Community & Social Services

  For Joy Flores and Krystle Knight, volunteering isn’t just about meeting immediate needs—it’s about building relationships that lead to lasting change. Joy, who has spent more than two decades working in homeless services, joined the Nashville Rescue Mission staff two and a half years ago after relocating from Los Angeles. After years working near Skid Row—especially during the strain of COVID—Joy and her family reevaluated what they needed for the future. When a role...

  For Heidi Siefkas, volunteering isn’t an add-on to life—it’s a way of staying grounded, connected, and present in it. A four-time nonfiction author, TEDx speaker, and self-described adventurer, Heidi moved to Nashville in 2023 to care for her father and reconnect with a strong support system. That sense of community quickly became central to her life in a new city—and to how she chose to give back. Since arriving in Nashville, Heidi has volunteered...

On this episode of the Doing Good podcast, host Megan McInnis welcomes Dr. Rolanda Lister, a maternal–fetal medicine specialist, and Shawna Clay, fund administrator for the 37208 Fund. Together, they share how two very different paths—clinical care and community investment—intersect to support justice, healing, and hope in Nashville’s 37208 zip code. Dr. Lister cares for women experiencing high-risk pregnancies, often navigating complications like diabetes, heart disease, or autoimmune conditions. Over the years, she learned that...

Erin Harris embodies the initiative and energy Doing Good enjoys seeing in volunteers. Eight months ago, she founded Un/Do Mindset, a nonprofit organization dedicated to mental health education and trauma recovery. A former teacher, Erin’s passion for this project is both inspiring and deeply personal. Her teaching career came to a heartbreaking end due to a school shooting, a traumatic event that took a toll on her mental health. After prioritizing her own recovery, she...

“I love serving. I love giving back.” Stephanie Wynn has had the heart of a volunteer since she was young. From attending company picnics with her parents to following her barber as he fed the homeless, she was engrossed in the spirit of giving to those in need. Her first personal experience was with a homeless man named Joe. Thirty years ago, she saw Joe on the street and decided when she grew up, she...

By working with Freedom Reigns Ranch, Beverly Powers has not only nurtured her passion for horses but also found a sense of value following her divorce. Beverly relocated to Nashville three years ago after escaping an abusive marriage. There, she started a life coaching business in hopes of helping newly-divorced women discover their sense of self-worth. Beverly focused on growing her business for a few years while following signs that pointed her toward Freedom Reigns...

Paul Dougall – a resident of middle Tennessee, empty nester, and widower – is constantly finding time to give back to his community. As an employee of Nissan, Paul first began volunteering through a professional association. One of the nonprofits that Nissan sponsors is Second Harvest Food Bank, an organization that serves as a distribution center for the hungry. He has also volunteered with the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville alongside his coworkers at...

After losing her job in the corporate world, Karin Freeland said that she found a higher purpose by serving her community. Karin spent 15 years at a corporate job “chasing the paychecks, the titles, trying to get promoted,” as she described it. After being dismissed and moving to Greenville, South Carolina with her family, she wanted to make friends in a place where she knew no one and to connect with her new community. She...

Keisha Felton has only begun her journey to improve the lives of youths. She is a volunteer extraordinaire who founded the nonprofit, Project E3, with a mission of helping kids from low-income families attend summer camps in Nashville. She successfully served 26 kids from kindergarten through sixth grade in her first summer running Project E3. There are many different organizations that serve children from low-income families, so why specifically summer camps? Keisha notes, “There’s a...