the publisher
LETTER FROM
PUBLISHER Rachel Malone West EDITOR Phil West
N
atural disasters change people. They change families and businesses, and they change forever the way communities work. I was living in Jackson, Miss., when Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast in August 2005. After the downed trees were cleared from roads and power lines, water was safe to drink, and power was restored, I decided to go to work in the heart of the disaster. I learned the Federal Emergency Management Agency desperately needed public information officers to let storm victims know where and how to access help as they recovered from the devastation. With a few years of journalism and public relations experience behind me – and seeing the storm damage every day – I was hired as a public information officer for FEMA. The experience of helping people through a time of heartache and loss was rewarding. It was not an easy job, but it was an important job for me to do – professionally and personally. I met my husband while working for FEMA on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. For us, Katrina was a terrible storm, and we continued to live with it many days after most had moved on. But in the end, new life emerged. Something beautiful and unexpected came from it – a lifelong love for each other and for helping others along the way. We’ve seen up-close the misery these storms cause. But we’re also heartened by the way people pull together to begin rebuilding. It is our sincere hope that those affected by Tupelo’s recent disaster also find new beginnings as they recover, rebuild and reflect. Look for these inspirational stories in our coming issues.
RACHEL M. WEST, PUBLISHER
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INVITATION TUPELO | June/July 2014
DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Cindy Semmes MANAGING EDITOR Emily Welly ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR Sonia Thompson EDITORIAL DESIGN Hallie M. Thomas, Emily R. Suber STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Lisa Roberts, Joe Worthem STAFF WRITER Melanie Crownover ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS Alise M. Emerson, Sheena Hagemann, Leigh Lowery, Lynn McElreath, Mary Moreton, Moni Simpson AD DESIGN Rebecca Bailey, Paul Gandy, Zach Fields CONTRIBUTORS Faith Riley Dawson, Chasity Dees, Arlene Beard Norton, Marty Pettit, Stephanie Rhea, Kristi Sizemore, Shea Summers, Lindsay Vallas OFFICE MANAGER Hollie Hilliard COPY EDITOR Kate Johnson DISTRIBUTION Donald Courtney ADVERTISING INFORMATION (662) 701-8070 ads@invitationtupelo.com MAIN OFFICE (662) 234-4008 To subscribe to one year (10 issues) of Invitation Tupelo, send payment of $50 to: P.O. Box 3192, Tupelo, MS 38802 or visit invitationtupelo.com to pay online. To request a photographer at your event, to obtain an event photo or to purchase an announcement, email Hallie at hallielandonmarshall@gmail.com.
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