Georgia girl Tracie Griffith said, “My heart goes to children and military,” and her love of kids and soldiers, and people in general, is evident in the amount of volunteer work, donations, sponsorships, events and fundraisers she has coordinated or assisted with over the last two to three decades.
Perhaps the two biggest military related causes she’s been involved with are a special event for five victims of a terrorist attack and the annual Toys for Tots toy drive.
One reason she’s such a strong supporter of the military is because her son, Dillon Surman, is a Corporal in the United State Marine Corp. Surman was close friends with four of the five soldiers who died during a terrorist attack in Chattanooga, July 16, 2015.
On that fateful day, lone gunman Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez, 24, drove by a military recruiting office, shooting a barrage of bullets into the building. As law enforcement descended upon the area, the shooter continued on to crash through the gates guarding the Navy Operational Support Center. There, he jumped out the of the vehicle and proceeded to shoot everyone he could. The gunman killed Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Tommy Sullivan, Lance Corporal Squire “Skip” Wells, Sergeant Carson Holmquist and Staff Sergeant David Wyatt. A wounded Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith died later from his injuries in the hospital.
Griffith said it hit close to home in more ways than one. Not only had something so tragic happened in Chattanooga, but her son’s close friends were killed. She rallied the community and many businesses and individuals stepped up to provide a free vacation for the family members of the five fallen, and she also coordinated a 5K run as a fundraiser for the families. $10,000 was raised and divided among the survivors, and bricks at Fannin County Middle School were engraved with the names of the five fallen.
As far as Toys for Tots goes, she and others launched a competition between the real estate offices in town every Christmas to see who can gather the most toys. She, along with the band Breaking Point, play at Grumpy Old Men Brewing on Black Friday to raise funds for the campaign as well.
Griffith has also coordinated numerous 5K run fundraisers for the Wounded Warrior Project and for the Semper Fi Fund.
In her early years, Griffith attended high school in Conyers and spent time in her twenties in Snellville before living in Atlanta for a number of years. She was a singer in a band called Southern Impact who played throughout Atlanta. The group would donate their time and talent to play in nursing homes and to support various events.
When her young son, Dusty, was admitted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (then called Egleston Children’s Hospital) she began volunteering during the Christmas season by delivering gifts and books with Santa. Griffith eventually lost her son.
She met her husband, Mark, at church in Atlanta, and the pair moved to his hometown of Blue Ridge when they married. Mark Griffith is a Fannin County volunteer fireman on the Search and Rescue team. “He absolutely loves it,” she said. Along with Dusty and Dillon, she has two more children. Newlywed Evie Ralston is a Registered Nurse at Piedmont Hospital in Jasper, and 15-year-old Will Griffith attends Fannin County High School.
Now, firmly planted in the community after living here 20 years, even from the beginning, Griffith was involved in community and national causes.
Active in the Relay for Life scene, she became a chairperson for the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraiser. She helped with the fight against cancer for about eight years. Griffith’s mother, Pat Allen, passed away about five years ago from cancer. She said her mom had a hard time with the disease but that “she was strong and would buck up and keep going.” She said people can grow weary from well doing but when she thought of the treatments and symptoms cancer patients had to endure, any thoughts of being tired went away. “It paled in comparison,” she said.
She, and therefore her business, First Community Mortgage, organized classic car shows as fundraisers for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for about three years, raising $5,400 and hand delivering a check to the Memphis office. She also sponsored the recent Fannin County Dancing with the Stars and regularly donates to Blue Ridge Elementary and the high school.
For fun, Griffith absolutely loves Disney World in Orlando, Florida. She said she loves going to a place that is happy all the time.