ARA of Tennessee Donates $6,000 for Wildfire Relief Efforts

MOLINE, Ill. (December 12, 2016) – To help those in the equipment rental industry, their families and communities severely affected by the wildfires that ravaged Gatlinburg and parts of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the ARA of Tennessee and the ARA Foundation have joined forces to donate $6,000 to the American Red Cross for relief efforts. This donation combines $3,000 from the ARA of Tennessee and a $3,000 match from the ARA Foundation through its Matching Funds Program.

“This disaster has been so devastating to witness,” said American Rental Association Chairman of the Board and ARA Foundation Board Trustee Terry Turner, CERP, owner of All Occasions Party Rentals in Knoxville, which is 35 miles from Gatlinburg. “According to CNN, this disaster has claimed 14 lives, left 134 injured, damaged or destroyed more than 1,600 structures and forced the evacuation of 14,000 people. It is great to see that the ARA of Tennessee was able to take advantage of the ARA Foundation’s Matching Funds Program. The recovery efforts in this area of my home state will take a long time, but this donation will go a long way to assist that effort.”

The path to this donation began Nov. 28 when the wildfire spread from its starting point near Chimney Tops in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee into Gatlinburg. Turner called ARA of Tennessee President Lance Gehring to let him know about the ARA Foundation’s Matching Funds Program.

This donation will have immediate impact, said Melissa Levan, major gifts officer for the American Red Cross of the Central and Southern Illinois region. “Donations such as this allow us to provide food, clothing and shelter to those affected. We already have supplied 23,400 meals and snacks and more than 2,100 overnight stays. We are very grateful for this donation because it will allow us to continue to take care of the needs of residents who have been affected. That is critical after a disaster strikes.”

For more information, visit ARA.