SYLACAUGA, Ala. – A great crowd gathered in the halls of Sylacauga High School Monday afternoon as the second CVMC Chair was presented by the Sylacauga City Schools Foundation. But this one was different, this one was special.
Outgoing Foundation President John Parish recognized the local hospital, giving a bit of a hint at what made this one special, “CVMC easily surpassed the standard $25,000 threshold with their generosity from Day One. That relationship strengthened over the years with the ties we share.”
Hospital CEO Glenn Sisk took it a bit farther in his comments, “When we wanted to find a way to reach our community outside of family health needs, Vanessa Green built a team that not only made our hospital less of a scary place, and more of a place the community truly wants to visit. We’re in the South, and there’s no better way than…” Sisk paused and allowed the crowd to fill in the blank.
“Food,” came from nearly everyone there. But, it’s really good food, food that makes you come to the hospital when all is well, to even bring the hospital to your special moments and events as caterers. That’s the Hickory Street Cafe.
In the absence of Foundation Executive Director Carol Sprayberry, who was a bit under the weather, Incoming President Laura Strickland made the Chair and Plaque presentation, “This is recognition of the many, many in-kind gifts of hospitality from the hospital’s Hickory Street Cafe. They even catered their own party today, wouldn’t let us help.”
“Hickory Street Cafe and CVMC are deeply committed to the community, a commitment we’ve demonstrated consistently over the years. We truly care about supporting local students’ education,” said Chief Business Development Officer Vanessa Green. Green and her team have been instrumental in the success of Hickory Street Cafe, making it a daily dining destination in the city of Sylacauga. “It was an honor to receive a foundation chair from the Sylacauga City Schools Foundation today. They are an exceptional organization, and we are proud to partner with them.”
Strickland went on to praise other partnership ties between CVMC and our local schools, “One that keeps on giving is something we call, ‘HOT,’ the Health Occupation Team program that creates student opportunities in the health care field. It’s vital for our students and their futures, it’s vital for the future of Coosa Valley Medical Center.”
Acknowledging the partnership with CVMC and honoring the role played by the Hickory Street Cafe, the presentation from the Sylacauga City Schools Foundation met the standard set by the Foundation mission, to enrich the quality of education of students by providing support for classroom teachers and programs.
