It was a special day at Murray Developmental Center on Thursday as a new US flag was raised. The program also included the return of the Murray Center Choir which has been reactivated for the first time since COVID-19 caused it to be disbanded.
Interim Center Director Lori Demijan.
“This flag was donated by someone and it’s a beautiful flag and we wanted to take the opportunity today to do a flag ceremony to display it. It’s bigger than the other flags. We had a great ceremony in the gym for all the individuals to participate and talk about the meaning of the flag. So now it’s flying in front of Murray Center. We hope the individuals that walk up here a lot will take the time to look at it and reflect on what it means after we had the ceremony here today.”
Demijan is pleased to see the choir back.
“Before COVID we had a choir and our speech therapist always worked with the individuals and would practice once a week and sing at various activities that we had at the Center. But when covid hit we had to shut that down for a while. So the choir has just started back up again in the last several months. And the individuals come from all the different Cottages and they come to the gym to practice.”
Demijan has returned as interim director of Murray as the state continues to search for a new director for the facility.
The Murray Center choir sings during the flag celebration. Photo by Pat Hodges.
Members of the Centralia American Legion raise the new large US flag over the Murray Center during the Thursday ceremony. Photo by Pat Hodges.
