Smoky Mountain in the Community
A great coach and East Tennessean, Pat Summitt, once said, "No one cares what you know until they know you care."
Since its inception, Smoky Mountain Process & Legal Services has believed in those words.
To that end, we have made it our mission to provide services for our clients and the betterment of our community.
Smoky Mountain Process & Legal Services ardently supports The Knoxville Family Justice Center, Sevier Animal Care Center, and other regional charities.
As a long-standing supporter of East Tennessee's Foster Children, Smoky Mountain has sponsored Operation Christmas Cheer since 2018. This project allows our team to share the joy of Christmas with children in foster care. Each year we team up with a foster care program to sponsor children in surrounding Tennessee counties. Our team begins preparing for OCC in October. We reach out to local businesses in our supporting counties to donate financially or become drop-off locations for toys, clothes, school supplies, and other donations. In early December, we collect donations from these drop-off locations. Our partners provide us with wishlists from the children and, after collecting financial donations, we shop for specific gifts. By mid-December, we drop off the donations and purchased wishlist items to be sorted and prepped for pickup. Our participation in this program has also given us the opportunity to see some of the children receive their gifts. We were offered an especially magical experience in 2023 when we were able to play Santa and Mrs. Claus. To date, Smoky Mountain Process has sponsored this operation in Knox, Sevier, Blount, Anderson, Campbell, Jefferson, Loudon, Grainger, and Cocke counties and we have helped to provide Christmas gifts and festivities for over 500 children.
Smoky Mountain Safe Child Kits
In 2023, Smoky Mountain Safe Child Kits were developed to provide our region's parents with vital safety information if their child is ever abducted or goes missing. 230 families have participated in our events across Knox and Blount Counties.
For parents and guardians interested in making their own kit at home, a list of recommended items is provided below:
- A Recent Photo–we suggest updating this annually
- A DNA Sample, e.g. a cheek swab or lock of hair
- One Set of Fingerprints (taken after the child is 6 months of age)
- An Information Sheet: include a physical description, medical information, and any other details about the child that would be helpful to know
It is important to keep this kit in a safe and dry location.
Contact us for a free kit.
Family Justice Center Trunk or Treat
We were invited to participate in this event by the Knoxville Family Justice Center, whose mission is to end family violence. Each year, we provide candy or small toys for the trick-or-treaters to enjoy, including options for children with allergies. Our October 2023 theme was “Under the Sea”; many children were thrilled by our underwater-themed balloons, streamers, and toys.