Message from the Executive Director: Kat Coy

Having spent the majority of my life in Middle Tennessee, I was quite horrified to hear on our morning news that tornadoes had struck North Nashville, in the dark of night.  I frantically reached out to my parents, to confirm their safety.  An hour later, they let me know they were safe, and the day has continued checking in on many of my family and friends.

We want to also check-in on you TCA!  We hope that all of our members are safe. If you were in an area affected by the storm, we know that you are probably still coming to terms with what you experienced last night.  

Known as the Volunteer State, I know that if our community needs help, we will provide it.  Therefore, we wanted to reach out to you all and share some resources in the wake of this natural disaster.    

How can you help?

We all awoke today with news of a natural disaster occurring overnight in middle Tennessee.  Tornadoes, property damage, power outages, and the loss of life have occurred for many residents of Tennessee.   

If you would like to help, we recommend these organizations: 

Volunteer with the American Red Cross - Nashville
(Phone: 615-250-4300)

Volunteer with the Salvation Army Nashville - (Phone: 615-242-0411)

Volunteer with the Second Harvest Food Bank  - (Phone: 615-329-3491)

Volunteer and/or donate to the Community Foundation of Middle TN  - (Phone: 888-540-5200)

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee is the primary charitable repository for cash and would maintain ultimate authority and control over the Metro Disaster Response Fund, a program designed to meet the needs of our community during a disaster. The agency would convene the Metro Disaster Response Fund Advisory Committee to evaluate requests for cash assistance and make distributions from the fund to tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations assisting with efforts to rebuild the lives of individuals and families affected by a local disaster - both immediately and long-term. The committee is comprised of a designated representative from the Mayor's Office, The Office of Emergency Management, Interdenominational Ministerial Fellowship, United Way of Metropolitan Nashville, Middle Tennessee Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (MD TN VOAD), the business community, and representatives with the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Call the Crisis Center/2-1-1 (Phone: 211)

Hands On Nashville -  (Phone: 615-298-1108)

Often, during a community crisis, people are eager to volunteer their time and energy to help communities recover. During a disaster, the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management would rely on Hands on Nashville to connect volunteers with people and agencies that need help. Hands on Nashville links volunteers with available volunteer opportunities and helps coordinate large-scale volunteer efforts.

Donate Blood - Visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter your zip code to find a blood drive near you.

Do you have a need?

If you have a need in your counseling community that you think that TCA can help with, please reach out to Executive Director, Kat Coy, at [email protected]. This could be a need for counseling support, resources, etc.  

Do you need resources? 

Disaster Distress Helpline - SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.

American Psychological Association - Managing traumatic stress after a tornado.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network - Tornado resources for child trauma.