Girls Inc. of Chattanooga's Infant Mortality Public Awareness Campaign for Tennessee will be among the workshop presenters at the 2015 Tennessee Conference on Volunteerism and Service Leaning on Monday, March 9 in Franklin.
The IMPACT workshop was chosen from applications submitted from organizations around the state. Girls Inc.'s IMPACT workshop will be one of several offered at the conference by educational and not for profit organizations such as Vanderbilt, Lipscomb, Austin Peay, UT Martin, Lee, MTSU and UTK.
IMPACT President Maya Thirkill and Kaitlin DeFoor, Girl's Inc. program coordinator who leads the IMPACT program, will conduct their workshop "Creating an IMPACT in your community" at 1 p.m. on Monday March 9.
Tennessee has the nation's 4th highest infant mortality rate, with Hamilton County having the 3rd highest infant mortality rate in the state. IMPACT was created by the Governor's Office of Child Care Coordination and later transferred to non-profits and since 2009, Girls Inc. of Chattanooga has helped the program reach more than 3,000 students. The county's infant mortality rate has declined and the program has been recognized by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee* as a state best practice model. Health organizations across the country have met with the IMPACT members, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga.
Officials said, "The fifth annual Tennessee Conference on Volunteerism and Service-Learning aims to increase service and volunteerism across Tennessee as a means of problem-solving throughout all stages of life. The conference will encourage service leaders and participants to collaborate to address needs in Tennessee while utilizing service and service-learning as a vehicle for education and change.
"The conference is intended to help participants to understand the impact of utilizing service as a vehicle for community change. Where do you fit in? How can you share your expertise and collaborate with others to provide quality service opportunities that transform volunteers and communities across Tennessee?"
The conference's main audience for the conference are all service leaders across Tennessee, including but not limited to: non-profit and volunteer management professionals; and community volunteers; national service programs; service-learning practitioners (P-16); and campus compact government leaders.
More information on the conference can be found at http://www.tn.gov/finance/adm/vt/TCVSL.shtml.
*BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation provides significant financial and material support to Girls Inc.'s IMPACT program.