COOKEVILLE - Head Start Body Start National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play has announced the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency as one of 351 recipients of a $5,000 grant to improve the outdoor play area at the Van Buren County Head Start in Spencer, Tennessee.  The National Center was created through a federal grant to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR) from the office of Head Start.

COOKEVILLE – An action filled agenda would be the description of the August meeting of the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency (UCHRA) Policy Council and Board of Directors Executive Committee.  As the UCHRA prepares for the provision of services to the residents of the Upper Cumberland during the FY 2010 program year, the Agency’s Committees and staff are involved in reviewing the results of activities of the past year and the provision of ongoing programs, as well as the implementation of new programs. “The Agency has had a very good year and the Stimulus Program has made it possible to offer additional opportunities to the residents of the Upper Cumberland during a time when many individuals are faced with difficult economic situations,” stated Phyllis Bennett, Executive Director, Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency.

WASHINGTON, DC-The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) recently bestowed its top honor for leadership in the Aging Services Network to Nancy Peace, a former director with more that 35 years of service in the field of aging.  She is currently employed at the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency. "Nancy Peace, Community Outreach and Resource Manager for the Upper Cumberland human Resource Agency, is a real asset to the UCHRA and the people of the State of Tennessee.  Her foresight, initiative, and persistence have paved the way for independence of senior citizens not only in the Upper Cumberland and the State of Tennessee but the nation.  I applaud the n4a President Lynn Kellogg in her recognition of a competent, dedicated public servant," Phyllis Bennett, Executive Director of the UCHRA stated.

More than 1,400 youth from West Tennessee were able to find summer jobs at 350 different employers. Of those participants ages 14-24, 30 were able to secure full-time employment as part of a job stimulus program, according to a report from a local agency. The program was part of a joint effort between the West Tennessee Workforce Investment Board, Southwest Human Resource Agency and the state government.

By Sue Guinn Legg
Johnson City Press

The First Tennessee Human Resource Agency's new Senior Community Service Employment Program has helped more than 80 of the area's older workers re-enter the work force at service agencies around the region.

Cindy L. Mabery of Upper Cumberland Resource Agency - LWIA 7 located in Cookeville, Tenn. has been appointed by the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE) to the 2009 Board of Examiners.

Rural Development Area Director Jerry Amonett and East Tennessee Human Resource Agency Program Administrator Jay Willoughby today announced a total investment of $16,300 to fund a marketing outreach program for ETHRA. The check presentation took place at the ETHRA Workforce Development Office in Oak Ridge.

"This investment will provide ETHRA the tools they need to stay on the cutting edge of technology," said Amonett. "Thanks to the support of our congressional delegation, Rural Development has the financial resources to help with this important project that will impact the East Tennessee."