Jefferson Street United Merchants Partership Honors Key Community Leaders At Its 20th Anniversary Luncheon

   December 6th, 2016             Blog Client News

Organization features The Honorable Mayor Megan Barry, Jimmy Church, Cheri Henderson, Harvey Hoskins and Avery Patton for their tireless service to the North Nashville community

Nashville, Tenn. (December 6, 2016) – The Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership (J.U.M.P.) celebrated years of work developing, fostering, and promoting cooperative economic development in North Nashville with a 20th anniversary event. The celebration was marked with a luncheon, hosted by former Mayor Karl Dean, that was held at Meharry Medical College – Cal Turner Family Center.

“Jump is a very special organization. I’ve been involved with JUMP and known Sharon, for some time and the things that JUMP stands for, improving the lives of people and doing it together is so meaningful for our city,” said Dean. The belief in celebrating the past and planning for the future of our city and is what makes us great.  And though we might face a myriad of problems, I believe that if we work together, we can solve our issues together. Jefferson Street’s history is indeed an enrichment to the fabric of our community and is something we should tap to bring us together and because Sharon pushes, and demands, that things are done for all who live in Nashville, she is truly a great Nashvillian.”

The event celebrated twenty years of hard work put forth by J.U.M.P., its current program offerings as well as honored prominent members of the Nashville community who have made an impact on the success of the organization. Honorees included Mayor Megan Barry, Jimmy Church, Cheri Henderson, Harvey Hoskins and Avery Patton.

Mayor Megan Barry is currently serving her first term as Nashville’s Mayor. More notably, she is the first woman and the first member of the Metro Council to ever be elected mayor. After moving to Nashville in 1991 to pursue a degree from Vanderbilt University, she decided to remain here and call it home. In 2007 and 2011, Barry was elected as an at-large member of the Metro Council. Once elected mayor, Barry put her focus on improving schools, creating affordable housing, and building upon Nashville’s economic growth.

Jimmy Church is a Nashville native and leader of The Jimmy Church Band. After entering music professionally while still in high school, Church began seeing a bright musical career ahead of him. From starting out with vocal group the Seniors, Church pursued many endeavors including Johnny Otis’ band in Los Angeles before deciding to return back to the South to begin a solo recording career with the Hickory label. His current band has been featured nationally in Vogue Magazine and on the television show “Say
Yes to the Dress.”

Cheri Henderson is the President and CEO of the Tennessee Minority Supplier Development Council. She works to create connections between large corporations and minority owned small businesses. Her work is very notable around the Nashville community where small businesses are constantly growing alongside bigger corporations.

Harvey Hoskins currently serves as the managing partner at Hoskins and Company CPAs. With over thirty-six years of governmental and public accounting, he has vast experience with various financial institutions, nonprofit organizations, and government entities. Aside from his accounting experience, Hoskins is a very active member of the Nashville community. He has been recognized as Small Business Person of the Year and has served many community organizations including the Board of Directors and finance committee of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce.

Avery Patton is a prominent member of the Nashville community, serving as the President of the Dirty Dozen Men’s Organization, a group focused on mentoring inner-city youth. He also is the current training coordinator for the Metro Division of Assessments, an assistant basketball coach for the boy’s team at East Nashville Magnet High School and a member of the Nashville Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

The luncheon was presented by HCA’s TriStar Health System and J.U.M.P. also partnered with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation, SAK, The Maynard Group and Mapco as sponsors for the event.

“It is an honor to reach this milestone,” said Sharon Hurt, president and CEO of J.U.M.P. “The community has rallied around us over the years. The work that we do assists people from all socio-economic backgrounds and has an opportunity to ensure those in the North Nashville community are not left-out or left behind. That’s ultimately why I’m still here, fighting the fight of the persons and community that we serve.”

J.U.M.P. has multiple programs that support, involve and engage the community. From the annual Jefferson Street Jazz & Blues Festival to a transportation program for inner-city seniors and has partnered with other organizations to present the Jefferson Street Art Crawl, as well.

“I am thrilled to see the impact that this organization has on the lives of so many. It truly is an organization worth celebrating,” said Hurt.
For more information on J.U.M.P., please visit www.jumpnashville.com.