The Friday Finish - We Remember - Going on a Bear Hunt! - Miner's Daughter Turned Author Visits - Volunteer Steps In - Safeguarding Lifesaving Meals
September 11, 2026
We Remember and Won’t Forget
We remember along with millions the tragedy that struck our nation on September 11, 2001. We remember the utter shock and disbelief that multiple planes were hijacked with the purpose to kill innocent people to make a violent, political statement. Our schools were shut down. Loved ones were stranded in cities far away because airlines were grounded. Fear abounded throughout our country. Enter love for one another and unity for a common, higher purpose.
The remembrance at Red Bird Mission began last night as the volleyball team called for fans to wear red, white and blue in honor of Patriot Day. Mission staff spoke solemnly today of personal memories of the day – where they were, how it felt. Teachers inserted special videos and discussions about the day at the school for our children that have no memory of that tragic day.
Our hearts and prayers are lifted today for the family and friends that are still impacted by 9/11/2001. We remember, and we won’t forget!
"We're Going on a Bear Hunt!"
Down in our neck of the woods, there’s always something fun happening over at the preschool! Every week, the staff here pick out a brand-new theme for the little ones, and this week was all about bears—stuffed full of bear-themed lesson plans, tall tales, and activities. To wrap up the week with a real bang, Teachers Miss Amy Collett, Miss Kendra Bowling, and Miss Hannah Young cooked up the grandest finale you ever did see: an honest-to-goodness "bear hunt!"
Now, Miss Amy’s got a bit of luck on her side. Her daughter—that’s me!—works right next door in the admin office, always ready to lend an extra set of hands whenever she or those energetic little bear cubs need a little help. I love to join in on the fun and capture these precious moments for the world to see.
For this grand adventure, we started right at the ol' tree by the preschool, taping paper paw prints down for the young’uns to follow. Those tracks wound all across campus, leading the kids up to the top of the amphitheater. Bobby Bowling, over in Work Camp, even came along on the adventure, pulling a wagon full of young’uns. Once we hit the high ground, the real fun began—tiny little bears were tucked away waiting to be discovered! There ain't nothing like watching those kids' eyes light up every time they spotted a paw print and found a hidden bear.
Once every last cub was finished, we sat down for a "beary" wonderful picnic. The young’uns dug into a bear-themed lunch: tasty sandwiches, Teddy Grahams, and gummy bears. We’re blessed to have such a wonderful program with staff who truly love taking these kids on big adventures. Y'all be sure to check out the video of our bear hunt to see all the fun for yourself!
- Kayla Smith, Development Gifts and Media
Coal Miner’s Daughter Turned Author Visits School
She grew up in a coal camp just a few miles from the Beverly Campus of Red Bird Mission, never attended Red Bird School, but has woven the positive influence of Red Bird Mission into a fiction book, Becoming Hattie Mae. Author Carol Guthrie Heilman spoke to middle and high school students at Red Bird Christian School yesterday bringing her father’s lunch bucket and miner’s lamp to share how she used historical facts from her life to create the fictional character, “Hattie Mae Sizemore.”
Encouraging the students to take a step towards being an author, she said,
“If you have not started writing and even if you don’t think you want to write, give it a try. You might surprise yourself.”
Mrs. Heilman shared her experiences of meeting her dad coming from the mines and battling with her sister to see who would take home his lunch bucket. Her love of reading as a child and imagining characters coming to life eventually led to her pursuit of diving into writing books after age 50. She explained that “Hattie Mae” is not her story but is a lot of “what if” scenarios completely opposite from her life.
She closed out her remarks reading a section of her book when Hattie Mae realized the importance of education. She also shared that the connection with Red Bird Mission in her book came when a folk medicine lady told Hattie Mae she needed to go to school at Red Bird. The second book will center around Hattie Mae going to Red Bird Mission School.
Throughout she encouraged the students to write saying,
“When you do start writing, listen to your heart.
It doesn’t have to be something acceptable or popular. It’s you. You write about yourself, or how you see things, or what’s important to you.”
Red Bird staff also recently cleaned the pantry floor tile and applied a fresh coat of wax giving a cleaner appearance complimenting the sturdy, new shelving already installed this summer. The materials for these improvements are being funded through a generous donation honoring the memory of Paul Givens, an eastern Kentucky native who dedicated himself to giving
back to alleviate hunger, substandard housing and basic needs through Red Bird Mission Community Outreach.
Strengthen the Legacy. Double Your Gift.
The annual Homecoming Campaign has started and folks are doubling the impact through a dollar for dollar matching fund pledged by two Red Bird Mission School alumni. They realize the importance that Red Bird played in their education and preparation for career and life so they’ve pledged $45,000 in matching funds. You can strengthen the legacy of Red Bird Christian School by giving during the Homecoming Campaign to give opportunity to our current students.
Double your gift through the alumni match by making a contribution to Red Bird Christian School today using the link to our secure online form. If you prefer, you can also mail your check payable to Red Bird Mission, Inc., 70 Queendale Ctr, Beverly, KY 40913-9607 marked “2026 Homecoming Match”.
Volunteer Steps in to Lead Work Camp Volunteers
Brandon and Sandy Lane felt the call to leave their jobs and pursue a life of mission service in 2024. They took the leap and quit their jobs in 2025 and travelled from the life they’d built in northeast Alabama to live in an RV in South Dakota working with the Lakota Nation.
Brandon said that after several months out west, “We just felt like the Lord wanted us to come back east.” They heard about a mission in West Virginia where they could serve that led them to look towards the Appalachian Mountains. They began to search mission opportunities in southeastern Kentucky. Eventually, they made a visit to Red Bird Mission, and came to volunteer helping out in Maintenance and Community Outreach.
After high school, Brandon got training at Gadsden State Community College to become a tool and die technician and spent a career in an aluminum can plant, but got his construction skills working with his father, a carpenter. He said,
“My dad made me drive nails as soon as I could hold the hammer.”
Brandon has been working with D.J. Fee, Work Camp Project Manager, since August to set up projects for fall teams that will begin coming on Monday. Brandon said,
“DJ is teaching me that at end of the season we have some really great groups come in the fall.
It's been easier to assign those big jobs with the adult groups that come in the fall.”
When asked about upcoming projects this fall, D.J. said,
“A little bit of everything. We’ve got some roofing projects, some ramp projects, and floor projects for the next two months.
“That's usually the challenge toward the end of the year. You’ve got all these projects needed but the list of projects have been “cherry picked” earlier in the year.”
A Call to Action: Safeguarding Lifesaving Meals
Tracy Nolan, Red Bird Mission Community Outreach Director, is sharing the following open letter to tell the story of need and ask that concerned people help speak up to restore governmental funding and to give until funding is restored.
Red Bird Mission is diligently working to safeguard lifesaving home delivered meals for older adults living in economically distressed food desert communities within Bell and Clay Counties. Our clients live deep within the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky, 45 minutes from any small town. However, due to significant reduction of State funding we have had to take measures to reduce the number of days and number of daily meals being served.
The Kentucky government budget that started July 1, 2026, reduced its senior meal allocation by 5.5 million dollars, meaning that our Cumberland Valley Area has 1.3 million dollars less than last year to feed our most vulnerable aging neighbors. Also, transportation services needed to access local senior centers has been significantly reduced over the last 2 years, further compounding access to food. To prevent further aging service cuts at Red Bird Mission, we need to raise over $100,000 over the next 10 months.
Many of our seniors depend on these home delivered meals for the only hot nutritious meal they will get for the day. Chronic illness, exhaustion from dialysis or cancer treatments, inability to drive and for some, lack of running water in the home, make cooking a well-balanced meal difficult. Food is a basic necessity, needed for sustenance and proper healing. A home delivered meal is also a life line to emergency services, referrals for other services, and a wellness check. Living alone with no phone or internet access in isolation and rugged, rural terrain can also mean this is the only face, kind smile, or friendly exchange that this senior will see when their meal is delivered.
For those individuals that have seen a decrease in services, or lost their service, or those that just want to help us prevent further reductions, please contact your Legislators and let them know that the Senior Nutrition Program is a crucial service in our area.
Thank you for your calls, prayers, and donations to help us sustain these services. You can contact me at tnolan@rbmission.org, 606-598-0520, or mail donations to: Red Bird Mission, Attn: Elderly Meals, 70 Queendale Center, Beverly, KY 40913-9607.
Blessings,
Tracy Nolan, RN, BSN, Red Bird Mission Community Outreach Director
If you'd like to receive a copy of The Friday Finish in your email inbox each week, click the Subscribe button the bottom of our webpage.
Comments