The AnniversaPARTY and Cornerstone Celebration
We have been SO blessed to see so many new faces on our campus last week (as well as dozens of familiar ones), and thank you doesn’t seem enough somehow to show our appreciation for your support!
Here are a few highlights from our Cornerstone Time Capsule Event on Tuesday, October 18, 2022.
While it was a chilly and windy morning, we were so pleased with the turnout of Board members, Sustaining board members and agency friends who joined us in front of our main campus to hear from speakers like Linda Moss Mines who spoke about the history of the agency.
Director of Operations for Mayor Westin Wamp, Jennifer Pukenas, and City of Chattanooga CFO and Sustaining Board member Brent Goldberg declared October 29th, 2022 as “Chambliss Center for Children Day” in honor of the day the Women’s Christian Association recorded the first minutes.
President and CEO Katie Harbison invited CEO Emeritus Phil Acord to join her in presenting the items left for us by previous generations. In this picture, Phil is holding the guest book from the agency’s centennial celebration.
Captain Roger Gibbens, who worked in our school-age department for over a decade, signed the guest book to make sure his name goes down in Chambliss Center for Children history!
As a special added surprise, Katie found her father, Pete Cooper’s, name in the guest book from 1978. Little did he know when he signed it that one of his daughters would go on to lead the organization and the other would be Executive Director of the Residential Services Program!
The event was a very special occasion to share with close friends, and we are incredibly thankful for all who attended! If you’re interested in submitting an idea for what WE should contribute to the time capsule before it returns to the cornerstone, visit our submission form here.
We held out AnniversaPARTY on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at our campus. It was a HUGE celebration for our community including a petting zoo, inflatables, solar observation, mural painting, food trucks, and of course a Storyland Trail from our friends at Read20!
While we had tons of fun, we also had tons of help from volunteers to help make this event possible. Because of our friends who gave their time to the AnniversaPARTY, we were able to fill our 17 acre campus with activities for everyone to enjoy!
Take a look at some of the festivities that day!
Stories were set up along our walking path and each group brought their story to life for children and adults to engage and interact. Here is Rhyme N Chatt performing I Love My Crown.
The Boyd Buchanan Dance Team wowed everyone with their stage performance in the afternoon. Thanks to our friends over at Artsbuild, we were able to bring stage performances to our guests all day long!
Noah’s Little Ark brought all their furry and feathered friends to set up a petting zoo during the event. These two volunteers from East Brainerd High School can be seen loving on the goats after their shift.