Blog Post #7
Welcoming in 2022
Dear Friends of NF Tennessee,
We hope you are staying safe and staying well as 2021 winds down. Despite the many hurdles raised by the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic, efforts to raise awareness of NF and advance our mission goals of support, education and advocacy have been able to move forward on many fronts. NF Tennessee has moved ahead with the NF1: A Resource for Teachers which will soon be ready for publication, with the Laptop Giveaway program, participation in the NF Network Advocacy Program, and participation in the Vanderbilt-Children’s Tumor Foundation Symposium. In fact, a significant portion of the VICC-CTF symposium this year related to NF Tennessee activities including Hannah McCann reviewing the NF1: A Resource for Teachers, Skyler Moots presenting the NF Tennessee update, and Rachel Mindrup and Kim Kane discussing the Many Faces of NF portrait program and the Vanderbilt Curb Center Art of Healing project. (see recorded program at this link https://youtu.be/jkPPD4X2AHM)
Of course, there have been other groups and individuals in Tennessee getting out there, raising awareness, and supporting the NF community. The best example we know was the 12th annual Memphis NF walk in November supporting the NF Network (https://runsignup.com/Race/TN/Memphis/NFStrongTN). Another project was the National Banana Pudding Festival in Centerville with an NF entry by Nancy Carver that raised funds for CTF. (https://www.bananapuddingfest.org/) These kinds of activities raise awareness, raise funds, and encourage an active sense of community. We hope that when the Covid 19 pandemic fades, these kinds of endeavors will sprout up more widely, and at NF Tennessee our goal is to support them when we can. So, if you have an idea for an NF project in your community, please let us know so that we can advertise on the website and Facebook page, and help in other ways.
As NF Tennessee continues to grow, our non-profit has been very fortunate to receive support from within and outside of the NF community. Individual donors remain the foundation of our support, and we want to express sincere thanks to all who have contributed, many of whom have NF or have relatives with NF. New avenues of support have also been found. Through participation in the Mighty Causes Fundraising Campaign our donor base has expanded, and along with that, two years in a row NF Tennessee has received Gannett Foundation grants based on that participation due to the special grant writing efforts of Elizabeth Wright. NF Tennessee now participates in the Amazon Smile program (https://smile.amazon.com/ch/83-1117563 - or search NF Tennessee). Individual fundraising efforts such as Ted Goodman’s birthday fundraiser on Facebook supporting NF Tennessee are another great way to help NF Tennessee.
Looking ahead into 2022, the calendar of NF-related activities in Tennessee is already showing some very exciting happenings, and more than last year. In the next few months NF Tennessee will be hosting its first webinar. If there are local communities that want to host an NF event such as a support group meeting, we can provide the infrastructure for virtual meetings. The Spring will bring back the Laptop Giveaway organized by Elizabeth Wright, and the Summer Camp Scholarship Programs organized by Pennie Brooks. We plan to contribute to two VICC-CTF symposia, one for NF1 that will be tied into the Curb Center Art of Healing program, and a separate symposium for NF2. We are eager to resume the NF Tennessee Summer Picnic if it is safe to hold large in-person meetings. Other events such as the Memphis NF Walk and the Nashville Zoo excursion are bound to take place. 2022 will also see more attention to the NF TN website including monthly calendar updates, and resumption of the NF Tennessee Newsletter. So, keep checking the website periodically (www.nftennessee.org) and also check out NFTENN on Facebook, which is updated by Cynthia Hester.
From all of us at NF Tennessee… be safe, and best wishes for 2022!!!
Paul Moots, for NF Tennessee