YLC hosted its annual appreciation luncheon on 8/1/19 for close to 70 nonprofit leaders and corporate sponsors at Belmont University’s Frist Lecture Hall. Sponsored by long-time supporter Bank of America, the luncheon served as an opportunity to thank those organizations that have had YLC class graduates serve one-year terms on their boards as interns and corporations which have donated to YLC special events held throughout the year. Representatives in attendance from 32 local nonprofits included Nashville Zoo, Siloam Health, Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee, PENCIL, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville, Boys and Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee, Safe Haven Family Shelter, The Family Center, Adventure Science Center, Greenways for Nashville, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, You Have the Power, Miriam’s Promise, Gigi’s Playhouse, Nashville Fellows Program, First Steps, Girls on the Run of Middle Tennessee, Economic Club of Nashville, Book’em, Tennessee Environmental Council, Nashville Diaper Connection, Catholic Charities of Tennessee, Matthew 25, Conexion Americas, Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition, American Cancer Society, Community Resource Center, ABLE Youth, CASA Nashville, Walk/Bike Nashville and United Way of Williamson County. Corporate representatives from Bank of America, Belmont University, Fifth Third Bank, LBMC, Synovus, Wells Fargo, and Gresham Smith were also in attendance, many of them alumni of the YLC program themselves.
The guests enjoyed a lunch buffet with Asian salad, sticky rice, vegetarian lo mein, garlic lemon ginger broccoli, cilantro grilled chicken, grilled teriyaki salmon and lemon bars. Lisa Shacklett, who has been serving as YLC executive director for just over four months, welcomed the group and thanked luncheon sponsor Heather Vincent, SVP with Bank of America and graduate of Class 46, who commented that she did her internship 13 years ago with First Steps; and Jill Robinson, director of Director of External Relations & Executive Learning Networks at The Jack C. Massey College of Business at Belmont University and graduate of Class 26, who in turn introduced Joyce Searcy, founding director of community relations at Belmont, who has been teaching the session on Diversity to YLC classes for more than 20 years.
Each attendee was then asked to stand and introduce themselves and share their nonprofit’s mission, as well as to say how YLC interns have made an impact on their boards. Many nonprofits have had many of their interns go on to ultimately serve as officers of the board, including chair, and several nonprofits were excited to announce their first board intern.
YLC board members Joshua Livingston, Blair Smyly, Kyle Young, John Byers, Trey Yant and Nathan Sachs served as table hosts for the luncheon. For those who needed a little help to get the conversation started, ice breaker cards were placed on each table, but for most, if not all, the conversation flowed easy because of their shared commitment to making a positive difference in our community.
Darius Moore with PENCIL, on left; JC Torres with Conexion Americas and Jamie Murphy with RSM, who will both be in Class 73 this fall; and Destiney Patton (Class 71) with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee
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