After the devastating tornado outbreak ripped through West Tennessee and left communities in shambles, Tennessee REALTORS® President, Travis Close, was moved to do something special for these communities and families. He called on YOU for help, and boy did the REALTORS® of Tennessee respond!
Last week YOU helped us exceed our goal of raising $30,000 to purchase toys from a wholesaler for the communities impacted by the devastating tornado outbreak. With the $40,000 raised, we filled a 53-foot semi-truck with toys thanks to Will Sliger and Greg Hurst, Executive Committee Member of Lakeway Area Association of REALTORS® and President.
Together Sliger and Hurst coordinated the agreement with the wholesaler to purchase toys at cost, visited the warehouse, and picked out which toys would be delivered. In addition, they coordinated with Imperial Transport of Tennessee which donated their semi-truck, gas, and time to deliver the toys for free.
Jennifer Hooks, Association Executive of Reelfoot Regional Association of REALTORS®, assisted in coordinating the drop-off and distribution and helped multiple communities benefit from this delivery. Monday, toys were delivered to the Elks Lodge in Dresden, TN, which acted as a distribution center for other area organizations such as Be The Village and the Woodland Mills Civic Center. With a crew of over thirty volunteers, they unloaded the truck within a few hours! Among those volunteers; were our Immediate Past President, Alex Bynum, his wife Kate, and many volunteers from Reelfoot Regional Association including their 2021 President, David Sudberry.
Thursday, Dec. 23, children and families across West Tennessee gathered at the Elks Lodge to watch Santa arrive in a helicopter and give out the toys! Along with the Elks Lodge, toys were donated to Be The Village and the Woodland Mills Civic Center to receive the toys.
Thanks to you, families across West Tennessee felt loved and cared for this Holiday Season, and hundreds of children have toys to play with on Christmas morning. Thank you for doing your part to make this all possible!
