by Kathryn Farris | Aug 6, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider
Lipscomb welcomed approximately 13 displaced residents of a Donelson apartment complex after a fire last week. The residents were placed in the Student Activity Center through the American Red Cross Distaster Relief organization. “Serving others is an important part of the fabric of this institution. For more than a decade, Lipscomb University has served as an official Red Cross Shelter site to provide housing and comfort in times of need.” said President Randolph Lowry in an email to faculty. “As an official Red Cross Shelter site, through the years Lipscomb has housed numerous guests impacted by hurricanes, fires, power outages and, most notably, the Nashville Flood in 2010.” The SAC will remain open for regularly scheduled hours, the only interruption being the closure of the basketball and racketball courts as well as the indoor track. Lowry encourages campus members, “When you see our guests around the SAC and Allen Arena area please make them feel welcome.” “Thank you for being a community that practices hospitality and has a heart to serve others.” The shelter is only expected to remain open short-term, but will remain “as long as needed” for the displaced...
by Emily Snell | May 22, 2012 | News Slider
The American Red Cross has set up an emergency shelter in Lipscomb’s Student Activities Center to house residents of Parenthon Towers, who were displaced due to a fire and electrical issues late Monday night and may need temporary housing for several days. Monday night 172 guests from Parthenon Towers stayed on campus, and 149 were still there Tuesday night, according to Kim Chaudoin, director of university communication and marketing. Parthenon Towers is a senior and disabled citizens housing unit located near Centennial Park and operated by the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency. University officials said the residents will be allowed to return home after the fire marshal determines the apartment complex is safe. It is unclear how long the shelter will be open, but Lipscomb and the Red Cross are prepared to house guests through the weekend, Chaudoin said. “Right now it looks like we’re going to be in operation till Sunday,” Chaudoin said. “I guess MDHA is just continuing to try to resolve whatever problems they have at Parthenon Towers. It may not be that long, but maybe the folks will be pleasantly surprised if they get back in before then.” Nan Hensley, executive assistant to university relations, said a mix of student workers, full time staff, members of the Quest Team and others arrived on campus around midnight Monday night to make preparations for the residents, and more people have assisted with the shelter since then. “We’ve had a great response from the Lipscomb community,” Hensley said. Chaudoin said volunteers are still needed to help Red Cross workers at meal times as long as the shelter is open. Hensley...
by Danielle Boyd | Mar 12, 2012 | News Slider
Neely Williams, an adjunct professor in the department of Communication and Journalism, is a long time community leader, educator, minister and activist for non-violence in youth engagement. Williams, who has been formally involved with the Nashville community for nearly 30 years, said her journey into community outreach began through participation in Vacation Bible School at a local church where four young men spoke about living with HIV/AIDS. As a part of the men’s presentation, “the Red Cross was there, inviting people from the community to get trained and be advocates and spokespersons about the disease,” Williams said. It was 1985, during the height of learning about HIV/AIDs. Williams stepped out into the inner city of the Nashville community to educate people on the disease. “I call this my formal step into the community because I have always been involved in nursing homes and wherever there was a need,” Williams said. Even at an early age, Williams had a heart for helping people and uniting cultures. “I like to say I built my first coalition on the Kindergarten playground,” she said, “because I am innately a person that says everybody should play and get an opportunity to have the ball. And I spent a lot of days trying to make sure those who were not chosen got a chance to play anyway.” Deciding to go back to school to obtain a degree at Vanderbilt University, Williams became trained as a chaplain, which furthered her community outreach with the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church. Since 1996, Williams has worked directly and indirectly with the outreach ministries of the Metropolitan Church in the north Nashville community....
