Category: Building Communities
Ana Sura: An Immigrant Serving Other Immigrants in Her Community
Immigrating to another country is an intimidating task that Ana Sura once completed. Now, with the nonprofit Better Options Tennessee, Ana guides new immigrants toward a future in her home state. Ana began her volunteer journey in 2007 when she moved to Franklin, Tennessee and opened a few churches alongside her pastor husband. There, she...
Bryson McCarley: Blessed to be a Blessing
Bryson McCarly is a husband, father, cook, and the owner of a StateFarm in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He says that he is “blessed to be a blessing”. He first heard this motto from his grandfather and has adopted it as his motto for life and volunteering. This Hendersonville local owns a StateFarm as a career and...
On the Road to Give Back: Idella’s Journey
On the Road to Give Back: Idella’s Journey By: Eden Bollschweiler Idella Hansen, a seasoned truck driver with over 54 years of experience, always knew she belonged on the open road. “I started when I was a very young lady, driving vehicles since I was 11 years old,” Idella says with a grin. It was...
Crowning Dreams: Tanya Kanney’s Royal Mission
Meet Tanya Kanney, a remarkable volunteer on a heartfelt mission. As a wife and a mother of two, Tanya has realized her deep love for others, specifically underprivileged children, can be harnessed to positively impact the lives of kids across the world. Tanya’s journey in volunteering began during her high school days in the Rotaract...
Giving the Gift of Time
Life experiences are often the best teachers and influencers of how we form our values and priorities. This has become powerfully evident in the mindful way that Fatema Chaklasi and her family volunteer within their own community of middle Tennessee. Inspired by their own modest origins in Mumbai and their move to the United States...
A celebration of the community
With the recent World Humanitarian Day celebrated on August 19th, we can appreciate the fundamental values of differences in one another. We look to encompass what that means as we reflect on ourselves during times of uncertainty, because out of despair comes ingenuity, and out of absence comes recognition. Doing Good takes the time to...
Inspiring Women: Patricia Leonard
Patricia Leonard is extremely passionate about empowering women. In her corporate, volunteer, and personal life her goal is to “inspire women to break through any glass ceilings through leadership and contribution.” She believes that talk is not enough – we have to act in order to empower. This is played out specifically in her volunteer...
How Sports Initiate Change
June Volunteer of the Month: Jimmy Pitts Jimmy Pitts loves sports almost as much as he loves service. Between coaching basketball and serving on the corporate board of the Boys and Girls Club of Rutherford County, Jimmy constantly looks to improve the lives of those around him. The work of every Boys and Girls Club...
Love in the Unreached Places
Marilin Kelley is spreading love in Nashville. A recent Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) mathematics graduate, Marilin is preparing for graduate school at Virginia Tech in the Fall of 2019. In conversation with Marilin, her pursuit of knowledge is apparent, however her love for others shines more clearly than anything else. From nonprofit service with...
