2020 Issue 6 Nov/Dec - Focus Mid-Tenn Magazine

OUR 2020 OF PEOPLE TO KNOW:
40 over 40
Who says life stops after 40?
by Lauren Means | photos courtesy Tennessee Photographs
We, at FMT, had the pleasure of learning about so many people over the past few
months. Several, we already knew, but certainly still learned quite a bit. While we
couldn’t place everyone in the magazine, we are creating a web page that will
showcase all 40 individuals that were nominated and chosen to be recognized as one of
the top 40 Over 40 people in Middle Tennessee. We’re proud of their accomplishments
and can only hope that we can achieve a fraction of what they have.
RUSS ARNOLD (HE/HIM)
Russ founded Shower The
People, a nonprofit that provides
mobile showers and hygiene
supplies to individuals
in need. Russ drives
the bus that has been
transformed into the
mobile shower facility
to different locations
throughout Nashville
providing showers
to those folks living
on the streets or in
encampments. Russ
has poured blood and
sweat into the bus in
order to be able to
provide showers to
those in need.
Russ is out late at night, in the
cold, rain, snow and the heat of
summer to ensure that the bus
is at the shower locations when
promised. When the bus is having
work completed, Russ drives a
van to shower locations to pick
up folks and drives them to a
local church to shower so that
our shower guests are still able to
access the same resources every
week. Without Russ, hundreds of
individuals would have gone weeks
without access to a hot shower,
clean clothes and hygiene supplies.
STEPHANIE (STEPH) BALLOU
(SHE/HER)
Steph was born and raised
in Gallatin, Tennessee and
went to Hendersonville High.
Steph is a fierce competitor
with a huge drive. In her early
years, she swam for Nashville
Aquatic Club which led to a
swim scholarship at George
Washington University where
she narrowly missed out on the
Olympic qualifying time.
Steph works for Alliance
Bernstein (AB) and has made a
huge impact in Nashville. Steph
is the co-chair of the AB Out
group taking a leadership role in
integrating AB and Nashville. Her
biggest task has been bringing
AB to the forefront in Nashville
Pride. During the Coronavirus
she has led many
‘happy hour’ zoom
meetings for people
to connect and just
simply converse.
Steph recently
accepted a
board role for
the Nashville
LGBT Chamber of
Commerce taking
an active part in the
chamber business.
DAWN BENNETT (SHE/HER)
It wasn’t her plan to go to
seminary in her 50s and
begin life over as an ordained
pastor. She has lived in Middle
Tennessee since the mid-’90s
and has seen all too much harm
from religion-based trauma,
especially to LGBTQ+ youth and
families. It was time to make a
change and answer the call.
She says it’s an honor to serve
and she’s excited to participate
in changing the face of our
faith community — “As I serve
I get to love on lots of folks, do
what I can to repair the breach
and build some
new bridges
to a happier,
healthier and
more affirming
culture for our
most vulnerable
voices.”
Pastor Dawn
now runs The
Table, a faith
collective that
promotes spiritual
well-being for
LGBTQIA+ and
minority people groups in
the exploration of self, faith,
community and the deeper
issues of being and belonging.
CHEERS! / NOV+DEC 2020 / focusmidtenn.com / Page 17