“WE CAN all do more than nothing,” said Dr. Monica Blake-Beasley. As the keynote speaker for the Women Impacting the Community event held on May 9, she recalled how she learned to “fail forward.”
In 2016, during the 15 years she served as a police officer for Nashville, Blake-Beasley’s life changed forever after a violent attack. Then, the father of her three children died from cancer in 2020, and her own father, Sgt. Thomas Blake, died four months later.
Feeling buried beneath the heavy weight of grief, a close friend told her, “You haven’t been buried. You’ve been planted.” Those words, along with her mother Joyce’s, “If you can look up, you can get up,” empowered her to emerge from victim to victor and challenged her to find healing among these tragedies. “Seeds aren’t in fear of either light or darkness because they need both to grow,” Blake-Beasley said. “When life threw blows, it also extended a helping hand to help me back up.”
Blake-Beasley is now a dedicated criminal justice educator for Tullahoma City Schools. She recently married Michael Beasley and continues to be a deeply devoted mother, daughter, niece, and friend. Her nonprofit, Sisterhood of Survival Inc., equips other female survivors with the tools needed to “bloom in power” by restoring their voices through her proposed No Voiceless Survivor Act. Recently earning a doctorate from Trevecca University, Blake-Beasley also holds degrees in special education and political science from Lipscomb University. Her mother, Joyce Blake, radiated with pride, saying, “She’s an incredible daughter who returned to Tullahoma to care for her GiGi and me after her father died and doctors diagnosed me with multiple sclerosis.”
Blake-Beasley ended her encouraging charge to the audience by reminding everyone to “go forth and bloom — but don’t just bloom — bloom in power.”
The chamber’s executive director, Hope Nunley, said, “This annual event highlights women in Tullahoma that are making an impact in four categories: business, community service, education, and lifetime achievement. This is our opportunity to tell the women in the community: We see you, we recognize you, and we thank you for all you’ve done. This annual event wouldn’t be possible without the dedication and hard work of Tisha Fritz, our assistant executive director, and Lily Smith, our marketing and communications coordinator.”
SmartBank sponsored this event, and with over 225 tickets purchased, attendees exceeded prior years by almost 100. Businesses sponsored individual tables, each overflowing with delightful spring bouquets that were eventually raffled off to lucky winners. Local woman-owned businesses, The Sundrop Shoppe and The Atlantic hosted and catered the event. Woodard’s Diamonds & Design sponsored the awards, and Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital sponsored tickets for the 12 finalists.
The chamber received 42 nominations for outstanding women, including a few duplicates, before narrowing the finalists down to three in each category. The recipients of the awards were:
Business – Kelly Lapczynski
Community Service – Emily Raths
Education – Charle Coffey
Lifetime Achievement – Beverly Lee
To nominate an impactful woman in your life, go to www.tullahoma.org GN
