Volunteer Madison County Conference
More than 25 organizations participated in the inaugural Volunteer Madison County event that Southwest Tennessee Development District hosted on Thursday, October 17 at the Northside United Methodist Church gym. The purpose: to bring organizations who need additional help together with people who want to make a difference in the lives of others. Jackson Police Department’s Narcotics Division also conducted a Drug Take Back event to help attendees get rid of unneeded prescriptions.
The day also included a video message from Tennessee First Lady Maria Lee; Jackson Mayor Scott Conger; Jim Shulman, Executive Director of the Tennessee Commission on Aging & Disability; and Stacey Pirtle, writer of Southern Food & Hospitality, also all spoke of the importance of connecting to your community.
Some of the participating organizations included WRAP, Hospice of West Tennessee, The Dream Center, ARISE2Read, TN-SHIP Medicare Information & Counseling, Tennessee Commission on Aging & Disability, Safe Hope Center, Area Relief Ministries, Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network, several nursing homes/assisted living facilities, and Alzheimer’s Tennessee. Attendees had the opportunity to visit with representatives and learn about these 25 organizations all in one place.
For more info about the event, contact Keita Cole, 731-668-6451 or kcole@swtdd.org.
OCT 26: Second Haunted Cemetery Poker Run & Support For Deputy Slack
2-10 pm / McNairy County Justice Complex
Deputy Gregory Slack was on duty August 19, like any other day, when he responded to a reckless driving call. As he approached the vehicle, he was hit head on by a woman under the influence of drugs. Slack was in critical condition and airlifted to The Med. Only with the department for six months, he has a LONG road to recovery and is still on a walker. This year, the ride is for Deputy Slack! Deputy Slack's father, Herb Slack, serves on the executive board of SWTDD.
There will be a Cornhole Tournament, Dunking Booth with local "celebrities", and Oscar Main cooking! They will also be serving BBQ Bologna and Super Dogs and drinks. The Poker Run will leave promptly at 6 pm and will stop at five Historic Cemeteries to draw cards and have a little spooky fun! $20 for driver/vehicle and $10 for each playing passenger. Non-playing passengers are no charge. This ride will be on backroads and gravel roads so any vehicle can participate - not just Off-road vehicles!
The route is about 50 miles round trip and will take 3 to 4 hours to complete! Guaranteed to be a blast! This is a family friendly event so bring the kids and come help those that protect and serve us everyday! Please contact Kim Owen Morris, Jerry Morris or Michael Crump if you have any questions or click here for more info.
Nov. 5: 'Future Choices Conference'
Grab your calendar and ink in the 18th Annual Facing Future Choices Conference on Tuesday Nov. 5, 2019, in the Fellowship Hall of West Jackson Baptist Church from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Speakers will provide topics relating to questions on aging and living options.
The 2019 Conference will include topics like:
Protecting your Assets as you Age (legal tools that can improve your ability to protects assets to better meet your needs)
Hospice - Benefits for patients and family members
Respect & Protect: The Role of Public Guardianship
Approximately 30 vendors will be there with information & resources. Space is limited! Free box lunches will be provided to all attendees. An important part of this conference is the opportunity it affords seniors and their adult children to learn about your products/services that can benefit them. If you're interested in being a vendor and having your company's name listed in the conference flyer, sponsorship and exhibit commitments must be received by October 11 -- and checks are due by October 23.
For more information and to reserve your place, call 731-668-6408 or 731-668-6419 or email hknight@swtdd.org.
USDA Invests $2.85 Million in Rural Broadband for Tennessee Families
On Oct. 18, 2019, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invested $2,856,167 in high-speed broadband infrastructure to create or improve e-Connectivity for 347 rural households in Tennessee. This is the first of many funding announcements in the first round of USDA’s ReConnect Pilot Program investments.
“Our core mission at USDA is to increase rural prosperity through boosting economic opportunity in rural America,” Secretary Perdue said. “We know that rural communities need robust, modern infrastructure to thrive, and that includes having access to broadband e-Connectivity. Under the leadership of President Trump, USDA is proud to partner with rural communities to deploy this critical infrastructure, because we know when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”
Tennessee’s Forked Deer Electric Cooperative will use a ReConnect Program grant to deploy a fiber to the home (FTTH) broadband network capable of simultaneous transmission rates of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) or greater. The funded service areas include 347 households and one critical community facility spread over approximately 435 square miles. The project will facilitate more access to services and information for area residents, and it will improve the overall quality of life for people in these communities.
Background: In March 2018, Congress provided $600 million to USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services in rural America. On Dec. 13, 2018, Secretary Perdue announced the rules of the program, called “ReConnect,” including how the loans and grants will be awarded to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America. USDA received 146 applications between May 31, 2019, and July 12, 2019, requesting $1.4 billion in funding across all three ReConnect Program funding products: 100 percent loan, 100 percent grant, and loan-grant combinations. USDA is reviewing applications and announcing approved projects on a rolling basis. Additional investments in all three categories will be made in the coming weeks.
These grants, loans and combination funds enable the federal government to partner with the private sector and rural communities to build modern broadband infrastructure in areas with insufficient internet service. Insufficient service is defined as connection speeds of less than 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload.
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force. To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
Congratulations to Chester, Decatur, Hardeman, Hardin, Henderson and McNairy Counties!
The Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development (TNECD) will recognize the 59 counties that were awarded ThreeStar grants later this week at the Governor's Conference. In all, TNECD awarded $2.4 million to support a variety of community development initiatives.
The Southwest Tennessee Development District Counties who were awarded the grant are Chester - $10,000; Decatur - $50,000; Hardeman - $25,000; Hardin - $50,000; Henderson - $50,000; and McNairy - $50,000. For the full list of grant recipients, click here.
