The Friday Finish – May 3, 2024
Broadband Team Receives Regional Award
Kari Collins, Executive Director, accepted the 2024 SOAR Connect Appalachia Award presented by Gearheart Communications Saturday afternoon on behalf of the Red Bird Broadband Action Team (BAT). The Connect Appalachia Award recognizes an individual, group, or organization that has championed broadband expansion and access by increasing digital equity, adoption rates, remote work, and digital literacy. BAT Coordinator Marsha Roark, IT Director Jamie Collett and Development Director Tim Crawford joined Ms. Collins to receive the award at the SOAR Gala held at the Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg.
After receiving the award Kari addressed those gathered saying,
We are really humbled and so grateful for the nomination and being chosen for the Connect Appalachia Award. The Red Bird Mission staff along with the 43 dedicated local, state and national folks that formed Red Bird Region Broadband Action Team have made all of the difference in our strides forward in discovering ways to provide quality, affordable broadband access as well as reliable communication throughout the unserved and underserved areas of Bell, Clay, and Leslie counties. This is some of geographic area Red Bird Mission has served for over 100 years.
Our work is not done. We have a lot of work we still have to do to achieve our goals we set forth. SOAR has been by our side all this time helping us look at how we learn, how we grow, and how we sustain the efforts that we are making. And, because of this impact
we are not only are creating better, dependable communications within the area, but we are also creating future economic opportunities.
Four Days Until Compassion Launches
It’s just four days until compassion is unleashed on May 7th, Kentucky Gives Day, and the Red Bird community is praying that generosity to help the thousands served by Red Bird will abound. The day of online giving is really a day of making a difference for individuals and families in need.
Matching gifts are being pledged to double every dollar given to Red Bird Mission, Inc., or Red Bird Clinic, Inc., for Kentucky Gives Day 2024. At least five different match opportunities have already been lined up for the day.
The Good Home Match sponsored by a Work Camp volunteer
The Education for Every Child Match sponsored by a Red Bird School supporter.
The “Lunch is on me!” Match sponsored by a Food Pantry donor.
The Better Life for All Match sponsored by a visionary Red Bird Mission supporter.
The “What’s for Dinner?” Match sponsored by another Food Pantry donor
One of our strong alumni, Leonard Lawson, left a legacy of giving before he passed, but he also left us a legacy of encouragement. He knew that one person couldn't give enough to support all that Red Bird does so his counsel to the alumni at homecoming one year was,
“It takes all of us! Some can give a little and some can give a lot, but it takes all of us.”
Join in the giving on May 7th and join us in asking others to “give a little” or “a lot.” Our official Kentucky Gives Day page gives you the opportunity to fundraise by providing you social media and email link tools to ask your friends to join in the giving to help others served by Red Bird Mission. Simply click the “Fundraise” button to start.
Health Connections at CREATION Life Health Fair
Colleen Sturgill, Red Bird Health Education Coordinator, represented Red Bird at the CREATION Life Health Fair on Tuesday at the Eastern Kentucky University Building in Manchester, Kentucky. Colleen stayed busy counseling with folks and providing free bone density scanning to a number of the approximately 75 people coming out to take advantage of free health screenings and information. Karen, a Work Camp volunteer from White River Christian Church in Indianapolis, assisted Colleen in passing out flyers for attendees to post regarding the Freedom from Smoking classes that Colleen leads with support from the American Lung association.
The event also provided the opportunity for Colleen to network with other organizations to identify services that could be extended to the Red Bird communities, and even talked with an individual interested in employment at Red Bird. AdventHealth Manchester organized the event that brought together representatives for health care related organizations.