Dorene Flowers is a Community Hero who leads with love, empathy, and diversity. She currently serves as the president of the Farragut Houses Resident Association and seeks to establish unity in Farragut. Before becoming president, Flowers worked in preventive services and foster care. Her experiences from this work and her loving soul, shape her contributions today, as she keeps her community at the forefront of her values.
“How I live is different from the ways other people live, but you cannot judge them,” Flowers reflected when speaking about her previous work. Her supportive and understanding nature, coupled with her many ventures as a social worker, gives her an open-mindedness we can all learn from as members of communities and families. She brings this empathy to her current endeavors as president of the Farragut Houses Resident Association, where she brings together all types of families and individuals from diverse cultures.
“When I have something, it’s for everybody,” Flowers emphasizes. This compassion allows her to understand her community members’ situations regardless of who they are or where they come from. She preserves the importance of Farragut’s multiculturalism and thoughtfully ensures harmony among the residents by committing to inclusive practices. She invites the residents to her meetings so they can speak freely about their concerns or opinions about the neighborhood and provides translators for those who may not understand or speak English. She also prints flyers in multiple languages to inform everyone of major events or meeting dates. In doing so, she opens her community to diverse voices that can further contribute to Farragut’s growth and improvement.
Flowers strongly believes that “When we come together, we can do things together,” so she also encourages and organizes events for the Farragut residents. Whether the event is celebrating a holiday like Mother’s Day or simply bringing people outside of their homes, she strives to show her community that there is more to life than “sitting on a bench.” She wants the people, especially the youth, to experience the beauty and joy of life in a collective effort. Additionally, she hopes more families can gather and discuss what they want for Farragut’s growth. Her future goals for Farragut and her already-achieved accomplishments make her an impactful Community Hero who shines love on those around her.
