BLAST! event to help TN Promise students with community service requirements

BLOUNTVILLE — Northeast State will provide a weeklong community service event July 10-18 to help Tennessee Promise Scholarship Program students complete community service requirements associated with eligibility.Tennessee Promise students are required to complete at least rohjy hours of community service prior to each term they receive funding. The deadline for the fall semester is Aug. 1, 2015. Community service is time contributed to a non-profit or public service organization.As part of the weeklong Community Service BLAST!, Northeast State is partnering with non-profit and public service organizations in Bristol, Elizabethton, Johnson City, Kingsport and Mountain City to offer volunteer opportunities to students during July 10-18.All community service hours must be submitted through the community service online form found on the tnAchieves website: https://tnachieves.org/submit-community-service. Prior to the Aug. 1 deadline, the college will host a registration event on July 29 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to assist students with submitting their completed community service hours.More details will follow with additional opportunities added daily. Joshua Johnson, the College's TN Promise coordinator, is the contact for all Community Service BLAST! activities. He can be reached at (423) 354-5235 or jajohnson@northeaststate.edu.Here is a list of community service opportunities. Where possible, specific events for July 10-18 are noted.BristolBELIEVE IN BRISTOL – Promoting the growth and development of downtown Bristol. Volunteers can work in the office, hand out fliers, and assist director as needed.EVENT: July 17 - Border Bash is a free summer concert series held annually on State Street in Historic Downtown Bristol, TN/VA--The Birthplace of Country Music!Contact: Christina Blevins at (276) 644.9700 orinfo@believeinbristol.org.HEALING HANDS – Supplying medical/dental/vision help for the needy. Mentors and chaperones are needed for doctor and nurse visits. Volunteers can also pack bags for distribution at expos and health fairs, and attend those events to support the staff. Other needs are landscaping and general maintenance. Contact: Amy Mosley at (423) 817-1101 or amy@healinghandshealthcenter.org.Elizabethton CARTER COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER – Volunteers can help with answering phone calls, general office work, walking or working with the animals, and animal adoption events. Contact: April Jones at animalshelter@cartercountytn.gov.UNITED WAY – Volunteers are needed to help with administrative assistance, fund-raising, and Community Impact events which include financial independence workshops, career fairs, and poverty simulation skill sets. Event workers can work one on one with community members. Interested students with marketing and design skills are strongly encouraged to volunteer to assist with t-shirt and website design, social media , and other marketing. Contact: Cheri Tinney at 423.543.6975 or director@uwayecc.org.JohnsonCityAMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY – Volunteers can help with general office duties, Relay For Life events, Making Strides program, Reach To Recovery program, Road To Recovery program, Look Good…Feel Better program, and monthly support groups. Contact: Jessica Poff, community representative at (423) 282.7010 or Jessica.poff@cancer.org or Tammie Richardson, office manager at (423) 975.0635.KingsportFUN FEST 2015 - Fun Fest is held mid-July in Kingsport and offers nine days of family fun. The festival hosts nearly 100 events and includes concerts, hot air balloons, sporting events, and unique foods.EVENT: JULY 11 – Fun Fest has partnered with Stop Hunger Now to bring a food packaging event to Sullivan South High School on July 11 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. At the event, community members will put together food packs for those in need, with an ultimate goal of 300,000 packets. Volunteer sign up information can be found at http://stophunger.chpres.org/ or contact your organizer, Keith Goulder, volunteer coordinator, at gkgoulder@gmail.com.EVENT: JULY 10 - 18 - Volunteers needed to perform various duties in support of Fun Fest. Opportunities are available each day of the event.HOLSTON HABITAT FOR HUMANITY – Habitat ReStore in Kingsport to sort, price, and sell or pickup and deliver merchandise. Volunteer opportunities that compliment different skill sets are also available.EVENT: JULY 10, 11 and 14, 16, 18 - Preparation for, and working of, Fun Fest Activities.EVENT: July 11 - Re-Art at the Re-Store event.Contact: Milburn Lane at 423.378.4760 orrestore@holstonhabitat.org.RED CROSS – Offering emergency help, education/CPR training and support to military families serving worldwide. Volunteers are needed for disaster preparedness education, disaster assistance, clericalduties, military family support and fund-raising events. Contact: Glenda Bobalik at (423) 765.4222 or glenda.bobalik@redcross.org or visit the website at Redcross.org/netn.SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF NORTHEAST TENNESSEE – Offering food for students through the Food for Kids Backpack program and food for the community through the Mobile Food Pantry. Volunteer help is needed with sorting food, salvage, mobile food pantry distribution, loading trucks, and the summer food service program. Hours: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. or 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday for warehouse work and varying hours for other programs. Contact: Shannon Bonacci, volunteer coordinator at (423) 279-0430 extension 228 or volunteers@netfoodbank.org or visit the website at http://www.netfoodbank.org.Mountain City RED CROSS – Offering emergency help, education/CPR training and support to military families serving worldwide. Volunteers are needed for disaster preparedness education, disaster assistance, clerical duties, military family support, and fund-raising events.EVENT: July 18 - Smoke Alarm Distributions and Fire Safety Instruction in the Mountain City Community. One to two hours of training required and four hours on the day of the distribution.Additional hours can be arranged with the Red Cross. Contact: Dawn Day at (423) 765-4219