Referred to as the “key person” in Leesville when it came to community service, Tammy Schamerhorn truly believed that service to humanity is the best work of life. In 1998, Schamerhorn was involved in numerous activities, causes and fund raisers – all directed toward benefiting the lives of area children. She was responsible for chartering the first Future Business Leaders of America chapter for middle school students in her parish, as well as other projects. Some of these included Christmas for Needy Kids and Blue Jeans for Babies. Perhaps her favorite project was the Cystic Fibrosis Skate-A-Long, which she founded two decades ago when her own daughter, Randi, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. The event, held annually, had raised more than $125,000 as of 1998. Schamerhorn worked endlessly educating her community and other areas about this disease.

Three generations of handicapped Louisiana youth have been touched by the work of 66-year-old Robert “Bob” Moss. Moss, himself a victim of polio since age 6, was selected as camp director of the Louisiana Lions League for Crippled Children Camp in 1965, and he was named executive director in 1966. He’s been a part of the camp ever since, and in the course of those 35 years, he expanded the camp that serves physically challenged children free of charge and inspired countless other youth into lives of service by his leadership and example. Under his direction, the camp nearly doubled in acreage, significantly increased its facilities and developed innovative activities to serve 100 campers and 15-20 teen counselors each week throughout the summer. In 2001 alone, more than 600 disabled campers were served over a seven-week period. Moss was directly involved in every aspect of the camp, from building maintenance to writing and performing on a CD of camp songs as a fundraising project. He frequently traveled the state to promote the camp to communities and organizations. In addition to his work as executive director, Moss assisted a number of other organizations with camping experiences for youth, including the National Society for Autistic Children, Muscular Dystrophy Association and American Diabetic Association. As someone who served under Moss as a teen said, “He taught us life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”