M.Y.O.B. gives Lundy Achievement Award
By WILLIAM WRIGHT Cleveland Daily Banner
Staff Writer
Published March 02, 2007 10:53 AM EDT
The Highest Award for Achievement
was presented to Cleveland resident Linda Lundy, owner of Welcome
Friends, at a small business owners luncheon Wednesday.
Mark Rogers, market manager for Dale Carnegie Training, presented
the award to Lundy at the bi-monthly meeting of Minding Your Own Business,
a network of entrepreneurs.
“We’ve taught more than 15 million graduates in our training
classes,” said Rogers. “In each of these classes we give
one award for highest achievement. The award is voted on by your peers.
It’s a very prestigious award. Recipients have to meet five
criteria.
“When someone starts their training they have to show improvement
in people skills, in worry and stress management, in leadership skills,
in communications with groups and individuals and in displaying confidence.
It’s my privilege to present to Linda the Dale Carnegie Highest
Achievement Award.”
Lundy thanked Rogers, her classmates and the Chamber of Commerce for
offering classes like Dale Carnegie Training.
“The class was life changing and I’m so thankful that
I have been a part of it,” Lundy said. “Each class was
filled with principles for everyday living and valuable skills for
overcoming worry, being enthusiastic, setting and achieving goals
and being a part of a team.”
Lundy told M.Y.O.B. members that many tools she learned “is
what we discuss here in our meetings.”
Her Welcome Friends hospitality business gives new residents a warm
greeting to the community along with gift items and helpful information
in adjusting to a new area. Lundy’s business motto is: Helping
you meet your community and meet new friends.
“I just wanted to greet the people and make them feel welcome,”
said Lundy. “It means so much having the support of the business
community with me.”
According to Lundy one of the most important things she’s learned
about business is what is called branding.
“Like McDonald’s golden arches, you want a symbol so when
people see it they think of you,” said Lundy. “I’ve
chosen the butterfly because my mother loved butterflies. She was
a greeter for a tourist information center in Wytheville, Virginia.
She passed away at the time she was helping me with ideas for my business.
She loved to help people and so do I, so I chose the butterfly as
my new emblem.”
Regenia Collier, president of M.Y.O.B, called Lundy “a wonderful
asset and a truly valued member. She’s very professional and
brings a great deal of knowledge and assistance to our network.”
To learn more about the small business network call Regenia Collier
at 339-3232 or log on at www.mindingyourownbusiness.org.
COPYRIGHT ® 2007 Cleveland Daily Banner, a division of Cleveland
Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by Permission.
For a .pdf format, click
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Welcome Friends Helps New Residents
By WILLIAM WRIGHT Cleveland Daily Banner Staff Writer
Published November 30, 2006 10:47 AM EDT
New residents of Bradley County not only get their
share of Southern hospitality but also get the red carpet treatment
when moving here, thanks Welcome Friends, a member of Welcome Services
International.
“I want to embrace all of Cleveland and all the businesses in
Cleveland in representing the community,” said Linda Lundy,
owner of Welcome Friends.
Lundy has networked with merchants as far away as Ringgold, Ga., to
Niota and Harrison to provide new residents with a gift bag that includes
gift certificates, coupons, maps of the area, a T-shirt, coffee cup,
scented candle, card holder, a welcome letter from City Mayor Tom
Rowland and more. McCarter’s Flowers and Gifts takes a bouquet
of flowers and a welcome note to all new residents while Cleveland
Tires gives a free oil change.
With the cooperation of the Bradley/Cleveland County Chamber of Commerce,
Realtors, churches and neighbors, Welcome Friends is given a list
of new residents whom they call and set up a visit.
The visit features a gift bag. New residents can give written permission
to share their names and addresses with local merchants who continue
to assist them in adjusting to their new environment.
Marilyn Thomas was impressed so much she joined Welcome Friends as
a greeter of 10 to 20 in-home visits per month.
“As a new person to Cleveland who left Florida, three children,
four grandchildren and 23 years worth of friends, I was very lonely
when my husband and I moved here,” Thomas said.
“Welcome Friends came and opened the door to everything good
that has happened to us so far. Those ladies took me under their wings.
It was especially important since 9/11 happened the next month and
I was very worried for my family,” Thomas said. “Without
Welcome Friends I may not have known about (the) Newcomers Club, which
is wonderful, and the new church we attend which we love.”
“ This is a ministry and a business,” said Ernie Lundy,
husband and co-owner. He mails out 200 welcome packages per month.
The Lundys enjoy helping new residents find a place of worship that
best suits them. This includes referring new residents to the Ocoee
Region Multicultural Services that assists immigrants adjusting to
life in the United States.
Married for 39 years with three grown children, the Lundys like to
think of their work as a family affair.
“My daughter Melissa maintains the Web site (www.welcomefriends-tn.com),
Jennifer does the packaging, and Ernie maintains the records and does
our photography,” said Linda, whose family was the l992 United
Way Poster family.
Thomas said, “It’s such a fun job. People don’t
mind seeing us coming because we’re not selling anything. We
provide a wonderful service and we meet so many wonderful people.”
Founded in l994, Welcome Friends’ goal is to pursue new advertisers
and contact more new residents.
“Our motto is: Helping you meet your community and meet new
friends,” said Linda.
COPYRIGHT ® 2007 Cleveland Daily Banner, a division of Cleveland
Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by Permission.
For a .pdf format, click
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Welcome Friends gives a Helpful
Greeting to Newcomers to Cleveland
By LINDSAY N. DRAKE Cleveland Daily
Banner Staff Writer
Published February 08, 2005 10:43 AM EDT
Welcome Friends, an organization
dedicated to greeting newcomers to Cleveland and introducing them
to the community, celebrated its 10th anniversary in January.
During the special ceremony at the Cleveland Newcomer’s Club
January meeting, Mayor Tom Rowland was presented with a plaque in
appreciation of his involvement in welcoming new citizens to the area.
Started by Helen Riden with help from Mille Sue Hawk, Welcome Friends
was acquired two years ago by Linda Lundy, who visits new citizens
to Cleveland in their homes. With a tote bag in hand, Lundy presents
newcomers with a scrapbook displaying virtually every aspect of life
in Cleveland, from churches to whitewater rafting.
The scrapbook is full of advertisements, coupons and information from
local merchants. They include free ice cream from Mayfield, discount
haircuts at Re-Creations Salon, free coffee at Pathway Bookstore’s
café and a free oil change from Cleveland Tire. The Bank contributes
by offering a free safe deposit box or designer checks, and Home Interiors
owner Norma Bryant has given away more than 1,000 candles to new Cleveland
residents.
“The merchants are so generous,” Lundy said. “They
support Welcome Friends financially, and in turn are helping support
the community.”
Lundy also presents newcomers with several folders containing information
about local schools, churches, volunteer opportunities and tourism.
A letter from Rowland is also included in the packet, welcoming the
new citizens to the community and offering his assistance.
According to Marilyn Thomas, who moved to Cleveland from Jacksonville,
Fla., the visit from Lundy and her subsequent membership to Cleveland’s
Newcomer’s Club helped her find her place in Cleveland.
“I found my church, my Realtor, the best friends I’ve
ever had, my dentist, my doctor,” Thomas said. “It’s
such a great avenue to get involved in the whole community.”
Many visits from Lundy result in a membership to the Newcomer’s
Club, which further connects the new residents to the community through
activities and informative programs.
“The great thing is I get to keep up with people I’ve
visited over the years,” Lundy said of the partnership between
Welcome Friends and the Cleveland Newcomer’s Club.
Putting together the numerous packets and folders is hard work, but
fortunately Lundy gets help from her husband, Ernie, who works at
Duracell, and her children - Melissa Sanderford, a Texas resident
who helps with graphic design, Jennifer Ratcliff and Lucas Lundy.
Her neighbor Lana Lovely and friend Judy Harper also lend helping
hands.
“They’ve all been such a wonderful help,” Lundy
said. “I don’t know what I would have done without them.”
Thomas expressed the same sentiments for Lundy.
“I’m living proof that this (Welcome Friends) is effective,”
said Thomas, who is a Mary Kay consultant and one of Welcome Friends’
merchants. “Linda does everything to help promote businesses
in the area. She’s a godsend.”
For more information about Welcome Friends, which is a member of the
Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, or to become a merchant, contact
Lundy at 618-7777.
The Cleveland Newcomer’s Club meets once a month at Broad Street
United Methodist Church. For more information, contact club president
Rhonda Hazlett at 339-3235.
COPYRIGHT ® 2007 Cleveland Daily Banner,
a division of Cleveland Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved.
Used by Permission.
For a .pdf format, click
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Welcome to the Neighborhood: Welcome
Friends
by B. JAY JOHNSON Editor, The Bradley
News
Published March 21, 2007
Each week we introduce you to a new
family that has moved into the Bradley County area. We call our series
of reports Welcome To The Neighborhood. Families are settling in Cleveland
and the surrounding area in record numbers and they are coming from
all corners of the country. This week, we would like you to meet two
ladies who devote their heart and soul to making newcomers to Cleveland
and Bradley County feel right at home.
Linda Lundy and Marilyn Thomas have mastered
the art of knocking on doors and ringing door bells. They are members
of the Welcome Friends organization. Lundy and Thomas keep track of
who is moving into the area and they make sure the new arrivals get
a warm welcome. Just last week they paid a visit to me at my office
on Oak Street. I have been living in Cleveland for about eight months
now. So I got to experience the Welcome Friends "welcome"
first hand. The hour I spent with them was a blast. It was helpful,
informative and even came with some economic benefits. I'll explain
that in a moment. Normally, the ladies work solo. But on this occasion,
the newcomer received a double dose of southern hospitality. After
we sat down in my office, Linda and Marilyn explained the Welcome
Friends concept and began asking me questions about my background.
They wanted to know where I had moved from, whether I had a family
and where I had grown up and gone to college. We chatted for five
or ten minutes about me personally then the two women started presenting
me with very valuable and user-friendly information. They provided
me with a Yellow Book phone book, a map of Bradley County and pamphlets
on various topics such as tourism, schools and churches. They also
gave me a scented candle, some pens, a notepad and a business card
case. And best of all, I received some really useful coupons. One
was for a free haircut. Another was for a free oil change. Coupons
for free milk and ice cream were also in the package. Linda and Marilyn's
visit also gave me the opportunity to learn more about what they do.
So the visit actually turned into an interview-a very pleasant and
enlightening interview.
Linda Lundy now owns the Welcome Friends business, which was started
back in 1991. She started working for the company seven years ago.
"It really does meet the needs of the community," says Lundy,
"We are here to reach out to those who are encountering a new
situation." Lundy recalls moving to Cleveland from South Dakota
in 1979. Her husband was in the Air Force so she was accustomed to
moving around. Her husband, Ernest, came to Bradley County to attend
Tomlinson College. Lundy says she thought they would be in Cleveland
three or four years at the most. Those three or four years have now
turned into more than a quarter of a century. Lundy remembers what
it is like to be a newcomer. There is anxiety, uncertainty and in
the beginning there is even a sense of loneliness, especially when
you have left close friends and family members where you came from.
The same holds true for Marilyn Thomas.
Thomas has been a greeter for Welcome Friends for two years. She and
her husband moved to Cleveland from Jacksonville, Florida in 2001.
"We are truly going out to meet strangers," says Thomas,
"and our goal is to give them a positive impression of where
they have moved." Thomas recalls a time when she was on the receiving
end of a Welcome Friends visit. "It made such a difference in
my life," she says, "Everything good has grown from that
first visit." The greeting Thomas received was so significant
that she was drawn into becoming a greeter herself. "I love meeting
new people," she adds. Both women acknowledge that a move to
a new place, no matter where it is, can be extremely stressful. In
fact, research has shown that moving is one of the most stressful
experiences we can face. It's right up there with losing a job or
going through a divorce. That's why Welcome Friends is such a beneficial
agency.
There's no question Linda and Marilyn really dig their gig. You can
tell they love what they do the moment you answer the door. They're
not really sales people but they are, in a sense, selling something.
That something is a positive image of Cleveland and Bradley County.
If you see them out and about give them a shout and tell them how
much you appreciate what they are doing for our community.
COPYRIGHT ® 2007 Bradley News. All rights reserved.
Used by Permission.
For a .pdf format, click
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