“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” William Shakespeare
This quote resonated with me this week. I do believe that we are incredibly fortunate to find our gifts and even more fortunate to share those gifts with others. This is what you collectively do at the American Red Cross, but also in so many other areas of your lives. You so generously share your most precious asset with us: your time.
Our annual Sound the Alarm, Save a Life event was incredibly successful! Many of you, along with Rutherford County Health Department, First Baptist Church, LifePoint Church, and the Town of Smyrna, installed 287 smoke alarms and made 110 homes safer. What an incredible day to see so many individuals in the community serving together!
The Battle of the Badges is complete and Law Enforcement won! 149 units were collected, impacting 447 lives. Thank you for rolling up your sleeves to donate, for taking the time to work registration and canteening, and for making sure your neighbors are aware of this event and had the opportunity to participate.
We had incredible volunteer and board engagement for our Military Kids Serve Too event. Children of military members and veterans were celebrated for their sacrifice. Major General Tommy Baker presented each child with a special event coin and thanked them for their service. The Discovery Center at Murfree Springs graciously closed the museum for our event, allowing the families full use of the facility. Tennessee Event Specialists donated a bounce house, and multiple board members donated food and drinks. The American Red Cross was born on the battlefield and we have served our military members continuously for 138 years. I’m so proud to continue that legacy of service alongside each of you.
Finally, we have much to celebrate at our Annual Meeting. Please plan to join us on Wednesday, June 19 at 11:30 a.m. at the Heart of Tennessee Chapter office. We will present a Certificate of Merit to a young woman who used her Red Cross training to save a life! In addition, we will recognize Oakland High School for leading the entire state of Tennessee in high school blood drive collections. This is a great opportunity to fellowship and celebrate what we have accomplished in fiscal year 2019, and to share areas of focus and goals for fiscal year 2020.
Thank you for helping move our mission forward.
With gratitude,
Kathy Ferrell
Executive Director, Heart of Tennessee Chapter
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