The Pleasant View Civitan Club asked me to publish the following information:
Pleasant View Civitan is hosting a FAMILY RELIEF DAY this coming Saturday at Balthrop Park. This is a FREE EVENT for everyone in the area. Our idea is to offer an afternoon of family fun, with food and entertainment at no cost to attendees. We will be accepting donated items for Flood Victims as well as monetary donations. Event starts at 11 a.m. and ends with our Movie In the Park, which begins a dusk. We are in need of organizations to donate a few hour of their time to help manage the concessions we will be serving. We are asking area businesses to set up "booths" and offer free products or services to those attending the event. This is an excellent opportunity for area businesses to showcase their services and to come together to help out those in need by offering a fun-filled afternoon.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
A Season Ended - Another Begins
Just as Frank thought he was catching his breath, another issue arises.
Tax season ended on April 15th without a lot of fanfare...it was a good season for Frank, albeit, somewhat strange at the same time. Frank and his team were able to process a record number of returns, and the procedures put in place seemed to make the process smoother and more routine...well, as routine as tax season can be.
There were no major hang ups, yet the scenarios that did arise were somewhat unnerving. Early in February, Frank discovered that one of his long time clients had passed away. Not an unusual situation, unless you factor in that Frank was responsible for the discovery of the remains. That kind of rattled Frank.
Later on, there was a conflict between two of Frank's business clients...he was able to appease the situation, but the relationship between the two was severed. Several new clients were added to Frank's roster as well as several new business clients. Although Frank has built the firm on new businesses, several of the additions are existing and thriving businesses.
There was the "too much to do and not enough time to get it done" syndrome, and it appears that is going to be situation normal moving forward. The primary team, Glenda, Tammy and Renay have removed a great deal of the workload from Frank, a workload that he shouldered by himself just a couple of years ago.
The secondary team, Jacob and Tina, working mostly on Saturday's, were able to take care of some of those tasks that slip through the cracks, like birthday cards, mailings, etc., as well as help with the data processing of the bigger returns.
One member of the team that was noticeably missing was Frank's Tammy (as opposed to Tammy H., mentioned earlier). It was decided early on that Tammy would not be involved in the office this year, due to Kendall not being able to stay at the office for extended periods of time. Don't misunderstand, Tammy was, and always has been, Frank's moral, emotional and loving support...but her presence was definitely missed around the office this year.
Over the past couple of weeks, Frank has relaxed somewhat. Sure, he's processed quite a few of the extended returns, and has but a few left. Those will probably be finished this week. But, just as Frank was putting the stress and angst associated with tax season into the memory banks, a natural disaster struck the Middle Tennessee area and his adopted home of Cheatham Co bore a great deal of the brunt of that flood.
Friends and neighbors, strangers and relatives faced the devastation left behind. As the waters receded, the cleanup began. Frank assisted in that cleanup effort this morning for about 6 hours. As Frank was driving to his friend/client's home, he felt as if he were entering a war zone. Hundred-year-old trees were uprooted, homes were moved from their foundations, mud as deep as three feet was common, and the devastation was unimaginable.
When he arrived at his destination, he greeted his friends and asked where to begin. He could tell they were exhausted, but strangely, they seemed so optimistic. And, as he worked in that small community, and talked to those he worked with, that optimism was prevalent. Something surfaced that Frank had not been a part of for many, many years...a sense of community. Neighbor helping neighbor...strangers meeting and sharing a common goal...conflicts and disputes laid aside to help those in need through the challenges they face.
His friends plan to rebuild, having removed the sheet rock and cabinets, furnishings and cherished mementos from their home. They have a long road ahead. There will be challenges, there will be triumphs and goals achieved, as well as setbacks and disappointments.
Frank will continue to return weekly to be of whatever help he can. In the coming weeks and months, this small community will rebuild. The debris will eventually be removed, the homes that can't be restored will be demolished. Those that can be rebuilt will begin to take shape.
It will never be the same as it was when the rains began on April 30th, but rebuild it will, and Frank hopes to be a part of that rebuilding, in whatever way he can.
Tax season ended on April 15th without a lot of fanfare...it was a good season for Frank, albeit, somewhat strange at the same time. Frank and his team were able to process a record number of returns, and the procedures put in place seemed to make the process smoother and more routine...well, as routine as tax season can be.
There were no major hang ups, yet the scenarios that did arise were somewhat unnerving. Early in February, Frank discovered that one of his long time clients had passed away. Not an unusual situation, unless you factor in that Frank was responsible for the discovery of the remains. That kind of rattled Frank.
Later on, there was a conflict between two of Frank's business clients...he was able to appease the situation, but the relationship between the two was severed. Several new clients were added to Frank's roster as well as several new business clients. Although Frank has built the firm on new businesses, several of the additions are existing and thriving businesses.
There was the "too much to do and not enough time to get it done" syndrome, and it appears that is going to be situation normal moving forward. The primary team, Glenda, Tammy and Renay have removed a great deal of the workload from Frank, a workload that he shouldered by himself just a couple of years ago.
The secondary team, Jacob and Tina, working mostly on Saturday's, were able to take care of some of those tasks that slip through the cracks, like birthday cards, mailings, etc., as well as help with the data processing of the bigger returns.
One member of the team that was noticeably missing was Frank's Tammy (as opposed to Tammy H., mentioned earlier). It was decided early on that Tammy would not be involved in the office this year, due to Kendall not being able to stay at the office for extended periods of time. Don't misunderstand, Tammy was, and always has been, Frank's moral, emotional and loving support...but her presence was definitely missed around the office this year.
Over the past couple of weeks, Frank has relaxed somewhat. Sure, he's processed quite a few of the extended returns, and has but a few left. Those will probably be finished this week. But, just as Frank was putting the stress and angst associated with tax season into the memory banks, a natural disaster struck the Middle Tennessee area and his adopted home of Cheatham Co bore a great deal of the brunt of that flood.
Friends and neighbors, strangers and relatives faced the devastation left behind. As the waters receded, the cleanup began. Frank assisted in that cleanup effort this morning for about 6 hours. As Frank was driving to his friend/client's home, he felt as if he were entering a war zone. Hundred-year-old trees were uprooted, homes were moved from their foundations, mud as deep as three feet was common, and the devastation was unimaginable.
When he arrived at his destination, he greeted his friends and asked where to begin. He could tell they were exhausted, but strangely, they seemed so optimistic. And, as he worked in that small community, and talked to those he worked with, that optimism was prevalent. Something surfaced that Frank had not been a part of for many, many years...a sense of community. Neighbor helping neighbor...strangers meeting and sharing a common goal...conflicts and disputes laid aside to help those in need through the challenges they face.
His friends plan to rebuild, having removed the sheet rock and cabinets, furnishings and cherished mementos from their home. They have a long road ahead. There will be challenges, there will be triumphs and goals achieved, as well as setbacks and disappointments.
Frank will continue to return weekly to be of whatever help he can. In the coming weeks and months, this small community will rebuild. The debris will eventually be removed, the homes that can't be restored will be demolished. Those that can be rebuilt will begin to take shape.
It will never be the same as it was when the rains began on April 30th, but rebuild it will, and Frank hopes to be a part of that rebuilding, in whatever way he can.
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