Mayor Jack Reed, Jr., established several Mayor’s Task Forces when he took office in 2009: Health Task Force, Neighborhoods Task Force, Education Task Force , Jobs Task Force and South Gloster Task Force. Each of these task forces is made up of all volunteers. These local men and women give of their time and energy on a volunteer basis in order to make the City of Tupelo a better place for all to live in. Each group is actively involved in task force campaigns, projects, and initiatives. If you would like to become involved in a task force check out the contact information listed for each group. Plus, you can call the mayor’s office at 662-841-6525 for more information.

Mayor’s Health Task Force
Mission Statement: To support existing and develop new health and wellness policies in the City of Tupelo designed to improve the overall health of our community.

The Mayor’s Health Task force’s vision is to be the healthiest city in Mississippi, then America, then the world! This vision is on the way to becoming true after a busy year of launching healthy events and initatives in Tupelo. The Health Task Force and the City of Tupelo just won a $25,000 check from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi for being one of the 2 top healthy cities in Mississippi for 2010. This group of volunteers launched several healthy initiatives this past year: The Mayor’s Marathon, FIT = Fitness in Tupelo, Trim Down and Tone Up Tupelo.

Contact: Hank Boerner, hboerner@nmhs.net; Liz Dawson, ldawson@nmhs.net

Neighborhoods Task Force
Mission Statement: To recognize that neighborhoods are the heart of life in the City of Tupelo. Our mission is to support the existing City of Tupelo neighborhood associations and assist in the development of new ones; to recognize and reward the work that neighborhood associations do which makes the city stronger, safer and more attractive; to work with the associations to ensure that maximum positive impact is achieved through projects and activities; to encourage residents to share their energy, experience and expertise not just within individual neighborhoods, but to work across neighborhood lines; and, to recommend to the mayor and city council ways to better increase and improve support for the neighborhood association in order to build stronger neighborhoods and thereby a stronger Tupelo.

The Neighborhoods Task Force has been very involved in working in and with the neighborhood associations this past year by going to monthly meetings and speaking to these groups of citizens. In 2010, this task force kicked off the year with the Neighborhood Connections Day, which brought in over 400 people to the BancorpSouth Arena to discuss neighborhood issues with city leaders. The Neighborhood Impact Awards is ongoing. This is a contest designed by the task force to encourage, recognize and reward the essential work that neighborhoods do in moving Tupelo forward. Among the awards in the impact program, there is a special prize of $1,000 to go to a neighborhood association for a special project in 2011. The task force has also been instrumental in planting thousands of wildflowers across the city.

Contact: Rubye Del Harden, rubyedel@gmail.com

Education Task Force
Mission Statement: Building a community that values education and the need for life-long learning.

The Education Task Force has created a number of community projects to promote education in Tupelo. In 2010, the group secured the funding to give a copy of the book, “Goodnite Moon” to each child born on Medicaid in our county. Just recently, the task force has secured local funding to broaden these efforts. Very soon every child born at the North MS Medical Center will receive this book as a token from the task force. The Now an annual event, “Tupelo Reads” project brought over 600 daycare students together to learn the importance of reading, art music. During the summer of 2010, the “Fill the Bus” campaign was launched to collect school supplies and money for area students. Over $10,000 worth of school supplies and donations were taken up. Through these efforts students received free school supplies, and the task force donated 300 flash drives to Tupelo High School.

Contact: Shelia Nabors, jnx3mom@comcast.net

Jobs Task Force
Mission Statement: A good job for every man, woman, and youth in Tupelo who needs one.

The Jobs Task Force is proud to announce the creation of the group’s website: www.tupeloworks.com. This website is an effort to give job seekers the tools they need to find and secure fulfilling employment. The website contains information on resumes, computer skills, etc. The task force also produced and edited a “How to Get a Job” video that is available on the website. In the form of a business card, the task force created “Tupelo Works” cards which can be seen across Tupelo in area businesses. These cards give websites and phone numbers that can guide a job seeker. Over the last several months the task force has been providing basic computer training classes which have proven to be a success! The men and women on this task force also work closely with the WIN Job Center in our area to promote job seeking initiatives. An ongoing project the task force is engaged in is its mentoring program which will partner a job seeker with a local business person. Through the mentoring program the task force hopes to give local job seekers a person that they can go to with questions and advice as they look for a job.

Contact: Wayne Averett, waverett@cdfms.org

South Gloster Task Force

The South Gloster Task Force was recently created by Mayor Jack Reed, Jr. This committee is made up of business owners and citizens who volunteer their time to help make our city a better place. This group is currently working on ways to keep the South Gloster area “alive” and involved in the community. The group meets on a regular basis and discusses ideas and concepts on how to improve the South Gloster section of Tupelo, as well as build on the positive aspects this part of town brings to the community as a whole. The meetings are interactive and usually involve a speaker. The South Gloster Task Force continues to work on community-based initiatives and looks forward to what the future holds for the South Gloster area of Tupelo.

Contact: Councilman Jim Newell, jimnewell@comcast.net