My family and I moved to Middle Tennessee in the fall of 2005. But in a sense, I’ve always felt connected to the area. I have lots of family here and have visited Nashville since I was a kid. My broadcast career has taken me from Maine to Las Vegas and then Indiana. So when the opportunity arose to settle here, I knew it would be a perfect fit.
Not long after I arrived, NewsChannel 5 entered into a partnership with the Nashville Rescue Mission. It started out as just one of the station duties I was assigned to do. We created public service announcements using video to bring awareness to the plight of Nashville’s homeless.
Not being native to Nashville, I was not very familiar with the Mission in the beginning. I just thought they served food to the hungry. Over time I developed a greater awareness of what they were doing and developed a more personal commitment to the cause. As I visited the Mission, I met lots of incredible people. I talked with them, and learned about the life-recovery programs that are available to men and women in our community who are in need of help recovering from challenging life situations like addiction or abuse. I learned about all the educational opportunities that are a part of the program, like computer courses or GED preparation. That “partnership” between the station and the Mission, quickly turned into a personal relationship.
“I love being able to share this experience with my family. It is a joy to serve others and we are blessed in the process.”
Now, I look forward to bringing my family to serve over the holidays. Through these experiences, my young children have truly learned the value of serving others. I also look forward to the dynamic that takes place the day before Thanksgiving when anchors, reporters and meteorologists from all four of the TV stations in our area show up to serve the hungry and homeless. It’s great to see us forget about the competitive nature of our business, and work together for a worthy cause like feeding those who are in need.
I love Nashville and Middle Tennessee. I live here and I work here. And after seeing the value of what the Nashville Rescue Mission brings to this incredible community—I can’t think of a better organization with which to partner. They are doing great things and lives are being changed. I encourage you to learn more about the Mission, get involved and support the work that is being done there. You won’t be disappointed.
Rhori Johnston is co-anchor of NewsChannel 5 at Five, Six and Ten weekday evenings. He’s also an occasional host of OpenLine, an issues-oriented talk show on NewsChannel 5 Plus. Rhori is married with two, school-aged children.