The Gift of Service

Service is one of the most impactful and rewarding endeavors. My mother taught me about serving others at a very young age, and I have experienced a profound fulfillment in the act of giving. When I am experiencing a low, I find serving others brings not only perspective but lifts my spirits. It inspires me how many people in Tallahassee feel the same way. I have never known so many people collectively in one area wanting to help others and make a better future for us all. 

Our sister publication, 850 Business Magazine, recognizes the impacts and accomplishments of women leaders and influencers across Northwest Florida. These visionaries contribute to their communities as entrepreneurs, educators, volunteers, and difference-makers throughout the regional, state, and national levels. Honorees are passionate about making a difference in the lives of others and are motivated to elevate the members of the communities they serve.

This marks our 11th year in recognizing these trailblazing women, and I am honored to have built long-lasting relationships with most of them. Dozens of women have been recognized through the Pinnacle Awards program, and the cloth they are all cut from is apparent—the servant’s heart cloth.

Of the 12 women acknowledged this year, the 2025 class has six women from our Tallahassee community: Dr. Alma Littles, Dean of the Florida State University (FSU) College of Medicine; Berneice Cox, President and CEO of the United Way of the Big Bend; Carol B. Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association; Carrie Zimmerman, USA Olympian and Co-Founder and Former CEO of The Zimmerman Agency; Tracey Cohen, President and CEO of Target Print & Mail; and this year’s Turnbull Award Recipient, Summer Griffith, the Founder of Drip Drop Fitness.

I encourage you to read more about them by visiting 850businessmagazine.com/category/2024-pinnacle-awards.

Just like all the women making waves in our region, Dr. Alma Littles has been making impacts with her passion for advocating for quality health care in rural and underserved populations by empowering young people who want to pursue the medical profession. Her leadership in enhancing relationships and opportunities for the FSU College of Medicine is a significant milestone for the university and increases the community’s access to advanced health care. 

Florida State and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) are partnering to address the region’s most pressing health needs by launching a new health care ecosystem across the region. Two new FSU Health facilities are underway. The first is a state-of-the-art research and medical facility being built at TMH in Tallahassee performing “bench to bedside” research for clinical use. In Panama City, FSU and TMH are partnering with The St. Joe Company to build a new FSU Health medical campus, with the first ribbon cutting completed in December. I attended and saw firsthand the impressive campus that is now open.

I am proud of the foresight our community has and the progress made through collaboration and communication. When we share ideas, opportunities and solutions to our biggest issues can not only be found but can provide future enhancement to our quality of life. Seeing more and more of these multifaceted partnerships and collaborations gives me hope.

Thank you to all of our Pinnacle award recipients for the unseen and untold progress you are making every day. 

Knowing these visionary women inspires me to do more, and I encourage you to find ways to let your curiosity and passion lead you to join forces with others and serve those around you. You don’t have to receive a prestigious award to make a difference in the world. I have found that most of our award recipients are hesitant to have public acknowledgment of their acts because each of them does what they feel needs to be done—the act alone is the reward. It can be as simple as serving the senior citizen who needs their grass mowed to providing a meal for a neighbor in need. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Everyone can be great because everyone can serve.”

Much love,