Glenda has been connected with Begin Anew from the very beginning. In 1997, Glenda was working in the TN Woman's Missionary Union (WMU) office when Creely Wilson founded Begin Anew (Nashville's Christian Women's Job Corps). This was a new program that was being offered across the country by WMU and when Glenda heard about Nashville's Chapter, she knew she had to get involved.  A few years later, in 1999, Connie Davis called Glenda about asked her to join the Begin Anew Board.

“When I joined the board, we were broke and in terrible shape,” Glenda recalls. “Connie said they needed new blood and new ideas.” The board quickly realized that Begin Anew needed a full-time staff member to run the program. “Becky Sumrall would be perfect!” Glenda told them. Glenda had previously worked with Becky at the WMU office and knew she had a strong social background and a proven history of fundraising. Becky became the first Executive Director of Begin Anew and would serve in that role for the next 18 years.

In addition to helping establish the initial staff of Begin Anew, Glenda also played a role in creating the organization’s first Spring Fundraiser. “We found out the program was going to take a lot more money than we were raising from our local church partners,” she explains. “In one of the early board meetings, Nelda [Brown] said, ‘Why don’t we try something totally different and have a fundraiser? Let’s see if we can get other companies and individuals involved who want to support our community.’”

A committee was formed to organize the first event, which has since grown to raise more than $200,000 each year. Although Glenda was not on the original planning committee, she has held a sponsor table at every Spring Fundraiser.

“I just love it when there’s something we can do for people that helps them grow—spiritually, educationally, and in confidence,” Glenda says. “We aren’t just handing out something; we are lifting someone up.”

We are deeply grateful for the tremendous impact Glenda has had on Begin Anew and the Middle Tennessee community we serve. We truly would not be the organization we are today without her.

Karla and her family have lived all over the United States, but eventually planted roots in Nashville after her husband retired from the military. “You know that song, ‘I’ve been everywhere, man’—that was us." Karla began searching for her next opportunity, but it found her. She recalls, “That year, my dad was going to Missions in Baja, Mexico and he was going to be there for his birthday. I always spent my dad's birthday with him, so I told him, ‘Sign me up, I’m going with you.’” Karla had never been on a Mission trip before, but once she was there, she fell in love. Using her bilingual skills, she served as a translator—and discovered a passion for helping others communicate.

From that trip on, she became more connected with the Missions Committee at Madison Church of Christ, when committee member Sheila approached Karla about Begin Anew’s need for a new teacher for our ELL class. Karla was excited to participate in this new opportunity, and ran home to tell her husband, "I'm going to teach English!" Her husband, confused, responded, "Don't you mean Spanish?" You see, Karla was a Spanish teacher for a local K-12 school. She responded, "This time I will be teaching English." Spanish-teacher-by-day/English-teacher-by-night, she continued to use the gift of teaching and communication that God gave her in new ways.

Her first year brought challenges, including helping several Haitian students who spoke French. “They speak French and I was struggling to help them with conjugations. I wondered, ‘How do I explain it?’” but instead of giving up, she started learning French herself, using simple comparisons to make English clearer. Her students were amazed: “Mrs. Karla, we didn’t know you spoke French!”

Karla is a dedicated individual with a loving heart for her students because she’s been in their shoes. “I came to the United States way back when I didn’t know any English. I know how it feels when you cannot communicate, when you want to talk to someone—even something as simple as going grocery shopping can feel frustrating.”

Karla is a wonderful part of our volunteer team and her lovely personality is a great kickoff to our Influential Women series.

Saralu has been an influential leader and volunteer at Begin Anew for over 20 years and is still going strong! She has always served on our Spring Fundraiser Committee in some capacity, helping plan events and raise money for Begin Anew’s programs. “That has been one of the joys I’ve had, to walk beside Mary Francis Turner, Nelda Brown, Elizabeth Ward, Susan Barnett, and Susan Rutledge. Each of these ladies has a special gift. I’ve never seen a committee work so closely together as the body of Christ. It was one of the best things that I’ve done.”

While Saralu has served on the Fundraising Committee, she began as a mentor, developing relationships with students, some of whom she still stays in contact with! She continues to develop those relationships through our community group at Franklin Campus. Saralu, Debbie Drennon, and Shelley Waters have helped to cultivate the community group by providing food and focusing on relationships. “Now we have people from South Korea, China, Japan, Italy, Peru—people from all over—and it’s mind-boggling to see how they overcome the obstacle of language to learn a new one. It’s so neat to connect, share concerns, pray about them, and then come back the next week and hear about how God is working!”

Saralu has a heart for people and has always enjoyed being with the students, mentoring them, and cheering them on at graduation! “The most joy has been getting to know a student one-on-one and being their advocate—seeing God transform their life right before my eyes. That’s why I think the faith aspect is so critical. Without belief, it can be hard to have the power to change, but with faith and education, you are able to begin a new life.”

We are so thankful that Saralu has given so much of her life to helping those around her. Her dedication is inspiring, and she has been a significant part of Begin Anew from the very beginning. Saralu wanted everyone to know, “If you have any talent, any gift, you can find a place at Begin Anew.”

Lis has always had a heart for serving others—from her time as a lieutenant in the military, to her role as Director of Operations at Vanderbilt, and now as a mentor at Begin Anew. Her journey has taken her from Chicago to Germany and finally to Tennessee.

After moving to Tennessee, Lis began attending Woodmont Baptist Church, where she met Jamie Dunham. Jamie has long been involved at Begin Anew, leading Community Groups and sharing its mission with others.

Lis first learned about Begin Anew through her Sunday School class. “Jamie would always talk about Begin Anew. The program was something I’d always wanted to be connected to—a way I could give back to the community.” Lis retired from Vanderbilt four years ago, entering what she describes as a meaningful new season. “This season of my life is a new beginning. Since retiring, I’ve dedicated this time to servitude.”

Through her service at Begin Anew, Lis has touched many students’ lives. “There was a student moving away who had a very scientific mind and considered herself an agnostic, but she attended Community Group. I asked if it had made a difference. She said, ‘I learned that things happen for a reason—that God might change things in your life because He has a plan.’ She and her husband moved away, but I knew we’d made an impression. Moments like that matter because they show the difference we’ve made and how we can touch people’s minds. Hopefully, when she’s ready, God will touch her heart.”

Lis is a wonderful part of our Crievewood Community Group, and we are grateful for her compassion and dedication. As she says, “It’s a beautiful thing to help give people new opportunities—no matter who they are or where they come from.”

I started volunteering with Begin Anew when the organization had another name!  When I was working full-time in an Intensive English program at Belmont University and Middle Tennessee State University, I occasionally substitute-taught and led Bible study at various Christian Women’s Job Corps (CWJC) sites in Nashville and Franklin.

In 2015, I stopped working to care for my mother, and in 2016 I helped administer a trial ESL program at the newly rejuvenated Woodbine Baptist Church, which was renamed Church at Woodbine.  The program was successful, and CWJC decided to add it to their organization that fall as the Woodbine site.  A full-time site director was hired and the program at that site took off!  I became a volunteer teacher at that time, and I have happily continued since!  Soon after the Woodbine site began operations, CWJC became Begin Anew!

I love teaching ESL students at Begin Anew because English is a subject I know well, and residents who come to live and work in the United States need to know it.  They WANT to know it, and I can help them.  While teaching English, students and I share our lives, cultures, values, and faith.  I am convinced that one of the most important aspects of the Begin Anew program is that it is faith-based, with Bible reading and discussion included in the teaching sessions.  We continue ENGLISH learning while reading and discussing a short story straight from a simple English translation of the Bible, so that students both learn what the Bible actually says and discuss it from their own perspectives without pressure from the teacher.  Students learn new vocabulary and practice reading comprehension in their exposure to God’s living Word.  I love that Begin Anew provides this exposure!

The best part about volunteering with Begin Anew is the new set of relationships that you can have with students that come from all over the world and the satisfaction of knowing you are helping them succeed.  The second-best part is the new set of relationships one can have with the staff and the other volunteers!  People who love and serve people make wonderful friends!

My husband and I are retired now, so we have plenty of time to read, cook, take trips to faraway places, and visit our family (most of which is not in Nashville).  However, volunteering to serve others who need help is my favorite “hobby” and my greatest joy.