In this episode of "Hub City Now with Tyrone Tony Reed Jr.", the host interviews Mary Ross, Director of Sales, Catering and Marketing at Doubletree by Hilton Jackson.

Ross, who is a Sterling Award winner and was recently recognized as the "Most Influential Woman" by City of Jackson Mayor Scott Conger,  shared with listeners how she came to become part of the Cooper Hotels team and how that changed the trajectory of her career.

She also spoke about the recent announcement by DoubleTree by Hilton Jackson of  a commitment of 100 volunteer hours to be spent among the West Tennessee Veterans Coalition, RIFA Jackson and Boys & Girls Club of Jackson. While the hotel already supports many local non-profits, this renewed commitment ensures an even stronger effort will be made by the DoubleTree by Hilton Jackson team.

The 100 volunteer hours are in celebration of the hotel’s parent company, Cooper Hotels of Memphis, committing to 100 years of future Hilton brand affiliation among its 16 hotels and its $100 million planned Hilton investment in hotel upgrades.

“Cooper Hotels and our team at DoubleTree by Hilton Jackson are thrilled to continue our company’s longtime relationship with Hilton for another 100 years and to provide $100 million in renovations and makeovers to ensure our hotels remain the leaders in their markets,” said Pace Cooper, president and CEO of Cooper Hotels. “What better way to celebrate these achievements than to share 100 hours of volunteer time with these organizations.”

The 16 Cooper Hotels properties each selected a special local organization to receive 100 hours of volunteer time. The chosen organizations have missions to help strengthen the community, help preserve the environment or foster youth opportunities.

About Cooper Hotels

Cooper Hotels is a privately owned hotel development and management company founded in 1959. The company owns and manages 16 Hilton Family of Brands hotels in four states including three Hilton hotels, seven DoubleTree by Hilton hotels, two Homewood Suites by Hilton hotels, two Hilton Garden Inn hotels, one Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton and one Embassy Suites by Hilton. For more information about Cooper Hotels please visit www.cooperhotels.com. 

In this episode of "Hub City Now", host Tyrone Tony Reed Jr. interviews Caitlin Roach, executive director of Friends of Heart, a fund of The Foundation, spoke about the 4-Minute City Initiative.

The City of Jackson and Friends of Heart is partnering with Avive Solutions to significantly increase survival rates from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in Jackson through a program called the 4-Minute City. Friends of Heart,  plan to bring cutting-edge technology to Jackson by placing Avive's intelligent AEDs across the city and deploying their new cardiac arrest response technology. Most importantly, Friends of Heart plan to work with the citizens of Jackson through free training and educational resources so we are all prepared to save a life.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death in the U.S. and we are doing something to change that in our community! Friends of Heart is partnering with Avive Solutions, alongside The City of Jackson, the Jackson Fire Department, and West TN Healthcare to significantly increase survival rates of SCA in Jackson through a program called 4-Minute City.

Together, we plan to bring cutting-edge technology and forward-thinking ideas to Jackson by placing Avive's intelligent AEDs across the city and deploying their first-of-its-kind cardiac arrest response technology. Most importantly, we plan to work with the citizens of Jackson to create a culture of saving lives from cardiac arrest through free training and educational resources so that all of you are prepared to save a life. Learn more at avive.life/jackson or friendsofheart.org.

This project addresses the public health issue of Sudden Cardiac Arrest occurrences. This is a program that focuses on increasing survival rates of people in sudden cardiac arrest through free public training for hands-only CPR/AED and placement of connected AED’s in our community.

Three ways to get involved:

1. Learn Hands-only CPR/AED Training either by scheduling an in-person class or going to our virtual training site where you can learn what to do if you witness an SCA incident. Chances are you will save the life of a loved one. 70% of out-of-hospital SCA occur in the home.
2. Become a member of the Cardiac Arrest Rapid Engagement Team (CARE) led by the Jackson Fire Department.
3. Give a donation of $1,500.00 to sponsor an AED in our community. This donation will supply a person on the CARE Team with a life-saving device and connectivity for five years.

Avive Solutions, Inc, a company bringing to market a revolutionary connected platform comprised of a next-generation connected Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and first of it’s kind software system designed to improve response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) emergencies, announced in December 2021 that the City of Jackson, Tennessee, as its first Partner Community for the Company’s 4-Minute City (4MC) Program.

For the 4MC Program, leaders in Jackson, including non-profit Friends of Heart (a fund of West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation), West Tennessee Healthcare, and the City of Jackson Fire Department are partnering with Avive Solutions, Inc. to implement the Company’s comprehensive hardware + software platform solution, with the goal of improving OHCA outcomes by enabling a more connected system of response in the City of Jackson.

In this episode of Hub City Now with Tyrone Tony Reed Jr., the host interviews Melinda Reid, marketing manager for LIFELINE Blood Services.

Reid spoke about LIFELINE, what it does, who it helps, about donating blood, what is the organization's most urgent need and much more!

LIFELINE Blood Services recently announced that West Tennessee’s blood supply is at a critically low level and that all blood types are needed.

The shortage is caused by several issues and is a problem nationwide, which hinders LIFELINE’s ability to import blood from other blood centers. From an individual perspective, many donors have fallen out of the habit of giving. Holiday schedules can interfere with donors’ schedules as well.

LIFELINE Blood Services, located at 183 Sterling Farms Drive, is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. The Dyersburg Center is located at 1130 HWY 51 Bypass, Suite 19 & 20, and is open Saturday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sunday through Tuesday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Reid also shared information about upcoming blood drives for the month of December, including the special holiday blood drives. You can find a complete list at www.lifelinebloodserv.org or www.radio731.com.

LIFELINE Blood Services will host their Annual “Holiday Hero” Christmas Blood Drive at their Jackson Center on December 15, from 9 a.m.- 6 p.m., at 183 Sterling Farms DR in Jackson, TN. The LIFELINE Dyersburg Center, located at 1130 HWY 51 Bypass Suite 19 & 20, will host their “Holiday Hero” Christmas Blood Drive on December 17-20. Our Dyersburg Center is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday- Tuesday. All donors will receive a “Holiday Hero” t-shirt and a coupon for a free 10 inch pizza from Marco’s.

LIFELINE will offer a December giveaway! Upon donating at either one of our Centers or on a bloodmobile, donors can enter our drawing to win 1 of the 3 $500 VISA gift cards; one to be given away weekly from December 1- 22. On December 22, we will also draw for a 55 inch smart TV.

New this year, our Jackson & Dyersburg Centers will be open for “Spirit of Christmas Eve” Blood Drive. Jackson: 9am-6pm and Dyersburg: 8am-4pm. Upon a successful donation, donors will be able to choose from a list of approved local nonprofits. The nonprofit which they choose will receive a $10 donation from LIFELINE.

For more information on how you can donate blood or help start a blood drive at your church or place of business, visit www.lifelinebloodserv.org.