Being involved in our community is important to us. Check out all our upcoming events below!
Morris-Baker Sponsors Johnson City American Little League Team: the Wildfire
May 1, 2023 12:00 PM to May 29, 2023 12:00 PMFor the third year in a row, Morris-Baker is a proud sponsor of a Johnson City American Little League team: the Morris-Baker Wildfire.
Johnson City American Little League has been around since the mid-1950's. It’s one of the oldest area Little League-sanctioned youth baseball leagues. It offers several divisions: Wee-Ball (for kids 3-4), Tee-ball (4-6), Coach Pitch (6-8), and Kid Pitch (9-12).
The Wildfire is one of the Kid Pitch (Major Division) teams.
We hope they have a successful season! Go, Wildfire!
Grief Support Group
May 2, 2023 05:00 PM to May 2, 2023 06:00 PMIf you or someone you know needs grief support, please attend one of our support groups.
We meet at 5:00 pm on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month at Everlan Johnson City, 2623 Peoples St, Johnson City, TN 37604. These are free and open to any community member.
DIRECTIONS: Guest parking is marked with signage in Everlan's parking lot. As you enter the building, turn left and take the elevator to the 2nd floor. Turn right out of the elevator and the session is in the first room on your right.
Chelsa Ervin, Grief Counselor, facilitates. No registration is required.
Morris-Baker and Emmanuel Hold Seminar to Support Clergy Leading Funerals
May 9, 2023 08:00 AM to May 9, 2023 04:00 PMCurrent times and societal shifts are creating more "unconventional" funerals, so Morris-Baker, in partnership with Emmanuel Christian Seminary, held a seminar to help ministers and chaplains be better prepared when called to both lead these services and to navigate the family dynamics that often accompany them.
Glenda Stansbury—a licensed funeral director and co-creator of Certified Funeral Celebrant Training—led the seminar. Glenda has officiated over 4,000 funerals and helped train thousands of funeral celebrants to be more prepared for these unique and difficult situations.
Thank you to Glenda, Emmanuel, and all who attended (pictured here).
Healing Hearts Fellowship Lunch
May 9, 2023 11:30 AM to May 9, 2023 01:00 PMHealing Hearts gatherings are an opportunity for members of our community to find strength in each other and support others who have lost a spouse. We gather on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
Call Brenda at (423) 262-5241 or email brenda@morrisbaker.com to register.
Grief Support Group
May 16, 2023 05:00 PM to May 16, 2023 06:00 PMIf you or someone you know needs grief support, please attend one of our support groups.
We meet at 5:00 pm on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month at Everlan Johnson City, 2623 Peoples St, Johnson City, TN 37604. These are free and open to any community member.
DIRECTIONS: Guest parking is marked with signage in Everlan's parking lot. As you enter the building, turn left and take the elevator to the 2nd floor. Turn right out of the elevator and the session is in the first room on your right.
Chelsa Ervin, Grief Counselor, LCSW, facilitates. No registration is required.
Morris-Baker and The Firehouse Hold Annual Public Safety Appreciation Lunch (2023)
Apr 24, 2023 11:00 AM to Apr 24, 2023 01:00 PMTo thank emergency workers for their service to the community, Morris-Baker Funeral Home & Cremation Services and The Firehouse Restaurant hosted their annual Public Safety Appreciation BBQ Lunch for employees of the Johnson City Fire and Police and Departments, Washington County EMS, Sherriff’s Office, 911 Dispatch, and ETSU Public Safety.
The BBQ was prepared and served by The Firehouse, and The Firehouse and Morris-Baker team members served any and all emergency workers who showed up to get some lunch.
We’re proud to be a part of a community whose emergency workers provide such excellent support and service to Johnson City. Thanks again to all of you for your hard work and dedication. And thank you to The Firehouse for partnering with us again on this annual event!
Morris-Baker Makes Donation to the Niswonger Children's Hospital's Hope Rising Campaign
Jan 15, 2023 12:00 PM to Jan 16, 2023 12:00 PMMorris-Baker Is Proud to Sponsor Wreaths Across America Day
Dec 17, 2022 12:01 PM to Dec 17, 2022 11:59 PMMorris-Baker is proud to be a sponsor for Wreaths Across America Day on December 17, 2022. The goal of the Wreaths Across America program is this: “Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, our mission to Remember, Honor and Teach is carried out by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at more than 1,400 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad.”
For the last several years, Morris-Baker has been a sponsor of this program as a way of honoring veterans and the legacy of Carson Baker, who served in World War II.
If you would like to learn more about Wreaths Across America at Mountain Home National Cemetery, please click here.
Morris-Baker Receives National Recognition
Sep 23, 2022 10:00 AM to Sep 23, 2022 11:00 AMThe American Legion honored Morris-Baker Funeral Home & Cremation Services as the Employer of Older Veterans (small business category) for the Year 2022, during the August National Convention held in Wisconsin.
Morris-Baker was nominated by the King’s Mountain Post 24, Johnson City, earlier in the year for employing senior Veterans and for its exceptional performance and service to the Veterans of Washington County & Johnson City. The Department (state) of Tennessee, American Legion, selected Morris-Baker as its nominee for the award and forwarded the nomination to the National HQ selection committee.
Accepting the national award is Preston McKee, Owner & Funeral Director, Morris-Baker Funeral Home, presented by Post Commander Scott Scharper and Robert Hensley, National Executive Committee member.
(Photo left to right: Allen Jackson, Preston McKee, Robert Hensley, Fred Rountree and Ed Depolo)
Morris-Baker Sponsors Grief Camp for Kids and Teens
Sep 24, 2022 09:00 AM to Sep 24, 2022 04:00 PMMorris-Baker is proud to be a sponsor for Camp Firefly, a free, one-day camp designed for children and teenagers who have experienced the death of a loved one. This is a program of Ballad Health Hospice.
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 24 • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: Warriors’ Path State Park, Kingsport, Tenn.
WHAT HAPPENS AT CAMP FIREFLY?
The camp provides a safe, fun and caring atmosphere for campers and their families to explore their feelings by:
- Developing an age-appropriate understanding of death
- Forming relationships with peers who have experienced similar losses
- Improving self-esteem
- Reducing feelings of isolation
- Strengthening coping skills
Trained volunteers serve as camp buddies and accompany participants through activities led by professional social workers, counselors and nurses. Volunteers are always needed, and Ballad Health team members who volunteer can earn CAPs and BEST credits.
Learn more here.
Riding the Coronacoaster When Grief & Stress Aren't Cancelled
May 13, 2022 09:00 AM to May 13, 2022 04:00 PMIn this seminar, Michelle A Post, MA, LMFT, with the aid of the research of J. William Worden, Ph.D., personal and professional experiences, led beginner and seasoned caregiving professionals to develop a clear understanding of normal grief and anxiety responses during pandemic times and identify "red flag" reactions that require a higher level of care. In addition, participants will leave with sharpened skills, tools, and interventions to care for the grieving and stressed hearts of clients during this pandemic time.
Morris-Baker and The Firehouse Hold Annual Public Safety Appreciation Lunch 2022
May 23, 2022 11:00 AM to May 23, 2022 01:00 PMTo thank emergency workers for their service to the community, Morris-Baker Funeral Home & Cremation Services and The Firehouse Restaurant hosted their annual Public Safety Appreciation BBQ Lunch for employees of the Johnson City Fire and Police and Departments, Washington County EMS, Sherriff’s Office, 911 Dispatch, and ETSU Public Safety.
The BBQ was prepared and served by The Firehouse, and The Firehouse and Morris-Baker team members served any and all emergency workers who showed up to get some lunch.
We’re proud to be a part of a community whose emergency workers provide such excellent support and service to Johnson City. Thanks again to all of you for your hard work and dedication. And thank you to The Firehouse for partnering with us again on this annual event!
PHOTO 1: People standing, left to right: Tom Seaton and Justin Seaton, owners, The Firehouse Restaurant & Catering; David Bell, Fire Chief, Johnson City Fire Department; and Preston McKee, owner, Morris-Baker Funeral Home & Cremation Services.
PHOTO 2: Left to right: Karl Turner, Chief of Police, Johnson City Police Department; Preston McKee, owner, Morris-Baker Funeral Home & Cremation Services; Tom Seaton, owner, The Firehouse Restaurant & Catering.
Morris-Baker Sponsors American Little League Team: Morris-Baker Wildfire
Apr 1, 2022 07:00 PM to Apr 1, 2022 07:00 PMFor a second year in a row, Morris-Baker is a proud sponsor of an American Little League team: Morris-Baker Wildfire.
“Baseball is like a microcosm of life,” says Matt Bolton, Board President for the Johnson City American Little League. “Setbacks happen, but right around the corner there is always an opportunity to bounce back.”
Johnson City American Little League has been around since the mid-1950's. It’s one of the oldest area Little League-sanctioned youth baseball leagues. It offers several divisions: Wee-Ball (for kids 3-4), Tee-ball (4-6), Coach Pitch (6-8), and Kid Pitch (9-12).
The Wildfire is one of the Kid Pitch (Major Division) teams.
“It’s a wonderful sport for young people to learn important life lessons,” adds Bolton.
(Pictured here is the Morris-Baker Wildifre at the Johnson City American Little League's opening ceremonies on April 1, 2022 for Tee-Ball, Coach Pitch, Minor, and Major League divisions at the TVA Credit Union Ballpark.)
Morris-Baker Makes Donation to Niswonger Children's Hospital
Nov 18, 2021 10:00 AM to Nov 18, 2021 11:00 AMPreston McKee, Morris-Baker president, presented a check for $525 along with $250 in gas cards to the Child Life Department of Niswonger Children's Hospital.
The $525 funds were raised from Morris-Baker’s Stress Management Seminar with Dr. Amit Sood. Both seminar participants and Morris-Baker gave to these funds.
The gas cards were from Morris-Baker. After hearing a presentation by a Niswonger child life specialist, Preston learned that families often rush to the children's hospital without gas money to get home. These cards are to help those families in their time of need.
Preston and Kibbi, the Morris-Baker therapy dog, have volunteered at Niswonger for eleven years (since Kibbi was one year old), and Morris-Baker wants to continue to support the hospital in whatever ways we can.
Morris-Baker Owner Honored with 2021 Public Citizen of the Year Award
Apr 6, 2021 11:00 AM to Apr 6, 2021 12:00 PMPreston McKee was awarded the 2021 Public Citizen of the Year Award by the National Association of Social Workers, Tennessee Chapter.
The Public Citizen of the Year award recognizes an outstanding member of the community, who is not a social worker, but whose accomplishments exemplify the values and mission of the social work profession.
Preston McKee is the president and owner of Morris-Baker Funeral Home and Cremation Services. His nomination letter states that “Preston exudes the social work values of service, dignity and worth of a person and the importance of human relationships. During his time with the family business, Preston has gone above and beyond to ensure that his clientele and the community have access to grief support.”
He was also nominated because of: his efforts to support grief education for social workers and other professionals in the region; his decades of community service—from Rotary International to United Way; and his financial support of important community projects such as the Tweetsie Trail and Langston Centre.
McKee accepted the award on March 31 during the NASW’s virtual Social Work Day on the Hill. During his acceptance, McKee said, “Virtually none of the accomplishments mentioned in the nomination would have been possible without the assistance of professionals in the community who have allowed me to work alongside them.”
He thanked individual community members, professionals in the social work field, his Morris-Baker staff, his wife, and his parents “for setting the example of community service from the time I can remember.”
Morris-Baker Funeral Home Donates $10,000 to Langston Renovation Fund
Nov 15, 2020 10:00 AM to Nov 15, 2020 11:00 AMA group working to renovate Johnson City’s oldest African-American school into a multicultural education center is $10,000 closer to its goal. The Langston Education and Arts Development organization received that boost to its fundraising efforts Thursday at City Hall when Morris-Baker Funeral Home President Preston McKee handed over a check to the group as a way to give back to the community.
The funds came from the Morris-Baker Community Fund.
“As a company, we always look for ways to reinvest in our community, and the Langston project stood out, especially given my grandfather’s relationship with Mr. Birchette. We look forward to watching Langston take shape and continue to provide a positive role in Johnson City,” McKee said.
To read the rest of this article from The Johnson City Press, click here.
Morris-Baker and The Firehouse Hold Annual Public Safety Appreciation Lunch
To thank emergency workers for their service to the community, Morris-Baker Funeral Home & Cremation Services and The Firehouse Restaurant hosted their annual Public Safety Appreciation BBQ Lunch today for employees of the Johnson City Police and Fire Departments, Washington County EMS, Sherriff’s Office, 911 Dispatch, and ETSU Public Safety.
The BBQ was prepared and served by The Firehouse, and The Firehouse and Morris-Baker team members served any and all emergency workers who showed up to get some lunch.
We’re proud to be a part of a community whose emergency workers provide such excellent support and service to Johnson City. Thank again to all of you for your hard work and dedication. And thank you to The Firehouse for partnering with us again on this annual event!
Photo, left to right: Preston McKee, owner, Morris-Baker Funeral Home & Cremation Services; Karl Turner, Chief of Police, Johnson City Police Department;Tom Seaton, owner, The Firehouse Restaurant & Catering.