt."

Jay Ward said the staff worked hard while he and his wife were there.

"Everybody who came needing food, clothes, and shelter, we helped - even when the numbers were high," Jay Ward said.

Jay Ward said he's also proud of the work his wife has done with youth.

"My emphasis has always been on growing programs for the youth," Michele Ward said.  "We had nobody in the beginning."

Michele Ward said she just wishes she had more time to work with the kids.

"We have an accumulation of work in two years," Michele Ward said. "If I had two more years, who knows what could have happened with our little group?"

Jay Ward said he's happy with the work the Salvation Army does during Christmas and how well they work with other services like the United Way and the Odessa Homeless Coalition.

With all the accomplishments they've made, the pair still feels like there's some unfinished business.

Both said they're sad they won't be around the see the capital campaign all the way through.

"We had just begun the process of the capital campaign to build a new shelter," Michele Ward said. "We really would've liked to have seen that building built."

And there's another project Michele Ward's sad she won't be able to accomplish.

"We don't have a playground on our property, and I've always wanted to build a playground," she said. "The last two Salvation Army properties we were on, I built a playground. It was kind of my thing."

As the Wards head east to Florida, Maj. Carl Hughes will come in from Atlanta, Ga.

Hughes is a former Odessan and has said he's excited to be returning to the Permian Basin.

As for the Wards, there's still a lot of work to do before they leave.

"I think most of all I'll miss the people," Michele Ward said. "The folks in Odessa are regular people and who knows what those people are like in Miami? I fit right here in Odessa."

WHO ARE THEY?

>> Lieutenants Jay and Michele Ward came in June 2006 to Odessa.

>> The Wards replaced former captains Angel and Valerie Calderon, who left for relocation to Plano.

>> They came to West Texas from Red Oak where they both worked at First United Methodist Church in Cedar Hill.

>> Before working in Red Oak, the Wards worked for the Salvation Army in Greenville, Miss., and in Montgomery, Ala.

>> They have three children, Emily, 12, Christian 9, and Weatherby, 6.