Karla
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.
Hear inspiring stories of our volunteers making a profound impact for good.
Volunteer of the Month: Julian
"Volunteering has given me a strong sense of community and support, and it feels incredible to be a part of Begin Anew's mission. One of my favorite volunteering moments is when I had a very large class of students, and when one student was struggling to understand the math topic, other students jumped in to help them understand."
We are grateful to have you as a part of our team Julian! You go above and beyond to serve the students and provide a safe learning environment for everyone. We truly appreciate you and everything you do for our community!
This video is part of Stories of Hope from Begin Anew, a series of interviews with students, volunteers and leaders where they each share the ways Begin Anew has impacted their lives and the lives of others.
This video is part of Stories of Hope from Begin Anew, a series of interviews with students, volunteers and leaders where they each share the ways Begin Anew has impacted their lives and the lives of others.
Martia’s Story of Hope
Martia, English Language Learning (level 2 - intermediate) (ELL) and Bible Study volunteer at Woodbine Campus shares the impact of volunteering and why she continues to come back.
This video is part of Stories of Hope from Begin Anew, a series of interviews with students, volunteers and leaders where they each share the ways Begin Anew has impacted their lives and the lives of others.
Tara’s Story of Hope
Tara, English Language Learning (Level 1 – basic) (ELL) volunteer, at Franklin Campus, shares her why for volunteering.
Pablo, Woodbine Campus Volunteer
Pablo - Why I Volunteer!
During my first 28 years I grew up, was educated and started my professional career in Guatemala. For work reasons, I moved to Panama. After a decade of living and forming a family in Panama, we came to Nashville in 2019 (again for work reasons).
Growing up in Guatemala I got a chance to see firsthand the struggles and needs that some families face. That is why I understand why some people make the hard decision to leave everything behind and migrate to a new country: starting from zero, no family or friends, and without knowledge of the English language.
That is why about a year and a half ago, when a co-worker told me about the Begin Anew program, I jumped at the opportunity to be able to give back to my fellow Central Americans and teach them a lifelong tool that will help them thrive as they start their new life in the US. To read more click Why I Volunteer
The Moss Family
The Moss Family
Begin Anew is a ministry opportunity where the Moss family is very passionate about the mission. It all started when Eric Ward tapped Joey Moss on the shoulder and said let me tell you about Begin Anew. Joey soon joined the Board of Directors and served as the Board Chair for two terms. Annually, he buys two tables during the Spring Fundraiser and invites family and friends to attend. This is just the beginning of the story for the Moss family.
Unbeknownst to her sons, Mrs. Patti Lu Moss, Joey and Hunter’s mother, and a retired nurse, decided to attend a Begin Anew volunteer training. She also recruited a friend, Pat Steward, to join her in this new adventure back in 2015. As they say, the rest is history as they continue to drive 45 minutes to tutor and mentor students at our Franklin Campus today. Hunter shared this has been a life-changing experience for students, his mother, and their family. Mrs. Patti Lu’s passion for encouraging others also moved her to help students secure other much needed resources for their families. To quote Hunter Moss “students became extended family”. To read more, click Moss Family Story.
Nelda Brown’s Story 25 Years Later
Nelda Brown
Nelda believed in and supported Begin Anew’s (formerly Christian Women’s Job Corps) mission and vision. She was a member of the original group of volunteers who saw a need to serve women who were overlooked and underserved. She humbly shared that she initially got involved because of her relationship with Begin Anew co-founders Candy Phillips and Creely Wilson. Within five years of the founding date (1997), Nelda agreed to serve as Board Chairman from the fall of 2002 through the summer of 2003.
She also stepped up to serve on the annual fundraiser committee in 2005 and in 2013 and 2014, she was asked to serve as the Committee Chair.
Nelda reminisced over the many discussions among Women’s Mission Union (WMU) members about the need to help women living in poverty and how to best address this need. While plans to launch Begin Anew were in motion, the WMU sent team members to Chicago to meet with other nonprofits to help determine how to best create life-changing impact for women living in poverty. Nelda's Full Story
Mary Frances Turner
Mary Frances Turner
She is a dedicated volunteer who got involved with Begin Anew (formerly Christian Women’s Job Corp) from the very beginning - 1997! She worked closely with Creely Wilson and Candy Phillips cofounders of Begin Anew. Mary Frances was a facilitator for the Women’s Missionary Union and encouraged a group of women to actively support female students struggling to overcome obstacles caused by poverty.
Together, they helped adult students secure additional community resources while they were working on achieving their GED and enhancing their computer/job skills. It all started with decorating a bulletin board and then helping mothers provide for their children’s basic needs. But this is only the beginning of Mary Frances’ dedication to Begin Anew’s Mission. For Mary Frances full story click Mary Frances Volunteer Journey.
