When Melody Brown moved to Lake Tansi from Arizona in 2021, she knew she wanted to get involved in her new community; she just wasn’t sure where to put her energies.
“I had belonged to a service group in Arizona and California, and I needed that in my life,” she said. But she didn’t want to jump into the first opportunity she saw.
She reached out to active Exchange Club member Judi Hartman to learn about the organization. “Service clubs are in my blood,” Brown said, “but I needed to get to know the community – and Exchange – first.”
She learned all she could about the club’s four core service areas. “We are Americanism, community, youth and the prevention of child abuse,” she said. “Exchange Club is a group of people exchanging ideas to make the community better.”
And that’s precisely what she was looking for.
Learning she could help her community in ways not available to her as a young mother sealed the deal. Melody joined the Exchange Club in April 2022. “A pack of diapers will help, but a club of 30 people donating diapers? That’s making a difference,” she said, enthusiasm evident in her eyes.
Melody stated three primary goals as president for 2025-26: growth, retention and fostering youth involvement – which includes mentoring the Excel Club (the youth version of the Exchange Club) in Cumberland County High School and establishing a Student of the Month program, which will expand opportunities for local students.
“In order for Crossville students to earn scholarships at the district and national levels, we have to have a Student of the Month program established,” she explained.
Brown has contacted the guidance counselors at all three high schools, and attended Cumberland County High School’s Blue Bash to introduce the Exchange Club to students there. She said it’s crucial to recruit younger members and to get them involved once they’ve joined, getting them to understand what Exchange is about.
“It’s not a service club,” she emphasized. “It’s a group of men and women wanting to make our community better.”
She strives to heighten the club’s visibility in the community, to show people what the club does and how it positively affects lives in ways they might not know about. To that end, she’s been approved to participate in this year’s Lunch on the Lawn event at the Community Complex.
At a recent Fridays at the Crossroads event, Brown said, “All the folks at the 501c3 booths knew who we are, knew who I was – and knew what we do,” adding that several of them had spoken at club meetings in the past year. She’d love for the community at large to enjoy that degree of familiarity with Exchange. “I want us to grow our club so we can do more, get the high-school students involved – and have fun!”
She also wants people to realize the Exchange Club is a club for all of Crossville. Brown said she’d love for folks in Crossville to learn about the organization and love it enough to get engaged.
“Come to a meeting and have some fun,” she invited. “Find out what we’re doing for our community.”
The Exchange Club meets from 8-9 a.m. at the Hiawatha community center on the first and third Fridays of each month.
When asked if she had aspirations of advancing within the district, regional or national level, Brown shook her head.
“I don’t see me moving past the local level. Not at this time,” she said. “Family life is first, and right now there’s not a place for me in the political realm as long as my grandchildren are still young.”
Being part of the Exchange Club boosts her energy and enthusiasm. “A person who volunteers lives longer,” she said. “You’re not sitting home, doing nothing. The Exchange Club gets out there to the community and makes things happen.”
In high school, Brown played varsity softball and enjoyed bowling. Nowadays, her interests are less physically taxing. She prefers road trips with her husband, Tim, to visit and learn about small towns, and antique shopping.
“And Exchange Club,” she said. “I see a need, I’m the first one to volunteer. My husband has to tell me to slow down.”
Melody also runs her own startup business, YarnGifter, which feeds her love of crocheting. She makes crochet-top towels, which she sells at the weekly Lake Tansi Farmers and Makers Market and at Brambleberry Bakery Café & Gifts.
She’s also involved with her church community, most notably coordinating regular Bunco games. Brown views it as a way to bring together other Christians with a common interest who enjoy one another’s company and want to form new friendships. She’s all about bringing people together.
“It’s nice to know you’re touching people’s lives and making a difference. It’s not glory for me; I get my strength from Him,” she said. “If I hear I’ve made a difference in someone’s life, then that’s my win. My gratification is knowing what we do makes other people happy; it makes me happy.”