Melanie Townsend
Quota International of Paris, TN

Melanie Townsend has been a dedicated member of Quota International of Paris for 18 years and has served in every office except treasurer. During her term as president, from 1996 to 1998, the Paris club purchased infant hearing testing equipment for the local hospital at a cost of $10,000. As a result, all newborns are tested for hearing within 24 hours of birth and re-tested if needed. She has been chairman of the Mental Health Committee several times and has received recognition from Western Mental Health Institute in Bolivar, Tennessee, for 15 years of volunteer service. She also is supportive of a local boarding home for challenged adults by providing transportation to church, regular visits, and pizza parties and parties for other occasions. At Christmas, she and her husband purchase gifts for each person and host a Christmas party for the residents of this home. On the district level of Quota, she has very capably served as secretary/treasurer, lieutenant governor, and governor of the 23rd District. Melanie is very active in many community volunteer groups and was elected "Quotarian of the Year" in 1991. In 2001, she was awarded the Community Service Award by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She is an active member of the Athena Delphian Club, a civic group that was instrumental in raising money for the performing arts center. She is involved in Relay for Life, an organization that raises large sums of money to fight cancer. She also served on the board of the Henry County Health Care Foundation from 1998 to 2001. She is currently serving on the Women's Healthcare Council. Melanie and her husband, Tom, support the Henry County 4-H Club by purchasing livestock at the county fair. Melanie has worked for many years with the Henry County Helping Hand Program, which raises thousands (last year $280,000) which is distributed in the community to charitable causes and other programs like the Rescue Squad and Volunteer Fire Department. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and remains active in local and state alumni activities. Church is a very important part of Melanie's life: she teaches Sunday school, does bookkeeping, and orders all church supplies. She and her husband have been on three medical missions to Honduras, and they are planning to return to Honduras this June. In her spare time, Melanie visits regularly with her 99-year-old uncle, who lives in an assisted-living facility. She and her husband, Tom, enjoy traveling, camping, and fishing, and they attend all of the University of Tennessee football games. It is with pride that Quota International of Paris names Melanie Townsend their Volunteer of the Year.

To return to the 2004 Volunteers of the Year main page, click here.