Letter from Mid-West Tennessee Executive Director, David Hicks - August 2017

Hello Mid-West TN volunteers! It’s hard to believe that school has already begun again and that summer is in our rearview mirrors. I hope that your families are getting back into the school routine smoothly and the start of the school year has been a good one so far.

Our chapter is already “knee- deep” in planning for the fall, and most of that has been centered on our upcoming “Sound the Alarm, Save a Life” campaign. Sound the Alarm, Save a Life is a national Red Cross event taking place in every state and every chapter in September and October. Our Mid- West TN. chapter has chosen 2 counties from our 14 county coverage area to focus in on as we strive to reach our assigned goal of 350 smoke alarm installations (with a stretch goal of 400) as part of the campaign. The selected counties are Benton and Decatur with the specific towns targeted being Parsons and Camden.

Parsons will host its “Sound the Alarm” event on Saturday, September 30th from 9am- 2pm while Camden will follow two weeks later on Saturday, October 14th also from 9am- 2pm. The targeted goals by county are 200 smoke alarm installations in Benton and 150 installations in Decatur. If you would like to participate as a volunteer for one or both of the events, just let me or Heather know and we’ll be glad to add you to the participating roster. Both of these counties have expressed their appreciation to us for selecting them as our targeted areas.

A very special thanks goes out to our “Sound the Alarm” chairman- Chuck Mosele! Many of you know Chuck from his contributions on the disaster action team and as DAT Captain for Carroll County. As we visit the respective fire departments and EMA offices in Benton and Decatur counties, I appreciate even more the strong relationships that Chuck and Heather have already formed among their First Responder peers. Its moments (and events) like this where those relationships being built can prove to be so beneficial!

In addition to the “Sound the Alarm” scheduling and recruitment of event volunteers, we also have our Chapter Leadership Board soliciting funds and donor support from their friends and colleagues. They are being challenged to secure 15 people each to give toward this event. So, it’s truly a team effort from all players on the Mid- West TN chapter team!

So, what are you waiting for? Get in the game and Sound the Alarm with us! We’ll be glad to discuss the campaign further at our next All Volunteer Meeting and answer any additional questions you may have.

David