Newton County honors disaster-recovery volunteers and declares BACA Heroes Weekend

Newton County commissioners used the consent agenda to recognize volunteer groups that helped rebuild homes after April 2024 flooding and to proclaim the last weekend of April 2025 as "Baca Heroes Weekend," honoring children supported by Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA).

Chair introduced representatives from Harvest Call and Midnight Disaster Service and noted the groups had rebuilt 24 homes in Newton and Jasper counties following the storms. Billy Jordan, introducing the Midnight Disaster Service volunteers, described the group as a long-running volunteer organization that works across the United States and Canada and said they had been working in the county since October.

The court read and approved a proclamation recognizing "the dedicated members of Harvest Call" for their work rebuilding homes and providing emotional and spiritual support to families. The proclamation text described the April 2024 floods as having left many families displaced and stated the volunteers’ work had provided "not only physical reconstruction, but also emotional and spiritual support to families struggling to recover from the impact of the flooding."

The court also approved a proclamation designating the last weekend of April 2025 as Baca Heroes Weekend. A local chapter president of Bikers Against Child Abuse told the court she is the local chapter president and described the organization’s role: "We have been empowering children to not be afraid of the world in which they live... We work in conjunction with both the state officials including district attorneys, county commissioners... CASA... investigators." The court agreed to schedule a photo opportunity to publicly acknowledge the group when key officials are available.

Why it matters: The proclamations formally acknowledge volunteer contributions to local flood recovery and signal county support for organizations assisting vulnerable children and families.