Randy Quick, Chair of the Rome Corps Community Center’s Advisory Board, is a lifelong resident of Rome and has an iconic voice that is recognized by everyone in the community. He has been in the broadcast industry for 37 years and is the general manager for Rome Radio Partners. He launched his career in journalism because he loved interacting with the public and has always been interested in journalism. Randy has been on the advisory board for four years, but was introduced to The Salvation Army several years ago by a friend who was covering The Salvation Army Rome Corps’ Can-A-Thon.
Over the years, his own coverage of the Can-A-Thon brought him in contact with several corps officers with whom he developed great relationships. One of the former chairmen of the Rome advisory board invited him to join the Can-A-Thon program and he was intrigued by knowing more about the work of The Salvation Army. So he answered the call. Each year, he rolls up his sleeves and helps the Rome Corps collect over 200,000 cans of food from the community which was part of the overall picture of 666,225 meals served to men, women and children in Georgia in the past year.
As advisory board chairman, one of his goals is better educating the community about what The Salvation Army does 364 days a year beyond Christmas. He remains impressed with Captain Tim’s one-on-one and out of the box interaction with individuals as he walks the streets of Rome. And he thinks more people should know about the extensiveness of The Salvation Army’s ministries. He tells a compelling story of a F4 tornado that ripped through a couple of Rome subdivisions that left many homes demolished with just the foundations remaining. Near the impacted neighborhoods was Pepper Middle School that was completely unscathed. As families searched through the rubble, the first sign of hope and help came when they saw The Salvation Army feeding canteen onsite and serving meals. Some were curious enough to ask where the canteen’s food had come from. The answer: the annual Can-A-Thon. From that point, the Can-A-Thon was adopted by Rome’s school students who realized how blessed they were that fateful Palm Sunday when their schools withstood the storm and no one last their lives.
Randy has come to appreciate that over the years, Rome is not just a collection of individuals who are making a difference, it is truly a community that serves to Be A Shield against life’s daily struggles and unexpected tragedy. His dream is to recruit citizen “Shields” through The Salvation Army.
