The Circle of Change Awards are closely tied to Community Shares mission of promoting a more just & caring community through supporting the work of more than 32 member organizations working on social, economic & environmental issues. The Circle of Change Awards honor those in our community who give significant time and energy in the service of social change. This year’s awards will be held on April 25th. For more information about this year’s event click here. To nominate som

Our friends at Highlander Research and Education Center are looking for a new Office Manager to join their team. The Office Manager serves on the Operations Team, provides support to Highlander’s various teams, and aids the entire staff in the efficient operation of the organization.  The position manages the main office at Highlander and responds to general inquiries, assists visitors and workshop participants with information, orientation, and referral, and keeps the office

Join the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association (TSRA) in May in building a river access site on the Stones River in Middle Tennessee below the Percy Priest Dam.  TSRA has built over 20 river access sites to develop a network of blueways in the State of Tennessee.  Volunteers are needed to work 3-4 hour shifts. Rescheduled May weekend dates will be announced shortly. Interested? Please contact Patty Shultz, patty@shultzonline.com, for volunteer time slots and directions. Visit t

In 2012 I was working at a business my wife had started 32 years ago. I had been doing the cleaning business for 18 years and it was very successful – the 2 of us together had over 50 clients. Then in March of 2012, with in a 2 weeks time, I lost my eye sight and was told I was legally blind and couldn’t drive anymore. After going to 5 different doctors they said that something had crushed the optic nerve in my brain – causing me to lose sight in both eyes at the same time. I

Everyday there is another reason to protest. From the new presidential administration to environmental catastrophes and beyond, there is some crazypants-bananas-what-just-happened moments we face and are forced to emotionally process nearly continually. With that comes more involved and curious people who are looking to get involved to help make a difference. You want proof?  See this statement made just after the election: “Right now there is clearly a lot of energy around p

As we are all nonprofits, we most likely utilize volunteers from time to time for various support, assistance, and community organizing tasks. The assumption here is that you already have a New Volunteer Policy and Onboarding Procedure in place. If not, that’s another conversation. I have some deep knowledge of working with and managing volunteers and the onboarding process can be long–taking weeks in cases that involve background checks. So, in today’s rapid-fire-everyone’s-

Accomplishments of Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee (PPMET) Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee Health Centers had 13,000 clients come to us for over 18,000 visits in 2016. They come to PPMET for confidential and affordable services that include annual exams and pap tests, pregnancy tests, breast exams, birth control, transgender care, PrEP/PEP services, STD/STI testing and treatment, and abortion services. In 2016, the PG-13 Players, PPMET’s Nashvi

In 2011, our inspiration came through our eleven year-old who pleaded with us “but this is a life-changing opportunity.”  Tough to argue against that from a young child. He wanted to participate with CISV on a trip to Sweden.  A month-long trip with three other 11-year olds with a leader who was a 21 year old UT graduate. Her confidence and care for the delegation managed to win-over those of us with any lingering doubts about the program. Our commitment to the organization g

Terrance Murray Edgehill Community Memorial Garden provides: The opportunity for all members of the community, all ethnic groups to come together and get educated on growing food, preparing and storing their food for future meals. There are 5 different ethnic groups growing food together in the community garden. Groups from Black, White, Indian, Puerto Rican, Irish, and Muslims come together to learn more about each others culture build relationships. There is also the combin

As part of a statewide organizing effort, communities across Tennessee are meeting with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) staff to discuss extreme energy burdens and how the utility can help reduce unnecessarily high utility bills, especially for low-income customers. In Memphis, Tennessee’s largest city, old housing stock and a lack of economic resources to make home improvements has led to energy bills that can represent more than 25% of a family’s annual income. Generally,

Empower TN is currently involved in a multi county Community Conversation. We are holding these conversations in all 7 counties to which Independent Living services are provided through Empower TN. These conversations are unique in the fact that they are geared toward individuals with disabilities and not service providers. We want to hear from the communities on what independent living means to them, what services they are currently receiving, and what services they hope to

TENNESSEE COALITION TO END DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE The following information comes directly from our 2014 Annual Report: Letter from the Executive Director For many of us who have been working for more than 30 years to end rape and abuse, 2014 emerged as a tipping point – the culmination of a series of small changes or events significant enough to cause a larger, more important change. High profile cases in the news and rapidly growing efforts to address sexual assault

Back in the 70’s, a small, devoted group of environmental ninjas tried to stop the big bad strip miners. This little group packed a huge punch, and an arsenal of daring, taking-it-to-the-limit strategies. One member of this fearless group was a man named J.W. Bradley. This man had watched his beloved homeland- one that was passed down through the generations, a sanctuary of unadulterated peace and beauty- become carelessly torn up and flooded with a cacophony of mechanical no

The Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence is participating in Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Here is a list of events happening throughout the month. Please visit www.tncoaliton.org to register or find out more information. Date Time Event 4/1/2015 10am Primary Prevention Webinar 4/1/15-4/30/15 All Month Teal ribbon giveaway 4/3/2015 TBD The Hunting Ground Documentary Premier’s at The Belcourt 4/3/2015 All Day International Day Against Victim Blaming 4/6/2015

Sunday, April 12 1:00 – 4:00 Yazoo Brew 910 Division Tickets include music from Ghettobilly, Crazy Aces, The Screaming Names, and Vern, the Accordion Guy; Cake (and ice cream) from Nothing Bundt Cakes and Darlene’s Cakes; Prizes from NashTrash Tours; And beer from YAZOO! Tickets $30 in Advance, $35 At the Door, $20 Designated Driver and Under 21. Under 12 Free! Radio Free Nashville is a true community radio station, completely locally owned and operated by volunt

On February 6 and 7, the Nashville Peace and Justice Center partnered with the Tennessee Alliance for Progress to hold “CompassTN 2015”, a statewide gathering of both new and experienced activists to build relationships, share experiences and plan for the future. Participants seemed to feel that the conference was successful and useful. NPJC has traditionally held a leadership training institute at least once each year, to encourage the development of new community organizers

You Hear It All the Time – Making A Difference You often hear people say “I want to make a difference in this world”. Representatives from the Middle Tennessee Council of the Blind gave our legislators from Tennessee in Washington an opportunity to do just that! The American Council of the Blind conducts a legislative seminar each year regarding important issues that affect the blind and visually impaired across this great country. MTCB sent four members to meet with each le

Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM) would like to invite you to a free community educational session on the Abandoned Mine Land Funds Program (AML), which will discuss how counties in Tennessee can take advantage of this federal fund to bring money to the county for mine site reclamation. The AML Fund exists to reclaim both surface and deep mine sites mined before 1977, restoring the land and removing dangerous features. In 2015, the State of Tennessee was g

The May Voices of Change Newsletter is out. Check out what is happening with our member groups this month.

Our April Newsletter is out. It is full of informative and interesting happenings throughout Tennessee.