NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As the city of Nashville prepares for the New Year's Eve celebration, the Jack Daniel’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash is not only set to be a night of fun but also a time for giving back to the community.
In a heartwarming collaboration, the Big Bash is teaming up with a local nonprofit to support students experiencing homelessness in the city.
The initiative is directed toward aiding students through the Homeless Education Resource Office (HERO), a program operating under a team of nine.
Catherine Knowles, the director of Special Population Services at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, said the HERO program strives to provide essential resources to ensure the success of children facing homelessness in their educational journey.
Through a combination of grants and generous donations, the HERO program has managed to serve more than 3,000 students in the first semester of the current academic year.
This is a significant increase of 50% compared to the same period in the previous school year.
Knowles spoke on the importance of transparency in showcasing the program's offerings to the community.
“Anything we can do to be very open and transparent about the program is here, and this is what all we can do for those who qualify. All of those efforts, you know, make a big difference for students and families," Knowles said.
The Jack Daniel’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash is extending its support to the HERO program, with Crav’n Flavor, a Big Bash sponsor, pledging to restock the HERO food pantry throughout January.
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp is also playing a role in supporting the HERO program by committing to donate $1 from the sale of each official Big Bash event t-shirt.
The funds raised will go toward sustaining the essential work carried out by the HERO program.
In addition to these contributions, major companies such as Dr Pepper, Coca-Cola Consolidated, and Carl Black Chevrolet have committed to supporting HERO families by contributing to the transportation fund over the next 12 months.
Individuals interested in donating to the HERO Family Fund can donate at BigBashHERO.
I LOVE Forrest's stories on the history of NewsChannel 5 as we celebrate our 70th anniversary. Here's a story I wasn't familiar with until recently. Eudora Boxley had a live cooking show in the early days of the station. She may have been the first black on air at NewsChannel 5 and perhaps, one of the first African Americans to have a TV cooking show anywhere in the country. It wasn't until her grandson reached out to me that I even heard of Ms. Boxley. Thankfully, I was able to connect him with Forest to learn more about this great nugget in NewsChannel 5 history.
-Lelan Statom
