The Return of the YWCA Spring Breakfast: A Community Showing Up When It Matters Most

After six years, we gathered again.

More than 500 friends, supporters, and community leaders, including Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, filled Nissan Stadium for the return of the YWCA Spring Breakfast—an event that had been on pause since 2020, but never forgotten. Presented by Tennessee Titans One Community and led by co-chairs Hannah Paramore Breen, Lindsey Lance, Sean Henry, Tracey Henry, and Burly Nelson, the morning was a powerful reminder of what happens when a community shows up.

And show up, it did.

But as our CEO Sharon Roberson shared from the stage, the work never stopped—even when the event did.

“While this room was quiet, the phones were not. While this stage was empty, the shelter was full,” she said. “The mission never paused—not for a single day.”

Every call answered. Every night of shelter. Every counseling session. Every young person discovering their voice.

That includes the girls in our Girls Inc. program—young women who arrive uncertain and leave transformed.

“You’ll hear from young women who walked into Girls Inc. uncertain—and are walking out of high school bold, brilliant, and bound for college,” Sharon said. “That transformation is made possible by this community.”

The breakfast was filled with stories like these—stories of resilience, survival, and healing. Stories that remind us not just what YWCA does, but why it matters.

Co-chair Sean Henry challenged attendees—especially men—to think beyond their role as donors and step more fully into the mission.

“Yes, give generously today,” he said. “But what the YWCA is asking of us goes deeper than a donation. If we want to end cycles of violence, we have to reach young men before those cycles start. That is men’s work. That is our work.”

Through programs like AMEND Together, YWCA is working to do exactly that—engaging men and boys as part of the solution and helping build a future free from violence.

It is also making an impact statewide, nationwide, and worldwide with the Shear Haven initiative. Since launching the online training in 2020, YWCA Nashville has trained 171,000 beauty professionals on the signs of domestic abuse and how to respond. We helped pass a law in Tennessee requiring this life-saving education, and one is currently pending in Congress.

Together, the room raised more than $170,000 to support this life-saving work. Our sponsors - including the Tennessee Titans One Community, First Acceptance, CAA Icon, Erin Forsberg, Genesco, Devoted Dreamers Foundation, Hannah Building Group, Turner Construction, Nashville Soccer Club, and Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp - gave generously to support our work.

And yet, the need has never been greater.

With federal funding cuts impacting vital programs, the safety net for survivors is under increasing strain. As Sharon made clear, the gap is real—but so is the opportunity.

“What fills that gap—what has always filled that gap—is this community.”

The return of the Spring Breakfast wasn’t just a moment. It was momentum.

And if this week proved anything, it’s that this community is ready to carry the work forward—together.

Photos courtesy of Libby Adkins, YWCA Junior Board Committee Member