Destiny
“I’m doing the job that I love, and I get to be around a lot of animals. That’s really great.” Destiny loves being around animals every day—so much so that she’s decided to make a career out of it. She’s training to become a professional groomer through...
Charmin
“Strength in the community … it’s holding each other accountable and uplifting each other.” Charmin was a retail buyer for Macy’s in New York before moving to Nashville in 2014. She’s from Chicago but moved to Nashville to receive her bachelor’s degree at...
Brandon
“That’s really been what’s fueled me … just trying to use my experience to help people who were coming up in the same conditions that I did.” Brandon remembers looking out at the skyline from his childhood bedroom window. “I could see the epic view of...
Ash
“Members of our community are not getting their needs met. And how can we look away from that?” Ash is a certified peer recovery specialist at Park Center, a United Way partner agency that empowers people who have mental illness and substance use disorders to live and...
April
“I have a lot to offer and services that I would like to provide to communities that may not know how to reach out and reconnect to services.” April has been with The Salvation Army for more than 22 years. As the director of social services, April oversees a lot of...
Sandra
“United Way is so near and dear to my heart because they’re the master convener of good things.” Sandra served at HCA Healthcare for 13 years before retiring in June 2021. In 2008, Sandra moved from her role at Pfizer in Manhattan to lead the national sales team at...
Mary
“I help families who do not speak English and do not read and write.” Most of the families that Mary serves cannot speak, read or write in English. Through her role at Nations Ministry Center, a United Way funded partner, Mary helps refugees rebuild their lives—many...
Stefanie
“One thing I’ve learned during the pandemic is that we are all so close—one thing goes wrong—and you could be looking at losing so much.” Stefanie has worked in social services since she was 21 years old. She’s been in behavioral health, life care, family services and...
Terry W.
“Everybody has a strength. I think that’s a big part of our community: bringing people in and then finding their strengths and using them adequately and accurately.” Through their work at The Housing Fund, Terry and his team help low- and moderate-income...
Susan
“Reading is such an important gift.” Born and raised in Los Angeles, Susan and her husband moved to Bainbridge Island, Wash., when she was 29 to raise their daughter. They lived in the same house for 36 years on a beautiful, wooded acre. But as retirement approached,...