Parent sends ‘Tiger Love' through Parents and Family Association

Written by Sylvia Watley

Leslie Barbarin Cooper wanted to make sure her daughter had balloons and good wishes on her birthday, even though she was in California, and Arielle, a freshman, was hundreds of miles away at Jackson State University.

"My daughter's birthday is tomorrow and I'm wondering if it is too late for you to arrange for balloons to be delivered to her dorm?" Cooper recently wrote in an email to Cathy Patterson, who coordinates the JSU Parents and Family Association. "She (Arielle) is struggling today, doesn't feel well and has tests in practically all of her classes. I thought this would make her feel a little better."

Not only did Arielle Houston receive a ‘Tiger Love' package filled with a custom decorated birthday cupcake, balloons, chicken soup, crackers and other goodies along with a personalized message, she also got a renewed sense of well-being about being so far away from her Los Angeles home.

"I thought my birthday was going to be the worst ever until I got a phone call from a sweet lady (Patterson) singing me ‘happy birthday' and saying that I had a package at my room waiting for me. I hurried and rushed to my room where there was a bag full of all the things I ate back home with some chicken noodle soup and a letter from my mom wishing me happy birthday," said Houston. "At that moment, all my emotions came rushing out and before I knew it I had big ol' crocodile tears streaming down my face."

Cooper heard about the Association at Parents Orientation this summer and completed her application after she returned home. She stated: "The day before Arielle's birthday she said she was a little better (from having a miserable cold), but she guessed she would spend her birthday in bed. That's when it dawned on me to look for the information to contact the Parent Association and determine if it was possible to send her soup and happy birthday wishes all at the same time."

"I encourage other parents feeling distant from their child to join the Association and find comfort in knowing there is somewhere they can go to help them feel closer to their child," said Cooper. "Also, in my mind, the first place I would go if anything were to happen on campus would be the Parent Association. I trust they would assist me to the best of their ability."

Houston, who describes herself as a ‘mama's girl, also has good things to say about the Parents and Family Association.

"The association did a wonderful job of helping make me feel like Jackson was my home away from home and made me feel like my mother still wasn't that far from me even though there's a couple thousand miles between us," the 20-year old said. "The Association in my eyes was a good idea for someone to come up with. So kudos to the person(s) who were able to get it all together."

For information on joining the JSU Parents and Family Association, contact Cathy L. Patterson at 601-979-3706 or visit www.jsums.edu/parents.php