Below is the last email I received from Sarah Tyree, Vice President of Policy and Public Affairs for CoBank, in 2020. Sarah spent the last 15 years focused on local food, urban agriculture, telehealth and rural broadband before she lost her valiant battle with brain cancer right as 2021 finally closed out. The message is simple but showed her never-ending focus on advocacy for the issues she cared about, even when her personal issues should have been all-consuming:
Good afternoon Shirley and Mike -
Below is the link to the final version of the USF Contributions Reform video.
We posted this on social media this afternoon to support of the Universal Broadband Act. Please share far and wide to win support for this important piece of legislation and educate folks about the need for USF contributions reform.
Take care,
Sarah
I hadn't even realized that Sarah was ill until the middle of this summer. Another tragedy from the pandemic where personal interactions became limited and our communities shrunk. I had reached out to her husband, long-time rural communications advocate and former OPASTCO staffer Randy Tyree, to let him know that I was thinking of both of them. He shared that she had been battling brain cancer essentially since the start of the pandemic, and they were focused at this point on putting a smile on each other's faces every day. My heart literally hurt. But their collective strength and grace did not surprise me.
I also know a life like Sarah's - too short by far - is meant to be celebrated. Sarah was a fixture for many in the rural broadband industry. She was a steady presence at NTCA meetings on behalf of CoBank and was often in the middle of key policy discussions that impacted funding opportunities for NTCA members, and as noted in the email above, was a key ally in educating Congress on the programs such as the Universal Service Fund that are so critical to bringing affordable communications services to rural Americans.
Sarah Tyree was also a huge advocate for the work that the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) did in rural America, particularly our Virtual Living Room (VLR) program. This program provides rural veterans with a private space to participate in telehealth appointments with Department of Veterans Affairs health care providers. It is made possible by a partnership typically between an American Legion Post or community center, FRS, the NTCA member company, CoBank and the state VA health care system. Virtual Living Rooms can be installed at local libraries, churches, community centers or other locations unique to each rural area. Communities located more than an hour away from a VA clinic or hospital and within the service territory of an NTCA member are eligible for these $5,000 grants.
We both journeyed up to Vermont in February of 2020 for the opening of a VLR sponsored by NTCA member Waitsfield Champlain Valley Telecom (Waitsfield, Vt.). Through snowy Vermont, we made our way to the Bristol American Legion Post for the ribbon-cutting ceremony along with FRS Executive Director Pam Becker and the WCVT crew and spent the afternoon celebrating the new access to medical care for those in the region. Sarah used her remarks to highlight her passion for the power of telemedicine and the opportunities for medical support for those with geographic challenges. This, just before the pandemic, highlighted how true and meaningful her words were to be.
Sarah's passion for the betterment of rural communities and her support for our Foundation for Rural Service have led us to rename the FRS Good Neighbor Scholarship program that my family and I had started a few years ago to celebrate and support graduating high school seniors who look to make a difference where they live to the Sarah Tyree Good Neighbor Scholarship. I would be grateful for your consideration of making a donation to this scholarship in honor of Sarah by selecting it from the drop-down menu.
There are people you meet along your life journey who simply embody goodness, kindness and a passion for making the world a better place, Sarah was one of those few. Her smile lit up a room, and her heart made sure to light up the darker corners. She will be missed but never forgotten. May her memory be a blessing to all who met her along the way.
