Media Contact: Emily Plushnick, eplushnick@gmail.com

Hamilton Funds grantmaking program used to “enlighten the hearts” of children

NASHVILLE, TN (Jan. 14, 2020) – The Junior League of Nashville (JLN) 2019 Grants Committee today announced the recipients of more than $45,000 in charitable giving awarded during the month of December to 10 Middle Tennessee organizations.

The grants were awarded as part of the League’s Hamilton fund, a bequest established specifically to brighten the lives of children at Christmastime. Organizations were granted funds to provide holiday programming, gifts, clothing and toys to children at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and a variety of other nonprofits serving the needs of children and their families in Nashville.

“This year, the JLN Grants Committee received requests from 10 of our community partner agencies, including requests from four new organizations. In reviewing all of the proposals, we carefully considered the alignment and direct impact of Mr. Hamilton’s direction to specifically ‘enlighten the hearts of the inmates [at the Home] at Christmastime’ and are grateful to be able to support these incredible organizations,” said Lucie Rhoads, JLN’s 2019/2020 grants committee chair.

Organizations receiving funding from the Junior League’s Hamilton fund included:

• Renewal House for a series of holiday activities for children and families, including holiday decorating, ice skating, a visit to Gaylord Opryland Hotel and transportation to a community production of the Nashville Ballet’s Nutcracker.
• McNeilly Children’s Center for a “Reading with Santa” holiday party, including holiday activities, story time and the opportunity to have photos made with Santa.
• Moves & Grooves to support the annual Winter Showcase and provide an after-show holiday dinner for students and their families.
• Preston Taylor Ministries to provide three holiday parties for more than 200 youth during which students had the opportunity to “shop” for gifts for loved ones and learn the important virtue of giving.
• Youth Villages for the annual Holiday Heroes Program, in which more than 55 teens who otherwise would not have a Christmas participated in holiday programming and activities, and the Wallace Group Home Holiday party for teen girls in foster care.
• Oasis Center to provide children with their most basic needs, nourish their spirits and provide hope, healing and joy during a time they may feel lonely, forgotten or unloved.
• Safe Haven Family Shelter for holiday out-of-school daily activities for children at the shelter between the ages of 5-18, including gift shopping trips, holiday movies, ice skating outings and a visit to the community production of the Nashville Ballet’s Nutcracker.
• Book ‘Em to provide books to more than 700 homeless middle school students in Metro Nashville Public Schools; books were given as a holiday gift to students.
• PENCIL for its “Winter Love” events for students and families to “shop” for free gifts and other needed items to give to their children or other students during the holiday season.
• Monroe Carell Jr., Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt to fund the Junior League’s annual Christmas gifts for patients
• Monroe Carell Jr., Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Child Life Program for Champs’s Holiday House, which allows families with children in the hospital to shop for Christmas gifts for each child in their household free of charge.
• Vanderbilt-Meharry Center for Excellence in Sickle Cell Disease to support a patient and family-oriented Holly Jolly Carnival Celebration, with activities including face painting, a magician, small gifts for children, and an opportunity for families to frame a photograph from the photo booth.
• Vanderbilt Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Siblings & Families Party to provide families and siblings with a child in the neonatal unit the chance to visit Gaylord Opryland Hotel to create a holiday memory with their children that they otherwise could not afford.

Members of the 2019/2020 JLN Grants Committee include Lucie Rhoads, chair; Brooke Johnson, chair elect; Liza Ambrose; Andrea Clancy; Clara Herrick; Allison Stansberry and Zaia Thombre.

 About the Junior League of Nashville:

Founded in 1922, the Junior League of Nashville is committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The Junior League of Nashville is committed to inclusive environments of diverse individuals, organizations, and communities. For more information, visit jlnashville.org.

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