Red Cross Volunteer Named BWC's 2014 Woman of the Year

Jennifer Wolcott has been named the 2014 Brentwood Woman’s Club Woman of the Year.
Jennifer Wolcott was nominated by several members from the non-profit community for her altruistic and generous contributions of time and talents, specifically on behalf of the American Red Cross Natchez Trace Chapter and the Oasis Center.

For five years, the Brentwood Woman’s Club has selected a Brentwood resident, non-member of the club, to honor as their Woman of the Year. Prior honorees have been Linda Lynch, City of Brentwood Community Relations Director; Joyce Keistler, director of the Martin Center; Susan Leathers, editor and co-owner of BrentWord Communications; Linda Jackson, executive director of BRIDGES; and Nancy Osman, community volunteer and Director of Ty2 Foundation.

Joyce Espy Searcy, Director of Community Relations at Belmont University and former CEO of Bethlehem Centers of Nashville, was among those nominating Wolcott for this year’s honor.

"I have watched Jennifer Wolcott from afar give of herself and of her resources to many organizations in Nashville area. I have seen many people volunteer for recognition or to have their names linked with a large organization, but Jennifer volunteers because she is interested in meeting the needs of others and helping to change their quality of life," Searcy said.

Another nominator who spoke highly of Wolcott's volunteer spirit and sees her hands on work in the community up close was John Mitchell, Executive Director of the Red Cross Natchez Trace Chapter.

Natchez Trace Chapter of the Red Cross Board of Directors

Mitchell stated, "Jennifer provides leadership to our chapter through personal giving and also challenges others to give as well. Jennifer has served as our annual breakfast chair for two years. In 2012, our breakfast speaker was Trace Adkins. Due to the success of our breakfast, Trace was elevated to the American Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet. Trace later raised over 1 million dollars for the American Red Cross on a national level." During the last two years, the Natchez Trace Chapter Red Cross Breakfast attendance has increased to nearly 400 and the giving has increased to over $100,000.

Trace Adkins 2012 Keynote

Coach Franklin 2013 Keynote

Wocott is not limited to fundraising with the Red Cross. She has participated in disaster preparedness drills for the area counties that the Natchez Trace Chapter serves. She recruited her sons', Perry and Parker, Boys Scout Troop and others in the community to participate in the drills. The Middle Tennessee area is becoming more and more aware that the preparedness of a community for a natural or man-made disaster decreases lost of life and property damage.

In addition to her work with the Red Cross, Wolcott is a proud supporter of the Brentwood High School Band where her sons are members, she is very active with the Boy Scouts Troop 86 (Perry is an Eagle Scout), and is a small group host at her church, Harpeth Hills Church of Christ.

Jennifer Wolcott will be honored as part of the Brentwood Woman’s Club’s annual fundraising luncheon, Step Up, It’s a Charity Affair, on May 6, 2014 at Brentwood Country Club. The Brentwood Woman’s Club is celebrating its 40th Anniversary of service to the community this year. 

WSMV's Emmy Award winning meteorologist, Lisa Spencer, will provide musical entertainment.  The  silent auction will begin at 10:30 AM and lunch will be served at 11:30 AM. The club will  recognize it's 40th Anniversary of service by presenting a special gift to Williamson County. This event is open to the public. Seating is limited. Bring a friend and enjoy a “Ladies Day Out”.

Tickets are $50 and can be obtained by contacting Jean Hairston by email, jean.hairston@yahoo.com before deadline date of May 1, 2014.

Brentwood Woman’s Club is a member of the international General Federation of Women’s Clubs that is dedicated to strengthening local communities and enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service. GFWC members work locally to create global change by supporting the arts, preserving natural resource, advancing education, promoting healthy lifestyles, encouraging civic involvement, and working toward world peace and understanding.

2014 BWC's Woman of the Year Committee: Genma Holmes (Chair), Liz Martin (Club President), Paula Uhlir, Marilyn Tolk, and Helen Holzen



Photo Credits: Red Cross, Genma Holmes, Jennifer Wolcott , Lisa Spencer

Dancing with The Nashville Stars Updates, Doing Good, and The Passionate Volunteer on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations and leaders who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations and leaders embody "Be the change you want to see in the world".

Throughout 2013 listeners will hear from presidents of organizations who are global change agents. We will also hear from CEOs of social enterprise businesses who are changing communities and college educators who are taking their students out of the classroom and into surrounding neighborhoods to learn and serve others.

Join us to hear updates from Dancing with The Nashville Stars. Clyde C. Harris will share about World Champions Productions partnership with Dancing with the Nashville Stars, a benefit for Feed America First. This benefit is back for its third year of wowing the Middle Tennessee Area with an exciting fundraiser that addresses a serious crisis in America, 1 out of 5 children goes hungry. Clyde, regional director of World Champions Productions will share how dancing benefits the mind, body, and soul. Listen as he talks about he started with World Champions Productions and where his career has taken him around the world. He will also share with us the celebrities he has worked with on the national show, Dancing With the Stars. Genma Holmes is dancing in this years fundraiser and Clyde C. Harris is her partner.

Also on today's show we will hear from Doing Good, an organization dedicated to promoting volunteerism. Kimberly "Brownie" Vaughn will share with us Doing Good's Volunteer of the Month and how Doing Good celebrates the Spirit of Volunteerism by featuring local volunteers making a difference in the community. Kimberly "Brownie" Vaughn will also share how Doing Good inspires, educates, and connects residents to local non-profits. Doing Good shows us how much impact one person has on the future of our community.

We also hear updates from Creativity Moves Dreamers and Doers 2nd Annual Conference held at Vanderbilt Nashville and from Center For Non-Profit Management's Salute to Excellence, the largest non-profit recognition dinner in the country.

 Living Your Best Life, a radio show that empowers, inspires and motivates one to live their BEST life, can heard on 760 AM in the Middle-Tennessee Region, on Tune In, military bases, and streamed live on U-Stream.TV from 9-10AM CST. This show will also be aired on the HBCU radio network.

More About World Champion Productions

World Champion Productions stands as a dynamic organization within the community. Their goal is to empower our members with the ability to attain their highest personal best through the love of Ballroom Dancing. WCP wish to serve our members through a wide variety of experiences and opportunities that encourage their growth as dancers, and inspire them to pass on their love of dancing. To see the various groups and organizations that World Champion Productions has performed for, click here.

More About Kimberly "Brownie" Vaughn
 Kimberly “Brownie” Vaughn is a dynamic and energetic woman with magnetic compassion, delivering attractive, power-packed messages that target and hit the bull’s eye of the single woman’s heart. Actually living single in a world that often forgets to celebrate its single women, Brownie holds up the banner for her sisters in singlehood to love their God-given significance. Through speaking engagements and events, she adamantly shares how her journey to joy included pit stops such as bitterness over heartaches, settling for ungodly attraction, searching for validation, and understanding the reasons for rejection in single-hood. Those that are privileged to hear her speak continually rave about her captivating way to connect and empower women with solutions that alter negative thinking and boost self- esteem. To learn more about Kimberly click here.

Doing Good Celebrates Volunteers Doing Good in the Community

Doing Good™ is dedicated to promoting volunteerism – for all non-profits and areas of service. Its flagship project is Doing Good, a television show which features volunteers already making a difference in the community.

Doing Good was started by Megan McInnis with a mission to help improve the community of Nashville one volunteer at a time. “I believe in the impact one person can have on any community. I want Doing Good to celebrate the individuals who already volunteer, and I believe they can inspire and empower our neighbors to further impact our community.”

From The Nashville Ledger:

Megan McInnis launched her local nonprofit, Doing Good, in April 2011, and it quickly gained national attention. Its website, designed to promote volunteerism and connect people with nonprofits, won four national 2012 MarCom awards, the equivalent of winning an Oscar for the marketing and communication field. McInnis is a devoted matchmaker connecting volunteers and nonprofits, which is the reason she founded Doing Good.

“We needed something positive,” says McInnis, who plans to spotlight volunteers by promoting a Volunteer of the Month on the website. “When people volunteer, it needs to work for them,” she says. “It needs to fit their schedule and interests if there is something they want to get out of it. It is so important to find the right fit for the volunteers, because that is when they just blossom. “Each volunteer brings a unique set of skills and resources to that organization. They provide services and help stretch their budgets so it really becomes a win-win for the community.”

While in career transition and looking for a new challenge in corporate marketing, McInnis is focusing her efforts on Doing Good. She envisions a multi-platform program under the Doing Good umbrella, including Doing Good, a one-hour, weekly TV show featuring volunteers making a difference in the community. A six-minute demo of the show is on the website as she moves forward on funding.

While executive director for U.S. Green Building Council Middle Tennessee, she increased its volunteers 712 percent, membership by 25 percent and added to its numbers of partners, sponsorships and funded grants, all in her first year on the job.


Living Your Best Life is ecstatic to partner with Doing Good each month along with Mocha Market Magazine. 


Zetas Doing Good In the Community
Photo credit: Nashville Ledger