It’s been a busy week here at Friends of the Smokies! Time to find a nice branch, up high out of the snow, sit back and catch up on this week’s news.
Cassius Cash named GSMNP Superintendent
Help us welcome the new Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cassius Cash! Cash, a Memphis native, is currently superintendent for Boston National Historical Park and Boston African American National Historic Site and will assume his new post in February.
“I wholeheartedly look forward to rolling up my sleeves and working with and learning from a group of dedicated employees at the park who have the privilege of and responsibility for preserving and protecting some of the most precious natural and cultural resources in the country,” Cash said. “I also look forward to working with local communities, friends groups, and tribal communities on how the National Park Service can build on innovative ideas to create the next generation of stewards and supporters for this park. The timing for this is excellent because the park service will enter its second century of service to the nation when it observes its Centennial in 2016.”
We are glad to have you on the team, Cassius!
FOTS raises $18,000 on #Giving Tuesday
Thank you so much for your help this #GivingTuesday. It was an incredible day of fundraising in support of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and we couldn’t have done it without you.
Tuesday morning, we set a goal to raise $4,500 for America’s most-visited national park. With our matching funds from Dalen Products, Inc. and DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee, Inc., that would have made for a successful day in itself, but you really dug deep.
That afternoon, an anonymous donor offered additional matching funds and raised our goal to $7,000 and you rose to the challenge again.
We are overjoyed to share that between the matching funds from our partners and your outpouring of support, Friends of the Smokies raised more than $18,000 on #GivingTuesday!
You far exceeded our expectations and we cannot thank you enough for your faithful generosity. If you missed #GivingTuesday and would like to donate in support of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, click here. And as always, your donations help support the important park programs you know and love.
Vote for FOTS on Jan. 1-31 for MoonShare grant
Tuesday we were also thrilled to learn that Friends of the Smokies has been selected as a Top 50 finalist for the Sugarlands Distilling Co. MoonShare grant!
You can vote for us on Sugarlands Distilling Co.’s Facebook from January 1 – January 31 as we compete against other nonprofit organizations from around the country. We’ll need your votes, so look for more information at the end of the year.
Special release of Winter’s Blessing supports FOTS
This Saturday, stop by the Robert A. Tino Gallery in Sevierville for the special release of Winter’s Blessing. Sales of this limited edition spiced cherry port by Sugarland Cellars benefits Friends of the Smokies! More details here.
Join FOTS for Kephart Prong Trail hike
And just around the corner is our final Classic Hike of the Smokies in 2014! Join us on Tuesday, December 12 for a short 4-mile hike on Kephart Prong Trail. For more information and to register for this hike, click here. Thanks to HomeTrust Bank for sponsoring this month’s Classic Hike.