Volunteer Residents Run The Show at Tellico Village
BEST PLACES TO RETIRE IN TENNESSEE
Tellico Village, one of the top waterfront retirement communities in Eastern Tennessee and home to more than 7,000 residents, is managed entirely by the people who call it home. Established in 1986, the community on Tellico Lake prides itself on the socially and philanthropically active volunteerism of residents. More than 200 self-managed clubs, organizations and nonprofits are available to those who live in one of the best places to retire in Tennessee.
Resident volunteers donate their time to increase the quality of life for their neighbors by undertaking management of everything from the fire department and boater safety patrol to the library, to the growing of fresh herbs for community restaurants. A volunteer board of directors manages the finances of the community, helping residents determine where to invest funds into infrastructure enhancements.
President Alan Hart leads the seven-member board of directors. Hart is a Tellico Village resident and volunteers his time to help assist in the decision making process for big-picture projects.
"As a resident volunteer you have a unique opportunity to choose the way your community grows," said Hart. "The board of directors facilitates the actualization of how our residents see their home."
"Living in a self-sufficient community is both empowering and humbling," said Keith Sanderson, award-winning writer and Tellico Village resident. "The people who are drawn to this place see the power in creating a neighborhood you can be proud of."
Sanderson, a native of upstate New York, moved to Tellico Village with his wife in 2014 from the Chicagoarea.
"We were certainly enchanted with the way the community seemed to have a feeling of confident independence," Sanderson said.
Don Skalecki, Chief of the Tellico Village Volunteer Fire Department, and his team of 36 volunteer firefighters provide safety and reassurance to area residents. The department provides emergency response in less than four minutes, well below the national average.
The Tellico Boaters Assistance Response Team (T-BART) services the 357 miles of shoreline of Tellico Lake whose shores the community sits on. Rescuing stranded boaters on the expansive lake is the organization's primary service.
A sampling of other sufficiency-focused organizations include: Thyme for Herbs which provides the bounty of its garden to Tellico Village restaurants; the Citizen's Observer Patrol (COPs) whose volunteers work to ensure community safety; WATeR which has built hiking trails and oversees water cleanliness.
For more information on volunteerism at Tellico Village and to tour one of the finest waterfront retirement communities in Tennessee, call Tellico Village directly at 888.287.0676.
About Tellico VillageTellico Village is a planned, active adult community established in 1986, located in Loudon County andMonroe County, Tennessee. It encompasses nearly 5,000 acres along Tellico Lake with the community continuing to grow thanks to the variety of recreational amenities available and the friendliness of more than 7,000 residents in one of the best places to retire in Tennessee. For more information visit www.tellicovillage.org.
