By Tammy Moore Teague
Humble, devoted, passionate and according to Lavaca Mayor Hugh Hardgrave, “I couldn’t imagine our town without people like him.” His name is Paul Sanders, and his heart is centered on helping others in the Lavaca community.
Sanders, 45, has called Lavaca home for a decade. His parents, Dr. Robert and Wanda Sanders are also long-time residents. He has one daughter, Kayla Sanders, who is a student at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK.
“We have a lot of good people here but he does a lot,” noted Hardgrave. And, he does. Most all of the work he does is volunteer and done out of love for others.
Sanders, who completed training at the state’s Fire Academy, has served for nine years on the Lavaca Fire Department and currently serves as Captain. He is also the Assistant Chief for Central City’s Fire Department. “I enjoy it,” Sanders remarked. “It is something I always wanted to do.”
Sanders is a fire and chainsaw safety instructor and volunteers with Sebastian County Search and Rescue. Additionally, he volunteers with UMCOR, which is the United Methodist Committee on Relief and maintains the bike trails at Spring Hill and Ben Geren parks.
Mountain Biking is Sanders favorite pastime. He enjoys visiting local trails and traveling to Northwest Arkansas to take on new and exciting biking opportunities.
Whenever he isn’t on a call, or in a class ,he works as a maintenance supervisor for his parents rental properties. Regardless if he is volunteering or on the job, he is always doing for others. That is the deep connection that Sanders has with the town. His future plans are, as he put it, “to stay in Lavaca and to keep doing what I’m doing.”
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