The Friday Finish - Marker Fixes Legacy - "She belonged to the mountains." - Meal Delivery Becomes Emergency Response
- Tim Crawford
- Aug 28
- 5 min read
August 28, 2026
Marker Fixes Legacy of Faith
Alumni, students, former staff, state and county officials, and community members gathered in the historic Beverly Church Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the legacy of Red Bird Mission. Stories of legendary people and passages of historic moments were woven through remarks shared by invited speakers with the roughly 200 present. Some recalled personal experiences as far back as the 1950’s of how Red Bird made a difference in their lives.
Mr. Jamie Collett, Executive Director, welcomed all, thanking Ms. Bev Reitz and the late Mrs. Fran Woodworth that first pursued the idea of an official Kentucky Historical Society Marker. He also expressed gratitude to Mrs. Patty Vance, Project Advocate, who spent countless hours completing the application process culminating in the installation of the marker.
Dr. James B. Seaver, Director of the Kentucky Historical Society Marker program, addressed those gathered recognizing the passing of Dolly Parton and her common values that are also reflected at Red Bird Mission,
“Community, empowerment, resilience, building bridges, giving people the tools they need to be successful, and telling their own stories in the places it matters most.”
Mrs. Vance (Class of 1985), followed sharing, “This historical marker represents more than names and dates. It honors those who came before us, the accomplishments of our alumni, and the dreams of every student who has walked through our school doors.
“As we honor the past, we must also look toward the future.
May we continue supporting our students, preserving our Appalachian heritage and sharing the Red Bird story with generations to come.”
Other speakers included Mr. Marcus Collett, Former Red Bird Mission School Guidance Counselor and Principal; Alumni Daugh Sizemore, Joyce Turner Sizemore, Karla Roberts, and Geneva “Jackie” Moody; and current Director of Education, Mrs. Jennifer Wilder.
The Red Bird Christian School Middle School and High School Choir closed out the program with a lively singing of the spiritual, “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around”, and accented the closing prayer by Mr. Dan Crabtree, RBM Board Member and former RBMS Educator, with the Red Bird Loyalty Song.
Outside, State Senator Scott Madon, Kentucky Historical Society Board Member Tina Wei Smith, RBM Board President Lucinda McMurry, Mrs. Bev Reitz, former Executive Director Kari Collins, alumni present and senior Red Bird Mission staff joined the dedication program speakers as the Clay County Historical Society President Mike Jackson and RBMS Alumnus David Schaeffer assisted Dr. Seaver in the unveiling. Cheers, applause, and 105 years of pride rose from that sacred spot where Red Bird Mission School sat for over 50 years.
"She belonged to the mountains, and we belonged to her."
Today, a whole lot of us in the Red Bird valley are grieving a sweet little lady who never forgot where she came from. Dolly Parton was known all over the world, but she was always just an Appalachian girl from Sevier County first. Since the news broke, it feels like the entire world has gone quiet for a minute. Folks at the grocery store, parents in the pickup line, staff in the hallway at Red Bird – everybody’s got a Dolly story to share. A favorite song, a memory, an Imagination Library book they read to their babies. She wasn’t just famous. She belonged to the mountains, and we belonged to her.
I’ve loved Dolly since I was a little girl, and still now as a 35‑year‑old woman with a Dolly Parton plush doll in her coat of many colors sitting in my office at Red Bird. I’ve been to Dollywood more times than I can count, but this last trip was different. I finally slowed down long enough to really soak in her museum and step onto that first tour bus of hers from the nineties. On that bus she kept a little stove so she could cook while she was rolling down the road, fixing food for her band and crew. Even though she was a bright and shiny star, she was still very human, still that mountain woman who loved feeding her people, keeping that Appalachian hospitality no matter how famous she got.
At 18, she was brave enough to get in a car and head for Nashville, chasing a dream that would end up touching the whole world. Dolly left to chase her calling, but a whole lot of us are called to stay, to love on this place and these people – and that impact is just as important. That little doll and that big story both remind me you don’t have to leave the mountains to matter. In Kentucky and across the country, flags are flying at half‑staff in her honor, but in these hills it feels even deeper than that.
Dolly used that light to help people, especially kids. One of the biggest ways she did that was through her Imagination Library, sending books to children all over the world. Here at Red Bird, our Early Childhood Development Program has spent years handing out those Imagination Library flyers, encouraging moms and dads in the holler to get their little ones signed up. Our preschool kids have held those free Dolly books in their hands, right here in these mountains.
We can’t all be Dolly Parton, but we can all do what she did in our own small way: love people, remember where we came from, and use whatever we’ve got to make life better for somebody else. That’s what Red Bird Mission is trying to do every single day in this corner of southeastern Kentucky. Dolly shined her light across the world. Our job is to shine ours right here in Red Bird Valley.
- Kayla Smith, Development Gifts and Media
Meal Delivery Becomes Emergency Response
All was well when Tamara, Red Bird Mission Elderly Ministries staff, dropped off home delivered meals on Monday, but Tuesday’s meal delivery turned into a dramatic emergency response. Later on Monday evening one of the clients was in distress, and all phones and internet were out due to lines being cut (suspected copper theft) meaning there was no means of calling for an ambulance Monday evening. Neighbors lived too far away for the client's partner to walk for help, but she knew Tamara would be back on Tuesday faithfully to deliver their meal. As soon as Tamara arrived and learned of the critical condition of her meal client, she stopped her deliveries and returned to the Queendale Campus to call 911 for emergency response. Home delivered meals in rural southeastern KY are a lifeline for more than nutrition.
Just one week ago, Red Bird Mission was informed that funding of home-delivered meals is being cut for the 2026-27 fiscal year by 73% from last year. Once again, Red Bird Mission knows that private donations could turn this sinking ship around. Funding has been reduced for meals and transportation to the senior center by more than $90,000. The alternative option state authorities offered was to cut off more than 50 low income elderly from meals for the remaining ten months of the fiscal year.
Every person on the Red Bird Mission meal route needs the nutritional hot meal they receive each delivery day to sustain their health. Many are widowed, some have never driven a car, some are battling cancer, receiving dialysis, or do not have running water in their homes. Further, the isolated locations and conditions where some of our clients live means the arrival of that meal delivery can also mean the difference between life and death.
Staff will continue to work with our governmental agencies to restore the funding, but we need compassionate supporters to step up with a monthly commitment. Please consider covering the meal cost for one person, $100.00, with a monthly recurring online gift, or mail a check each month to Red Bird Mission, Inc., 70 Queendale Ctr, Beverly, KY 40913-9607 marked “elderly meal delivery”. Without support, there will be 10,000 less meals eaten over the next 10 months.
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