More than 2,100 volunteers participated in today’s Hands On Nashville Day, the community’s largest day of service benefiting Metro Nashville Public Schools.
This year marks the 23rd anniversary of the organization’s signature volunteer event, which resulted in more than 8,400 donated hours of service through landscaping, painting and cleaning projects at 52 schools throughout Davidson County.
Each year, the volunteer resource center hosts Hands On Nashville Day, bringing together residents of Middle Tennessee to donate their time to help make Metro Schools brighter, safer places for Davidson County children to learn and play.
“Hands On Nashville Day showcases the volunteer spirit that makes this city special,” said Congressman Jim Cooper. “It’s inspiring to see thousands of volunteers unite each year in support of public education, our children and our community.
For the seventh consecutive year, employees from Grainger industrial supply company and The Grainger Foundation came together as the lead supporters of Hands On Nashville Day. Their commitment to the event made it possible for volunteers to complete done-in-a-day improvement projects at schools, and a team of 50 Grainger employees furthered the cause by tackling a host of improvement projects at Hattie Cotton STEM Magnet Elementary.
“Grainger has been proud to call Nashville home for more than 50 years, and we’re honored to once again be a part of Hands On Nashville Day,” said Dax Jeter, Grainger market manager in Nashville. “Our team members always look forward to this event, and we’re happy to support the Nashville community and work together to improve our public schools and impact the future of our students.”
According to Independent Sector research, the time volunteers donated made an estimated $189,000 economic impact, saving Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools significant resources. Hands On Nashville has partnered with Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools on this event for more than a decade.
“Every year, Hands On Nashville Day is one more way Nashville’s volunteers prove their commitment to this city and a strong community,” said Brian N. Williams, president and CEO of Hands On Nashville. “Whether volunteers spent their morning painting cafeterias, cleaning hallways or beautifying school grounds, their efforts toward making a difference for local students always amazes and inspires me.”
“This annual outpouring of community members’ generously giving up their Saturday mornings to help our schools is always remarkable,” said Director of Metro Schools Dr. Jesse Register. “The community is really making a difference for the students, teachers and staff who will return to their schools on Monday and see the results of today’s work.”
About Hands On Nashville
Hands On Nashville’s mission is to meet community needs through volunteerism. For more than 20 years, Hands On Nashville (HON) volunteers have been addressing critical issues facing the Middle Tennessee community such as hunger, homelessness and education. In 2013, HON connected or referred more than 123,000 volunteers to service opportunities, making it one of the largest volunteer resource centers of its kind in the world. Offering more than 300 volunteer opportunities to the community each month at HON.org, Hands On Nashville challenges everyone to find a way to give back and to … Be the Change. Volunteer. For more information, visit www.HON.org or call (615) 298-1108.