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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello, everyone, I hope you're all ready
to enjoy the holiday season. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This is your reminder that our Christmas party on
Dec. 6 took the place of our regular monthly meeting. <STRONG>There will
be no meeting Tuesday, December 23.</STRONG> We'll meet again on Tuesday,
January 27, when our speaker will be Kathleen Williams, executive director of
the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. We will get together at our
regular time of 7 p.m. at the Region 2 office of the Tennessee Wildlife
Resources Agency on the Ellington Agricultural Center campus. Here's a
link - </FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A
href="http://atlas.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=36.064&longitude=-86.7425&zoom=7">http://atlas.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=36.064&longitude=-86.7425&zoom=7</A></FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Some great news - and thanks! : Diane Manas
recruited some "elves" and organized a gift-wrapping fundraiser on Sunday, Dec.
14, and on Sat. Dec. 20 at REI, where generous customers netted
$510 for the Cumberland Trail Conference's food fund for the BreakAway program
(an alternative spring break during which college students volunteer their time
helping build the Cumberland Trail). Special thanks to Diane and to Karl
Dupre, Libby Francis, Ann Hook, Tony Hook (Manager, Cumberland Trail
Conference), Jenice Johnson, Sue Lefferts, Dorothy Lesch, Garnett Rush, Jill
Tarchala, and Julie Walski. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>For those of you who may not be familiary with
BreakAway and what it means to TTA, here is a good synopsis from
Diane:</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"BreakAway is an alternative spring break program
offered to colleges/universities across the nation where the students
voluntarily give up an opportunity to vacation (and party) wherever, and to make
a difference in the world (today and for the future), by coming to the
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
/><st1:place w:st="on">Cumberland Plateau</st1:place> and lovingly help to build
the Cumberland Trail. Currently, there are about 5-6 colleges signed up each
week participating, and they each will send at least 8-12 students, after 4
weeks that's about 20-24 colleges and as many as 190+/- student volunteers.
Colleges offer many choices to the students for their Spring Break alternatives
so we are very fortunate to know that they REALLY sign on for this – and that
THEY make this decision to come here! Keep in mind, it also takes many local
volunteers to help with teaching trail building techniques, leading "teams" into
the trail work sites, etc. and that this donation also covers their meals – we
all know that no one works very well on an empty stomach."</FONT></DIV>
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"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks again to all who supported the gift-wrapping
effort, and holiday greetings to all of you.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Cheers,<BR>Nora Beck<BR><A
href="mailto:nora_beck@comcast.net">nora_beck@comcast.net</A><BR>615-517-6486
cell<BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>