Upcoming Events
(THIS EVENT HAS PASSED)
Thank you, Nashville!
What an incredible morning at the Hike for Healing. We are grateful for every family, partner, volunteer, sponsor, and supporter who showed up, walked with us, and helped create a space of joy, connection, and community healing.
Your presence matters. Your energy matters. You matter.
Stay tuned — we’ll be sharing photos right here soon!
We can’t wait for you to relive the moments with us.
OCTOBER 26
This event has passed.
First Evangelical Lutheran Church – Community Awareness & Support Gathering
We are honored to join our friends at First Evangelical Lutheran Church for an evening of connection, learning, and beloved community. The congregation has expressed deep belief in our mission and is opening their doors to help uplift the work of healing, repair, and safety in our city. Together, we will share stories of impact, highlight the importance of community-rooted responses to harm, and invite continued support for the children and families we walk alongside.
We are grateful for this partnership and for a faith community that understands that true public safety is built through compassion, accountability, and restored relationships. By standing with us, First Evangelical Lutheran Church helps advance a Nashville where every person—especially those most affected by violence, inequity, and disconnection—can be seen, supported, and empowered to thrive.
UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
NOVEMBER 6
Frist Art Museum
An Evening of Art & Impact
An Evening of Art & Impact is a private gathering of our closest supporters, hosted in partnership with the Frist Art Museum. We are deeply grateful to the Frist for opening their doors and sharing their beautiful space as we come together for an intimate evening of community, connection, and purpose. Guests will enjoy a shared meal, experience the richness of the gallery, and hear updates from CEO Travis Claybrooks on the growing impact of our work to advance healing, safety, and community well-being. This is a night to reflect, celebrate, and invest in a future where every child, family, and neighborhood can thrive. We look forward to honoring our partners, sharing stories of transformation, and inviting guests into the next chapter of this movement.
NOVEMBER 8
TBD
Early Embrace: Growing Together Celebration
The Early Embrace Growing Together Celebration is a joyful gathering to honor early educators and the families who nurture Nashville’s youngest learners. Celebrando a los educadores de la primera infancia y sus familias, this event recognizes the powerful role caregivers play in shaping bright futures, strengthening communities, and planting the seeds of lifelong success. Together, we will celebrate their dedication, culture, resilience, and love, while fostering connection, appreciation, and support among those who guide our children in their earliest and most important years.
DECEMBER 13
Church of the Messiah
Turkey & Dressing: A Celebration of Community Care, Connection, and Belonging
Now in its third year, our Turkey & Dressing Celebration continues to grow as a joyful tradition rooted in love, dignity, and collective care. Thanks to our generous partner, S3 Recycling Solutions, families receive donated turkeys to prepare at home for the holiday season. Meanwhile, throughout the year, the Raphah Institute gathers “dressing” — winter clothing, essentials, and items that help families stay warm, comfortable, and supported.
On the day of the event, volunteers come together as personal shoppers, walking alongside parents, caregivers, and children to help them find the items that best meet their needs. This intentional, relationship-centered approach turns what could feel like “charity” into belonging, choice, and joy.
This year, we are deepening that sense of shared community. Families will gather in the fellowship hall as they wait — not in lines, but in connection. During this time, community partners will share resources, offer encouragement, and speak about what it means to build a beloved community where everyone’s humanity is honored. We even hope to sprinkle in entertainment, music, and moments of joy, making the day feel warm, celebratory, and alive.
At its heart, Turkey & Dressing is not just about meeting needs — it is about affirming dignity, strengthening relationships, and creating spaces where families feel seen and supported. We are grateful for every volunteer, partner, donor, and neighbor who makes this event possible. Together, we continue to show what is possible when community cares for community.
Turkey. Dressing. Together.
This is what beloved community looks like.
Thank you, Junior League, for your incredible support in sorting, washing, and organizing donations. Your hard work ensures that our families receive items with dignity, care, and love. We are deeply grateful for your partnership and service to the community. Together, we are helping our neighbors feel seen, supported, and valued.
DECEMBER 15 -
JANUARY 12
Community Update: Honoring Rest, Healing, and Sustainability
At Raphah, we know that healing work requires a full heart, a clear mind, and a grounded spirit. Day after day, our team bears witness to trauma, holds space for deep pain, and walks alongside families who deserve support, dignity, and safety. This work is sacred—and it is also emotionally and spiritually costly. Just as we encourage the families we serve to care for themselves, we must also practice what we teach.
From December 15, 2025 through January 12, 2026, our team will enter a Self-Care Sabbatical. During this time, our staff will step back to rest, reset, and restore, so we can return with the fullness, clarity, and compassion that our mission and our community deserve.
We want to be clear: rest does not mean abandonment. Though our core team will be paused, someone will remain on call to check in with families and respond to needs that cannot wait. Until systems truly change—until resources are accessible, support is equitable, and thriving is a right and not a privilege—we will not leave our community unsupported.
Self-care is not an escape from the work.
It is preparation to continue it.
Thank you for honoring this pause and holding space for our humanity. We look forward to returning in the new year—renewed in spirit, grounded in purpose, and committed as ever to building a world where healing is possible, safety is shared, and everyone has what they need not just to survive, but to thrive.
Want More Engagement?
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Turkey & Dressing: Community Care in Action
Every December, Raphah Institute partners with S3 Recycling Solutions to host our annual Turkey & Dressing event, a celebration of dignity and community for the families of JC Napier and Tony Sudekum. With the generous donation of turkeys from S3, we ensure that every participating household receives a warm meal to share.
But our commitment doesn’t stop there.
Throughout the year, we collect new or gently used clothing, including new winter coats, gloves, and hats, to support families as the colder months arrive. We believe everyone deserves to feel seen, supported, and warmly clothed.
We invite you to be a part of this powerful experience:
Volunteer your time during the event
Lead a clothing drive in your workplace, school, or congregation
Be a personal shopper—help a community member select items with care and joy
Interested in getting involved or learning more?
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Partner. Design. Restore.
At Raphah Institute, we believe lasting change begins with deep partnership, thoughtful design, and the shared work of restoration.
We invite individuals, groups, and organizations to join us in this mission—not just by filling a role, but by becoming co-creators in the work of healing and community transformation.
Whether you're moved to:
Join a seasonal event like our Turkey & Dressing celebration
Co-create a project or outreach effort that reflects your gifts and our shared values
Offer your time, skills, or connections in a way that uplifts the families we serve
Imagine something entirely new that supports restoration in our community
We want to hear from you.
If you see alignment between your heart and our mission, reach out. Let’s explore how we can partner, design, and restore—together.
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Pack. Power. Promise.
Looking for a team-building experience with real impact? Pack. Power. Promise. is a unique opportunity to support Raphah Institute by partnering with our friends at Nashville Diaper Connection. Together, we wrap diapers — and dignity — around families navigating crisis.
If your business or friend group is interested in a fast-paced, purpose-driven challenge that supports both justice and care in our city, contact us to discuss options.
🌿 Blossom and Thrive: A Fundraiser Breakfast for Healing and Transformation 🌿
🌿 Blossom and Thrive: A Fundraiser Breakfast for Healing and Transformation 🌿
🌸 Event
Join us for the Blossom & Thrive Fundraiser Breakfast — a morning of inspiration, connection, and impact.
📅 April 23, 2025 | ⏰ 7:30–8:30 AM (Registration at 7:00 AM)
📍 West End United Methodist Church, 2290 West End Ave., Nashville, TN 37203
🎟 Capacity is limited to 120 guests — register now to reserve your seat and invite your friends!
🌐 Can’t make it in person? We’d still love for you to join us virtually! Add it to your calendar now so you can participate and be part of this special morning from wherever you are.
🌱 Story
At Raphah Institute, we believe that every individual already holds within them the seeds of resilience, wisdom, and transformation. Our work is not about fixing people — it’s about nurturing what is already there, providing the support, relationships, and opportunities needed for them to blossom into their fullest potential and thrive in lasting change.
🌿 Through the Early Embrace Initiative, we equip families with tools to build strong foundations for their children. Through Accountability and Repair Conferencing, we redefine justice by fostering healing where harm has occurred.
🌸 Your support makes this possible. By attending, donating, or becoming a sponsor, you become part of the vital work of creating healing, hope, and generational transformation.
CSFY 2024 National Convening
The Campaign for Fair Sentencing of Youth will be hosting its first National Convening in five years! Raphah Institute is excited to join CSFY on Friday, September 27 for a panel discussing our experience with restorative and transformative justice. We will also discuss the 6th episode of Justice, USA.
A Restorative Justice Film Screening & Discussion
Join the Stoneleigh Foundation & the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth for a screening & discussion of the documentary JUSTICE, USA.
Early Embrace Graduation Ceremony
We are delighted to invite you to the Early Embrace Graduation Ceremony, celebrating the remarkable achievements of 19 dedicated women from the Napier-Sudekum community.
Inaugural Fundraising Breakfast
Join Us for our Inaugural Fundraising Breakfast (Register below)
Raphah Institute cordially invites you to our Inaugural Fundraising Breakfast, a morning of inspiration and collective action to reignite hope and forge pathways to a brighter future! This gathering is an opportunity to deepen your understanding of Raphah Institute's pivotal programs and connect with our community's compelling stories of resilience and transformation. Your participation and support are critical in helping us extend our reach and impact, offering the most vulnerable among us the chance to heal and thrive. Save your seat at our inaugural breakfast now and join us in a movement that changes lives.
Justice, USA Premier features Raphah Institute in Episode 6
The six-episode Max Original documentary series JUSTICE, USA debuts with two episodes THURSDAY, MARCH 14 on Max, followed by two new episodes weekly, concluding on March 28. The project hails from Oscar®, GRAMMY® and Emmy®-winning Common ("Silo”), Humanitas Prize finalist Marshall Goldberg (“Life Goes On”), Emmy®-winning and Oscar®-nominated executive producer Mike Tollin (“The Last Dance”) and MTP, with Think Common Entertainment’s Tamara Brown also executive producing.
Logline: JUSTICE, USA is a compelling 360-degree insider’s view of Nashville's criminal justice system, offering unprecedented access to the men’s, women’s, and juvenile jails, as we watch inmates, deputies, lawyers, and judges confront issues of incarceration, mental illness, and addiction.
Credits: JUSTICE, USA is produced by MTP: Mike Tollin Productions and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network; executive producers Common, Tamara Brown, Marshall Goldberg, and Mike Tollin; Randy Ferrell serves as showrunner.