Tashaa Harris
Tashaa Harris, 51, says she has lived in Muldrow her entire life.
Tashaa Harris, 51, says she has lived in Muldrow her entire life.
“I’m a 1990 graduate of Muldrow High School, my mother still resides there and I have a brother (Bryan) who lives there,” Harris said. “And no matter how old I get, I still try to help my community in any way that I can.”
Harris and her husband, Jack, have been married for 18 years and have four children: Eli, 28, McKenzie, 22, Allie, 17, and Jackson, 16.
She attended college at Northeastern University in Tahlequah where she received her teaching degree, along with a master’s in school counseling and a master’s in counseling.
She has been teaching English, reading and writing to sixth and seventh grade students at Brushy Public Schools for the past six years.
“There are a lot of great things about being a teacher,” she said. “But the main thing is the kids. I just love being around them.”
Harris said in June, she joined the MCCO (Muldrow Cherokee Community Organization) Board. “There are about six of us on the board and the average age of the board members is about 80,” she said. “Since I’m the youngest, I try to do all their running because they just don’t have the energy.”
Harris said MCCO received a $25,000 grant and only has a short time to use up the funds.
“I suggested a few ways to get rid of the money by helping those in our community,” she said. “So we started out by purchasing 50 food baskets at Thanksgiving. Then, we took on 40 angels from the Angel Tree and gave $1,000 to the Tour of Christmas to buy hot cocoa with.”
Harris said she recruited family members and friends to help purchase gifts for the angels on the Angel Tree.
“I had to buy everything we needed and encouraged my two youngest children to help out to earn some community hours,” she said. “There is a lot of what I call ‘running and gunning’ and it took all of us pitching in, but we truly enjoyed it every one of us.”
Harris said MCCO hopes to do Christmas food baskets next.
“I think it’s great that MCCO can help lift some of those burdens,” she said. “And I don’t mind spending my time going out and getting what people need. I’ve been reaching out to other churches and Muldrow Schools to see if there is a need anywhere locally, and if it is something we can help with, we will try our best. There are so many people out there that need help, and you never know when you might need it, too.”
When Harris is not teaching or volunteering, she said she and her family enjoy outdoor activities such as camping, and traveling during the summer months. The family also attends church at Eastside Freewill Baptist in Muldrow, which Harris says “is important” to her.
“We also enjoy watching my son, Jackson, play football for the Sallisaw Black Diamonds,” she said, where she also assists with the booster club.
“And if anyone knows of a need in the Muldrow community that MCCO can help with, please give me a call at 479-831-7991,” she said. “We want to help.”
Just Folks is Your TIMES way of honoring the regular people of Sequoyah County, recognizing their unique talents, personalities, jobs, abilities, etc. Your TIMES appreciates the cooperation of each Just Folks and the public’s nominations for this feature. If you know of someone you think might be a good story, contact Amie at 918-775-4433.
