Circle of Love Foundation’s Back to School Campaign Donates Backpacks with School Supplies

August 9, 2021
By:

Nearly 300 children in need throughout Tennessee and Alabama have brand new backpacks filled with the supplies they need for a successful school year. RealSource Title Insurance & Real Estate Closings in Smithville partnered with its corporate office to collect school supplies and donations.

Doris Phillips, founder/president of RealSource, created The Circle of Love Foundation in 2004 to make sure children in need had the things they needed in time for the school year. “We are delighted to provide 72 backpacks filled with the school supplies to help these children find the path to success,” said Phillips. Smithville Elementary, Northside Elementary, and DeKalb West Elementary are each receiving 24 backpacks to share with children in need. “I would like to thank Katie Harris, Loni Easterwood, and Kendra Arnold for leading our drive in Tennessee to help local children.” At the RealSource office in Smithville, Harris is the office manager, Easterwood is the closing specialist, and Arnold is the support specialist.

RealSource is a title insurance and real estate closing company serving Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Michigan, and Tennessee. The Smithville RealSource office opened in October 2020 in the heart of downtown at 404 W. Public Square.

Finding Solutions, Creating Opportunities

Growing up in poverty in Alabama, Phillips she cut grass to help feed her siblings at age 9. As a single mom at 16, she worked multiple jobs to feed her child. Education was not an option. Fast-forward years later, Doris learned from the school of hard knocks and is a professional success in the real estate industry. She is committed to providing children in need with the basic school supplies to be successful. Doris knows the deep pain of being forgotten and is committed to keeping it from happening to other children.

The Circle of Love Foundation has touched more than 7,000 children in five shelters in Alabama who would have otherwise gone without gifts on Christmas morning or the most basic school supplies like pencils and paper. The organization has raised more than $825,000 in gifts and supplies.

“Last year we provided backpacks for 53 children in Alabama,” said Phillips. “This year, we helped nearly 300 to children in Tennessee and Alabama. As our business grows in Tennessee, so does our philanthropy,” she said. “Being a good corporate citizen in Smithville is very important to us,” said Phillips. “Now that the back-to-school drive has been completed, we will start working on plans to provide Christmas magic for Smithville area children.”

For more information and donation options, visit www.thecircleoflove.org. All of the money collected is used to purchase items for children in need.

August 7, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Motorists who live and work on Allen’s Chapel Road will have to take a detour for a few days starting Monday, August 16.

The City of Smithville will be replacing existing metal tiles with new concrete tiles across Allen’s Chapel Road near the intersection with Highway 56 (Cookeville Highway). According to Kevin Robinson, the city’s public works director, the project may take up to two weeks.

Those who access Allen’s Chapel Road from Cookeville Highway to get home or to work at the industrial park will need to take an alternate route, possibly via Big Hurricane Road over to Allen Street and then back to Allen’s Chapel Road until the project is completed.

August 7, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

An 18 year old suspect in a Nashville carjacking case, who led law enforcement authorities in a two county pursuit from I-40 to Cookeville Highway near Smithville was arrested Thursday after tire deflation devices were put down to get the stolen vehicle he was driving stopped.

18 year old Deyton Farless has been charged by the Baxter Police Department with driving without a license, theft of property, evading arrest, and reckless endangerment.

In a prepared statement, Sheriff Patrick Ray said that “On August 5 at 12:04 p.m. DeKalb County Dispatch received a call from the Cookeville area Tennessee Highway Patrol that Baxter Police were in pursuit of a stolen vehicle out of Davidson County and the driver was supposedly armed. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department also entered the pursuit on I-40 in Putnam County”.

“The pursuit then entered DeKalb County on Cookeville Hwy (56 North) from I-40. The Tennessee Highway Patrol, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and Smithville Police placed tire deflation devices at three different locations on Cookeville Highway near the Smithville City limits,” said Sheriff Ray.

Although the driver (Farless) maneuvered around one of the tire deflators, he was unable to avoid another put down by Sheriff’s Department Officers which disabled and forced the vehicle to stop. Farless and three others in the automobile were taken into custody.

Sheriff Ray and Smithville Police Chief Mark Collins said the tire deflation devices that were purchased this past year have been a great asset to their departments. Having them not only protects the patrol cars funded by the taxpayers, but more importantly, protects the lives of innocent persons including the officers as well as the suspects.

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