Innovating Through Challenges: A Legacy of Resilience
As we approach TNPPA’s 72nd Annual Convention, I’ve thought a lot about the things that have kept TNPPA around for seventy-two years...and what we’ll need going into our next seventy-two.
Embracing Change and Innovation: Lessons from the COVID Era
It hasn’t been without a few bumps in the road, but we’re still here.
We’re here because people cared to innovate and make things happen that were not “the way we always did”.
If Covid taught us anything, it’s that sometimes you have to figure out new ways to make it happen.
Enduring Values: The Heart of TNPPA
The faces have changed over the years, but the core values of the group have remained: inspiration, innovation, desire to learn, passion for our craft, friendship, and camaraderie, and a high-functioning group of individuals who are ready to do whatever it takes.
Along the way, we’ve forged invaluable industry relationships who have become our friends and mentors.
Breaking Tradition: The Unconventional Venue of TNPPA's 72nd Annual Convention
Our venue for this year’s convention is intentionally non-traditional.
We aren’t in a single hotel and we will be staying in various locations nearby.
Some will spend more on accommodations and some will spend less, but everyone will have an opportunity to choose what works best for them.
Think of it as a “choose your own adventure” and everyone will have a little different experience.
Discovering Hickman County: A Place to Call Home
I wanted to share Hickman County with you because I love this place I call home.
Since my husband and I moved here eight years ago, my life has intrinsically changed for the better.
I love rural life and am inspired daily just by looking out my front door.
I have been granted opportunities here that I’ve never had elsewhere and met some of the best people I have ever known.
The Inspiring Bernard Community Center: A Venue with a Purpose
I chose the Bernard Community Center as our venue because its history and the people rebuilding it inspire me.
I’ve had the great fortune to meet several BCC board members during events sponsored by the Hickman County Economic & Community Development Association.
They have an immeasurable drive and passion to bring the Center back to life as an asset to the community.
Earlier this year they received grant funding for renovations and have been working hard to upgrade and beautify the space.
Ours will be the first large event post-renovations and I am thrilled that TNPPA has this honor.
Preserving History: The Legacy of O.H. Bernard High School
A little bit of history; the Bernard Community Center was originally known as the O.H. Bernard High School:
“It was in 1928 that Centerville received funding from Sears and Roebuck co-owner, Julius Rosenwald, to build a bigger and better school for black children in Hickman County…The fond memories of O.H. Bernard High School (named for the state agent who reported unfair practices in public schools to the state Board of Education) will remain dear to all who attended the school built with mule and manpower and the generosity of one New Yorker who never visited Centerville.”
- Lee Ann Mayberry
From Limitless Potential to Endless Possibilities: A Story of Change
One of the BCC board members who shared his experience as a student at the O.H. Bernard High School said that as a young man he was always taught that there were no limits.
He could do anything he set his mind to. He knew in his heart he was part of something great and his future was filled with endless possibilities.
When the school closed in the 1960s, all of that changed.
Embracing the Spirit of Place: Preserving History and Inspiring Future Generations
There is something special in the fabric of this place.
It has a precious history that needs to be preserved and celebrated.
The building stands as a living monument to the things that can be accomplished when people come together and allow themselves the freedom to think outside the accepted norms, the ‘best practices’, and the “things we’ve always done” to keep the spirit of this place alive.
Envisioning the Future: A Gathering of Inspiration and Growth
I look forward to our gathering together to learn, grow, and be inspired.
We have so many wonderful speakers, and I can’t thank them enough for sharing their time and talents with us.
It is my great hope that each of you leaves with your vision a little changed and your inspiration overloaded as you write the next chapter of your story.
About the Author
Karen is an award-winning photographic artist who resides in Hickman County, TN with her husband, three children, and a variety of furry, hooved, and feathered friends. She is passionate about her work and pours her heart and soul into every image created. Her goal is always to create unique art for her clients that they love to show off and share.
Karen serves on the executive board of the Tennessee Professional Photographers Association and as an at-large board member for the Fairview Arts Council. She is an active member of several professional organizations and competes regularly in image competitions at state, national, and international levels. You can visit her website here.
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