Area residents wishing to support Northwest Tennessee Disaster Services may now have another avenue to make their annual donation — a specialty license plate.
Officials with NTDS have announced they are seeking residents who will pre-order the specialty plate. They need at least 500 pre-orders before Tennessee will manufacture the plate.
“NTDS was created in the great state of Tennessee. Tennesseans are proud of our organization and what it stands for. People care about each other and reach out to help when devastation occurs in our neighborhoods. That is why we are called the ‘Volunteer State’,” NTDS CEO Rob Adcock said. “NTDS and state officials have listened to your requests and are happy to announce that we are now offering the chance to pre-order your NTDS Tennessee specialty plate.”
The cost is $35, with 90 percent of the sale going directly to statewide emergency response and preparedness education. The remainder goes to the State of Tennessee to cover the cost of manufacturing the plate.
Before any new specialty plate goes into production, a set number of plates must be pre-sold within one year. “In our case, that number is 500. Thanks to your support, we are well on our way to reaching that goal. Once all 500 plates are pre-sold, production will begin and the Tennessee Department of Revenue will notify you about retrieving your plates,” Adcock said, adding license plate pre-orders do not have to coincide with residents’ regular registration renewal.
He said when the plates are ready, they can be picked up at the purchaser’s county clerk’s office. The annual renewal fee will be pro-rated for those who wish to pick them up immediately or the county clerk will hold the plate until it’s time for the person’s annual registration renewal.
The specialty plates can also be personalized, but only after they have gone into production, he said. The personalized plate can be applied for at the county clerk’s office.
In order to establish a new specialty license plate, NTDS is only required to collect a list that includes addresses and counties of residence for each purchaser. That information may be called in to Northwest Tennessee Disaster Services at 592-3947 or emailed to plates@togetherforall.org.
Adcock said NTDS was created as an all volunteer, 501(c)(3) classified, independent entity with retired FEMA personnel, retired and active U.S. armed forces officers, first responders, teachers, doctors, nurses, paramedics, homemakers, business professionals and students.
“NTDS was formed against insurmountable odds to serve the great State of Tennessee with support from federal, state and local agencies, as well as first responders and emergency service members.”
The organization provides house fire assistance, mass care, mobile feeding, disaster preparedness training, first aid and CPR training, counseling and emergency services for U.S. armed forces families. NTDS responds to the communities it serves during times of local disaster and deploys its first responders in support of federal emergency declarations in limited areas of the United States of America.
“NTDS receives 100 percent support from the communities that it serves. Government funding, corporate funding and individual funding comprise the lifeblood of its mission,” Adcock added.
For more information, visit www.togetherforall.org.

Published in The Messenger 2.7.13