First Lady Maria Lee Hosts Tennessee Kids Serve Summer Challenge Kickoff Event at Middle Tennessee Senior Center
MADISON, Tenn. — Today, First Lady Maria Lee hosted a service project for elementary aged students in Middle Tennessee at a local senior center to kick off her sixth annual Tennessee Kids Serve Summer Challenge.
The service project took place at Fifty Forward Madison Station, a senior center for adults 50+ in Madison, Tennessee. The event began with remarks to volunteers from First Lady Lee and Fifty Forward Center Director, Kelly McCambridge.
Volunteers included students, ranging in age from rising kindergarten through sixth grade, their parents or guardians, First Lady Maria Lee, representatives from the Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging, and the Tennessee Serves team.
The volunteers spent the afternoon serving and spending time with seniors through activities including gardening, arts and crafts projects, a cleaning dance party, and enjoying snow cones together.
“I am thrilled to kick off my Tennessee Kids Serve Summer Challenge in Middle Tennessee through serving seniors with some of our youngest Tennesseans,” said First Lady Maria Lee. “It is my hope that we were not only able to bless elderly Tennesseans, but that kids saw the impact they can make through simple acts of service and are motivated to keep serving all summer – and long after.”
The event served as a kickoff event for the Tennessee Kids Serve Summer Challenge, an annual program created and led by First Lady Maria Lee’s initiative, Tennessee Serves. The challenge serves as an encouragement for students across Tennessee to give back to their community and serve others throughout their summer break.
The challenge is open to rising kindergarteners through rising sixth graders from June 1 to August 1. To complete the challenge, participants must complete a service activity from at least two of the eight service categories provided and a minimum of two service hours. Following their summer of service, top challenge participants will be invited to join the Governor and First Lady for a carnival at the Tennessee Residence in September.
More than 2,200 kids have participated in the summer challenge since 2019, serving over 7,784 collective hours in Tennessee communities through activities ranging from baking cookies for first responders, holding lemonade stands benefiting their favorite nonprofit, and volunteering at a local senior center. Parents can register their child here for the challenge now through the duration of the challenge.
Today’s event served as the Middle Tennessee kickoff celebration for challenge participants.
Throughout the month of June, the First Lady will also host kickoff events in both East and West Tennessee on June 10th and June 18th respectively.
The East Tennessee kickoff will take place in Greeneville, Tennessee at Roby Fitzgerald Adult Center, while the West Tennessee kickoff will take place in Arlington, Tennessee with the Town of Arlington Senior Center. The First Lady and her Tennessee Serves team, along with representatives from the Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging, will attend all kickoff events.
Parents can find out more information and register their child for the West Tennessee event here and the East Tennessee event here.
To learn more about the First Lady’s work through Tennessee Serves, click here.
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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.tn.gov/firstlady/newsroom/2024/6/6/first-lady-maria-lee-hosts-tennessee-kids-serve-summer-challenge-kickoff-event-at-middle-tennessee-senior-center.html