The Doing Good Blog

Health & Wellness, Volunteerism & Community Action

Karen Chambers: A Life of Service and the Heart Behind Bearing Others Burdens

July 8, 2025

Karen Chambers has spent her life giving back. From her early years volunteering at church—rocking babies in the nursery, serving teens, packing...

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Community & Social Services, Education & Youth, Health & Wellness, Volunteerism & Community Action

Erin Harris: Aligning Personal Values with Meaningful Action

January 20, 2025

Erin Harris embodies the initiative and energy Doing Good enjoys seeing in volunteers. Eight months ago, she founded Un/Do Mindset, a nonprofit...

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Health & Wellness, Volunteerism & Community Action

Jill Pratt: Helping Families Find Joy in the Reality of Disability

August 17, 2024

When Jill’s daughter, Jiselle, was a baby, she stopped meeting developmental milestones. The family went to many doctors, unsure of what was...

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Health & Wellness, Volunteerism & Community Action

La Toya Murdock: Making Life Easier for Others

August 4, 2024

La Toya Murdock gives back to her Middle Tennessee community by serving on three different boards for nonprofits. Daughters of the King...

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Health & Wellness, Volunteerism & Community Action

Jacqueline McDonald: “Nothing is Ever Too Small”

May 2, 2024

Jacqueline McDonald’s passion for volunteerism is driven by all avenues of her life. She currently serves on the board of the Tennessee...

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Animals & Environment, Community & Social Services, Health & Wellness, Volunteerism & Community Action

Beverly Powers: Finding Personal Value by Volunteering with Horses

February 1, 2024

By working with Freedom Reigns Ranch, Beverly Powers has not only nurtured her passion for horses but also found a sense of...

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Community & Social Services, Faith & Spirituality, Health & Wellness, Volunteerism & Community Action

Paul Dougall: Finding Time to Give Back

January 29, 2024

Paul Dougall – a resident of middle Tennessee, empty nester, and widower – is constantly finding time to give back to his...

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Education & Youth, Health & Wellness, Volunteerism & Community Action

Jimmy Pitts: Changing the Community On and Off the Field

January 1, 2024

Written by: Ryan Wilson Jimmy Pitts is an example of the age-old saying – life is what you make of it. Jimmy...

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Faith & Spirituality, Health & Wellness, Volunteerism & Community Action

Fighting and Thriving with Type 1 Diabetes: A Mother-Daughter Story

December 14, 2023

Lauren was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes – or T1D, as she and her mother, Barbara, like to call it – at...

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Health & Wellness

Bart Brammer: A Voice for People Living with Alzheimer’s Disease

November 20, 2023

Alzheimer’s Disease is challenging. It can be a life-changing diagnosis for both patients and their families, and our featured volunteer, Bart Brammer,...

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Education & Youth, Government, Military & Public Service, Health & Wellness, Location-Specific, Volunteerism & Community Action

Shavonya Washington

July 12, 2023

Shavonya Washington has always had a big heart, and even before she started volunteering, she shared it with her community. From being...

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Education & Youth, Health & Wellness, Volunteerism & Community Action

Leah Marcus: Empowering Students with Dyslexia through Education and Advocacy

May 7, 2023

Leah Marcus is a teacher who graduated from Vanderbilt University last year with a graduate degree in Education Policy, specifically focused on...

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Culture & History, Faith & Spirituality, Health & Wellness, Volunteerism & Community Action

Lifelong Servant Leader Serves on the Path She Once Walked

June 27, 2022

By: Angela Barbosa Imagine being at an appointment with your doctor and learning you have cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute,...

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Animals & Environment, Education & Youth, Health & Wellness

Volunteering: Not always glamorous, but always rewarding

May 10, 2022

Anna Kate Roberson is a determined fourteen-year-old who doesn’t let her autism diagnosis get in the way of her dream of becoming...

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Education & Youth, Health & Wellness, Location-Specific

Offering Opportunities, Reaching Potential

May 3, 2022

Growing up with a sister with Down Syndrome, Elizabeth Graham Pistole has a strong passion for helping individuals with special needs grow...

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Community & Social Services, Education & Youth, Health & Wellness, Location-Specific

Volunteering with Friends – It’s Just Fun!

April 5, 2022

Written by: Terri Seydel In many ways, Phillip Hyams is a typical American teenager, balancing his time between school, sports, and friends....

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Faith & Spirituality, Health & Wellness

A Mother’s Story

March 24, 2022

“I get more from volunteering than I give,” says Denise Stewart. “It gives me joy to watch how much NAMI’s programs that...

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Education & Youth, Health & Wellness, Volunteerism & Community Action

Featured Volunteer

February 23, 2022

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Health & Wellness

Gifted Reminder

January 3, 2021

Elizabeth Graham Pistole has been volunteering for as long as she can remember. “I’ve always been hands-on with what I can offer...

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Community & Social Services, Education & Youth, Family & Personal Life, Health & Wellness

A Passion for Helping Others

October 5, 2020

Written by: Gunnar Eng Volunteering is described by many as hard work which can be very rewarding. No one believes that more...

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Animals & Environment, Education & Youth, Health & Wellness, Location-Specific, Volunteerism & Community Action

A celebration of the community

September 1, 2020

With the recent World Humanitarian Day celebrated on August 19th, we can appreciate the fundamental values of differences in one another. We...

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Animals & Environment, Community & Social Services, Culture & History, Education & Youth, Faith & Spirituality, Family & Personal Life, Health & Wellness, Location-Specific, Science & Technology, Volunteerism & Community Action

A Celebration of the Community

July 1, 2020

As the middle of the year approaches, Doing Good takes a moment to reflect on this year’s outstanding service-oriented volunteers in the...

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Education & Youth, Health & Wellness

Finding Hope in Volunteering

March 2, 2020

Reality Edwards and Lauren Bellflower, Co-counselors and lifelong friends Written by: Emerson Loudenback Lauren Bellflower was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when she...

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Community & Social Services, Culture & History, Education & Youth, Faith & Spirituality, Health & Wellness, Volunteerism & Community Action

Multi-generational good

February 4, 2020

Written by: Emerson Loudenback “The good we do always comes back to us,” says Zarita Fears, this month’s Nashville’s Volunteer of the...

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