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A group of Lowndes County citizens are partnering to provide a Christmas event for individuals providing a public service to residents in “the 4-5.”

The Lowndes County Christmas Committee was formed earlier this year with the shared goal of hosting a holiday gala for the county’s public servants. With the help of donations from the Lowndes County Commission and other local sponsors, the vision has taken shape in the form of a Christmas Gala set for Dec. 13.

“For several months we have been meeting and thinking about a way to show appreciation for the employees and persons that serve Lowndes County,” said one of the committee’s organizers, Jerome McQueen. “We came up with the idea of having a Christmas Gala and to try to do it on a yearly basis in order to have our people come together.”

The gala is set to take place at the Jackson-Steele Community Center. All employees of Lowndes County, including city workers, law enforcement, fire department volunteers, emergency medical technicians and others serving area citizens are invited to attend.

“It’s going to be free so that everyone can come with one quest,” McQueen said. He emphasized that the event is not for the community at large but is planned for anyone serving in a public service capacity.

“There’s no program,” McQueen said. “This is a time we can gather and show appreciation to one another. We want to gather and have a great dinner catered by the award-winning, King’s Table in Montgomery.”

Committee members planning the event include McQueen, Kimberly West, Robert Grant, Kamika Miles, Tamera McCord, Kelsie Garrett, Sharon Bell, Jacqulyn Boone and Rosalyn Smith.

McQueen appealed to the Lowndes County Commission for sponsorship at a Nov. 13 meeting, and commissioners appropriated $4,000. The committee expects somewhere around 250 guests and welcomes partnership with community organizations or individuals to help make the event a success.

Those wishing to make a donation can do so by depositing a gift to the “Relay for Life” fund at the Hayneville or Fort Deposit branches of First Citizens Bank. For more information, call McQueen at (334) 303-1393.