Tyler Hubbard, Trisha Yearwood, Lauren Daigle and CeCe Winans will take part in an upcoming free event set for May 1 in Nashville, aimed at providing home and comfort to Nashville-area teachers and staffers in public and private K-12 schools, as well as universities.
“Hope and Healing for Heroes” will be hosted by the Onsite Foundation and will take place at Belmont University’s The Fisher Center. Tickets will be free and open to educators and staff across Metro Nashville public schools, private schools and universities on a first-come, first-serve basis.
In addition to the performers, the evening’s programming will also include a panel of experts and speakers who will discuss mental health and working through trauma, grief, and fear, in light of the recent school shooting at Nashville-area private school The Covenant School on March 27. Three children and three staffers were killed during the incident, as was the shooter.
Onsite chairman Miles Adcox will emcee the May 1 event, while teachers from the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. will offer their stories and encouragement, as well as Brittney Thomas, a survivor of the 1997 Heath High School mass shooting in Paducah, Ky., and Crystal Woodman Miller, a survivor of the 1999 mass shooting in Columbine High School in Columbine, Colo.
“The dramatic increase in the number of school shootings–and now having one in our hometown—has taken its toll on each of us. As a father and mental health professional who has been part of initiatives directly supporting hundreds of mass shooting survivors around the country, now is the time to come together in support of our community as we start the healing process,” Adcox said via a statement. “We must acknowledge the unique stress and pressure our teachers and educators are carrying. We created this event in hopes of coming alongside them with support and resources while celebrating their vital role in leading the next generation.”
Other guest speakers include:
- Sissy Goff, M.Ed, LPC-MHSP, CCATP – Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling, author of twelve books including a book on anxiety, and co-host of the popular podcast “Raising Boys and Girls”
- David Thomas, L.M.S.W. – Director of Family Counseling at Daystar, author of ten books including the best-selling Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys and Raising Emotionally Strong Boys: Tools Your Son can Build on for Life and co-host of the “Raising Boys & Girls” podcast
- Madison Lawn, MSCMHC, CET-II – Group leader at Onsite, crisis counselor with experience facilitating groups for grieving children and providing weekly therapy to students in a university counseling center
- Carlos Martinez, M.Div., MSMHC, LPC, ACS, CET-II – Lead Clinician at Onsite and Onsite Foundation’s Triumph Over Tragedy workshop, the nation’s first trauma-informed program for survivors of mass shootings
- Carlos Whittaker – Author, speaker, host of the Human Hope podcast as well as People’s Choice Award winner & social media storyteller
The event has been organized and produced by Nashville-area entertainment marketing agency FlyteVu, with a donation from Tyler and Hayley Hubbard.
“As someone who has lost a loved one due to trauma from a mass shooting, I know firsthand the long-lasting effects of these school tragedies,” said Laura Hutfless, CEO of FlyteVu and former Board President of The Onsite Foundation, via a statement. “As a new mom, I want to equip the teachers in our community who are leading our children through an unprecedented time with tools, hope, and confidence to step back into the classrooms and thrive.”
Nashville-area educators and staff members can claim a free general admission ticket beginning Friday, April 21 at 10 a.m. CT at hopeforheroes.com. Event doors will open at 5 p.m. CT on May 1, with programming beginning at 6 p.m. CT.
