On Saturday, December 7, the Massachusetts COS leadership team celebrated their annual Christmas party. Benefitting from the hospitality of the Paxton, MA, American Legion Post 306, there were lots of reason for optimism. State co-directors Michael Arnold and Jane LaBorde toplined an awe-inspiring list of 2024 accomplishments and 2025 goals. And, of course, there was robust discussion about a new administration, with high hopes for unprecedented support for COS.
The festivities were highlighted by a special presentation to a very special volunteer. Four years ago, Jason Thompson became a COS volunteer. In the meantime, he has made many contributions large and small. And this year he turned 11. Not bad, kid!
If you don’t know Jason, here are just a few of the characteristics that make him five feet of remarkable.
- Home schooled since the third grade (the other kids just couldn’t keep up)
- An obsessive reader, voluminous consumer of documentaries, and almost all things Google-able
- A dazzling imagination, fueled by everything – and everyone -- around him (events at the State House are top of the list)
- Multiple interests: chess, jiu-jitsu, ukelele, and an enormous collection of cuddly stuffed animals
- An excellent communicator. Wait until you see him work a table !
The list goes on … and it’s a very, very long list, indeed.
Jason’s mom, Katrina, is a Massachusetts COS Digital Media Warrior. She explains, “I couldn’t believe how bad things were getting with the COVID lockdowns, the ill-advised indoctrinations in the schools, and just how much power the Federal Government had amassed to control our everyday lives.” Supporting an Article V convention was a serious no-brainer. So, like Jason, she joined COS about four years ago.
Coincidence? Hardly. Having a son with an insatiable intellectual appetite, bringing him to COS functions was a natural. She estimates they have been to more than 60 events together “when you count monthly meetings, rallies, and trips to the State House.”
If ever you had any doubts about the future of COS, you can now lay them firmly to rest. Jason and his mom have lit a fire that will burn bright and long. And attract a new generation of “Jasons” to the team.
MA COS 2024 Youth Award – a.k.a. The Teddy Bear Award
Jason Thompson has been a passionate, dedicated COS Volunteer for more than four years. To commemorate this amazing commitment and his many accomplishments, co-State Directors Jane LaBorde and Michael Arnold presented him with the first-ever MA COS Youth Award. As an homage to his beloved stuffed animal collection, the Proclamation Certificate was accompanied by a very cuddly Teddy Bear. As author Neil Postman reminds us: “Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.” In the case of Jason, it’s a very positive message, indeed.
