Bennich named to seniors’ HOF
By By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Responding to the needs of others, both physically and spiritually, is a way of life for Tom Bennich of Hartselle. He stays busy feeding refugees from natural disasters, delivering meals for Meals on Wheels building wheelchair ramps for the handicapped, doing yard work for sick friends or working in his church.
Such a background in the advancement of Christian and humanitarian causes is the basis for his recent induction into the 2009 class of the Alabama Senior Citizens Hall of Fame.
Tom and his wife Edith were among those attending an induction ceremony at First Baptist Church in Montgomery Sept. 20. Joining him as inductees were nine other recipients, Dr. Richard Allman of Vestavia Hills, Julia Brown of Fort Payne, Julius Brown of Prattville, Robert Crowder of Dothan, Jamelle Folsom of Cullman, Charles Nunnery Jr. of Chunchula, Governor Bob Riley of Montgomery, Earnest Tate of Selma and Ernest Williams of Huntsville. Each recipient was awarded an engraved plaque to commemorate the honor.
Induction into the Senior Citizens Hall of Fame is the highest honor awarded by the Alabama Senior Citizens Hall of Fame Commission. Inductees are selected because of their significant contributions to the welfare of older Americans over an extended period of time. Nominees must be 50 years of age and a resident of Alabama. Up to 10 persons may be elected annually. Bennich was nominated b y Ron Matthews, former director of the North-Central Alabama Regional Council of Governments.
A member and deacon of First Baptist Church, Bennich is known as “Mr. Tom” or “Bro. Tom” by many people who know him well. He started doing Christian volunteer work in the 1970s as a member of a disaster relief team representing the Morgan County Baptist Association. The team now has 14 members and, with a self-contained mobile food preparation unit, can set up quickly in a disaster area and prepare and serve over 5,000 hot meals a day. Additionally, he is a disaster relief volunteer for the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and Samaritan’s Purse.
In addition, he has served as a Meals on Wheels volunteer for more than 15 years, delivering hot meals to homebound senior citizens in the Hartselle area. He and other men from First Baptist Church volunteer their time and skills to build wheelchair ramps at homes of the elderly as well as make needed home repairs. They have completed about 25 ramp projects over the past three to four years.
Bennich has done church- sponsored mission work in Mexico, Venezuela, Turkey, Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil, Sri Lanka and Thailand and also participates in home mission projects with his own as well as other churches.
Bennich is also handy when it comes to operating a riding lawnmower or working in the kitchen at his home. He cuts the grass at Terrell Industries, a sheltered workshop, where he serves on the board of directors, and offers the same services to handicapped senior citizens and others in need. He also bakes pies and cakes and makes soups and stews for friends and neighbors when they are ill.
