Clyde Brazell making a difference, 15 years with Lubbock Impact

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Lubbock Impact has served the community for more than 15 years, and one man has been there since the beginning.

“Our first endeavor was: we made sandwiches and carried them to Mahon Library for the homeless that was sleeping down there, and then we eventually moved into serving meals here,” says Clyde Brazell, who has been a volunteer since the organization operated out of Trinity Baptist Church.

While Impact still serves its traditional hot meals at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday nights, the faith-based community does so much more.

“We offer spiritual food, clothing and health care. Health care is for the uninsured,” says Wanda Brunson, Lubbock Impact director of operations, “We have the clinic, we partner with Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, and then we have our optometry and our dental clinic as well.”

Clyde is also a a builder. So far, he’s remodeled the current kitchen, and has renovated some of the former church facilities.

“When we started the medical part of it, I remodeled the choir rooms and the robe rooms,” he says, “And then when they started the dental upstairs, I redid all that.”

Clyde has his most-important job on Wednesdays.

“They call me the bouncer,” he jokes. “I work in the main hallway up there, and make sure that when class is going on, we don’t allow anybody to go up for the classes there.”

While he may be the gatekeeper, he’s also a person who others, inside or outside the organization, can warm up to.

“Clyde is a very kind, loving man. The children that come here just love him,” Brunson says. “It’s ‘Hi Mr. Clyde, Mr. Clyde!.’ He’s a fixture here, and we just appreciate everything he does.”

Brazell doesn’t expect to give up his role anytime in the future.

“I’ve just always been a person that likes to give and help somebody,” he says, “And as long as I’m able to do it,I will stay and do it!”

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