Network Systems Tennessee

Rising senior shares volunteering passion with others

According to Volunteering in America, Tennessee ranks in the lower half of every major volunteering category including volunteering rates, hours per resident and college student volunteer rate.

Former Miss Tennessee contestant and upcoming senior in speech pathology, Ashton Doane, would like to see that change. Doane would like to see the Tennessee return to the top and is using her position to try to make that happen.

"I started volunteering when I moved here in eighth grade and the first organization I became involved in was Y-Teens," said Doane. "And I just love going to different events and helping out other people. Just the positive results that I see from other people just make me want to continue volunteering."

Pageants have given Doane another opportunity in which to volunteer and promote it to others. Having competed since the seventh grade in various pageant systems, Doane has found one system to be very intriguing due to an added feature.

"The Miss America Organization requires a platform for contestants to compete. I didn't really choose volunteering just to choose a platform, I chose volunteering because it is special to me," said Doane.

Doane has used her position to share her passion with organizations such as the Lion's Club , Girl Scouts of the USA and Teen Board of Knoxville. Using these opportunities, she stresses that volunteering is something that is for everyone, and can be incorporated into everyday life not just occasional events.

"The Miss America Organization's national platform is Children's Miracle Network and so I try to incorporate a lot of things that deal not only with Children's Miracle Network but with children in general with my platform of volunteering."

Doane takes every opportunity she is given in order to visit various elementary school classrooms around the area, where she reads a book about the importance of volunteering, as well as volunteering at educational and entertainment events at area businesses such as the Knoxville Zoo .

"I've also done things like start a father daughter dance for Children's Miracle Network which is what our Children's Hospital is affiliated with. It's just a great way to raise money as well as promote the hospital and awareness of CMN and the good things that they do," said Doane.

The area businesses really appreciate the extra help they receive through volunteers like Doane. Non-profit businesses, which operate with smaller staffs, rely heavily upon this assistance to get through the year.

State Auditors Find More Than $1.2 Million in Misdeeds at ...

Community Health Network, Inc., a nonprofit with a stated mission of providing medical technology to rural communities, lost or misspent at least $1,266,395 over a three-year period, including more than $700,000 from state grant funds.

The missing funds include more than $90,000 in unauthorized salary and benefits paid to Keith Williams, the organization's former chief executive officer, and Paul Monroe, the organization's former assistant director.

Auditors also discovered that Williams and Monroe falsified grant invoices and grant reports and misused proceeds from a state grant to purchase unauthorized software at a cost of $597,458.

Community Health Network has managed a network of computer and video equipment that allowed doctors and nurses in remote health care facilities to transmit scans, images and test results to medical specialists in major medical centers hundreds of miles away. In 2009, Community Health Network had 17 member hospitals, clinics and other health care organizations that provided assistance to more than 100 clinics.

The Comptroller's Division of Municipal Audit conducted an investigative audit of Community Health Network's operations covering the 2007-2009 calendar years, with technical assistance from the Comptroller's Division of State Audit's Information Systems Audit Section.

Community Health Network overbilled the state for another software purchase at a cost of $131,163. And Community Health Network was unable to account for $446,712 worth of grant funds provided by the Tennessee Health Foundation.

In addition to those wasted or misspent funds, Community Health Network spent $1.47 million on a computer system that was never utilized and failed to properly process at least $749,000 worth of grant applications requested by health care providers.

While working for Community Health Network, Williams also received compensation from a vendor that provided software to the organization. After his resignation from Community Health Network, Williams went to work for the vendor as a paid consultant.

The review also uncovered other accounting and internal control issues, including failure to keep accurate records and failure to budget for recurring expenses such as software maintenance and telecommunication line fees.

"It is very unfortunate that public money intended to assist in providing health care to people in remote rural areas was wasted and abused in this fashion," Comptroller Justin P. Wilson said. "The findings of our review are being forwarded to the State Attorney General's office and the District Attorney General's office.

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