Martha Meeks looks towards the window at the CHATT Foundation where she works as a Peer Support Specialist. She uses her lived experiences to guide and support unhoused individuals in the Chattanooga area. Friday, October 16, 2026. (Photo by Ashlyn Yoes)
Martha Meeks spent seven years unhoused, sleeping inside tents and under bridges, afraid to fall asleep. Today, she is a Peer Support Specialist at the CHATT Foundation, and spends every day helping people who are living through what she experienced.
Housing had been a struggle for Meeks since being put out of her home by her foster parents at the age of 16. In 2008, she was in college, working two jobs and raising a child, when an incident occurred that caused her to have a nervous breakdown. She became unhoused, an experience she says is far more common than people may expect.
“It really could happen to anybody,” said Meeks. “That could be your child.”
Shanelle Reeves Wright is a mom of two children; one graduated, and one currently in the NICU at Erlanger Hospital. With both pregnancies bringing unexpected hardships, Shanelle has found a new appreciation for the team at the hospital as well as the Ronald Mcdonald House, which has offered her a home away from home during her time spent in the Chattanooga area.
The halls of Erlanger Hospital often ring with cheers at the news of a child finally going home – an announcement Shanelle Reeves-Wright knew well, and one she hoped would soon be reason for celebration within her own family.
Originally from Cartersville, Georgia, Reeves-Wright was five months into her pregnancy when she and her husband, Otis Wright, learned they would need to deliver their firstborn 15 weeks early at Erlanger Hospital: over seventy-seven miles from home.
Shanelle Reeves-Wright and her daughter, Penelope Jade, at the NICU in Erlanger Baroness in downtown Chattanooga. Although her daughter is surrounded by medical equipment, Reeves-Wright takes comfort knowing her daughter has been well-cared for. Thursday, October 1, 2026. (Photo by Noah Blount)
“All of a sudden it was like, oh, you’re going to pack up by ambulance, and we’re sending you to Erlanger,” Reeves-Wright recalls. “Didn’t know what that was, didn’t know where that was, and we were both like, what’s an Erlanger?”
Crystal Alba, a volunteer at The Dandelion Kind, speaks about what the organization does, what the hardest parts of the job are, and speaks on the stigma surrounding homelessness. Andy “Ringo” Witowski, co-founder of The Dandelion Kind, explains how the organization specializes in veterinary care for the pets of unhoused people and helps to create an accepting and supportive environment for their clients and patients.
A long line of people and animals forms along the street, but there’s no building waiting at the front of the line, just a van. For The Dandelion Kind, a Chattanooga nonprofit serving people and their animals experiencing homelessness, that van is the clinic.
Andy “Ringo” Witowski and veterinarian, Dr. Anna Ramsey, founded the organization after moving to Tennessee and asking one question: Who was providing veterinary care for people without stable housing?
Cecil Colloway covers the eyes of his dog, Come Come, as Dr. Anna Ramsey gives him a routine vaccine. Colloway is a regular at The Dandelion Kind clinics in order to keep Come Come in good health. Tuesday, September 29, 2026. (Photo by Ashlyn Yoes)
The nonprofit began operating in April 2025. Ramsey brought more than a decade of experience in shelter medicine, while her husband, Ringo, brought a willingness to help build something new. Both work full-time jobs, and the nonprofit runs on volunteers.
Boxer George Linden throws a jab into the heavy bag during an afternoon training session at Rock Steady Boxing. Linden joined Rock Steady six years ago in the hopes that it will help with his Parkinson’s symptoms. Tuesday, September 26, 2026. (Photo by Hannah Godel)
At a gym in the outskirts of Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, 70-year-old boxer George Linden pulls on his gloves, shuffles through stations, and bobs his head to the beat of “Eye of the Tiger” as it blasts through the speakers.
Each punch, kick and jab is a way for Linden to fight back against the toughest opponent – Parkinson’s Disease.
Kristen Schillaci, a coach at Rock Steady Boxing, speaks about the specialized fitness program and the vital role that community plays in fighting back against Parkinson’s disease. This organization serves as an empowering space for individuals seeking to improve their mobility, strength, and overall quality of life. They provide non-contact boxing training and dedicated support for the community so members can build resilience against this degenerative condition.
In 2015, Linden’s family began noticing potential symptoms of the disease. It was not until two years later that Linden finally visited the general practitioner, and after being referred to a neurologist, received his diagnosis.
On June 1st, 2019, Rhonda Gilliland died during a heart cath procedure. She was shocked back to life and later received a heart transplant. She speaks on the importance of faith and family through the recovery process and what a second chance at life means to her.
Before everything changed, Rhonda Gilliland was simply a daughter saying goodbye to her father. Within hours of his passing, she faced her own life-threatening crisis, entering what she describes as a peaceful place between worlds before returning to a long, painful recovery. A life-saving heart transplant ultimately reshaped how she understands time, loss, and what it truly means to live.
On June 1, 2019, Gilliland sat beside her father as his life quietly slipped away. The room, heavy suspended between breaths and memories. Machines hummed softly in the background, but Gilliland barely noticed them. Her focus was on her dad, the man who had always been her anchor. She held onto each moment, unwilling to let go.
Then, without warning, everything changed. Gilliland’s chest started to physically hurt.
Blake Pierce washing a bike outside of the WOBC warehouse in preparation to give it away at the Traffic Garden Jamz event. Pierce is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of WOBC. Friday, April 3, 2026. (Photo by Ashlyn Yoes)
In the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, a quiet yet powerful movement is taking place. It is not built on grand gestures, but on simple acts of generosity and connection. White Oak Bicycle Co-op may look like a modest operation at first, but behind its doors, lives are being repaired one bike at a time. White Oak addresses two major challenges at once: access to transportation and access to physical activity.
At the center of it all is Blake Pierce, the executive director and co-founder, whose vision continues to guide the organization. What started as neighbors fixing bikes in garages has grown into something much bigger. For Pierce, White Oak is more than just a bike shop; it’s a direct response to real needs within the community.
White Oak Bicycle Co-op is a local Chattanooga non-profit that specializes in providing bikes and repair services to underprivileged and children in the community. Produced by Kara Newstreet.
“We saw early on that transportation was one of the biggest barriers people were facing,” Pierce says. “A simple bike can remove that barrier almost immediately.”
Jerry Harvey kisses Bonnie the raccoon. Bonnie was a retired education animal. Thursday, March 26, 2026 (Photo by Corbin Winters).
From a sleepy neighborhood street in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Opie Acres appears as an 800-square-foot home with a small shed jutting out of the woods. However, behind the privacy fences and the flourishing green backyards, a bustling rehabilitation farm filled with raccoons, opossums, squirrels, and even skunks can be found.
Opie Acres, a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation farm, is bursting at the seams with more animals than a team of two full-time caretakers and volunteers can handle. The farm provides life-saving medical care to ill, injured, and orphaned Virginia Opossums and other wildlife. Even providing a sanctuary home for animals who can no longer live on their own to spend their last days in the peace and caring arms of Opie Acres.
Isabella Thomson, a volunteer at Opie Acres, speaks about the Wildlife and Opossum Rehabilitation nonprofit and the role volunteers play in rescuing orphaned wildlife. Their organization serves as a safe space for injured animals that are often ignored and seen as pests. They provide medical care and educational resources for the Chattanooga, Tennessee, community, so the animals are not seen as a nuisance but rather as extraordinary animals.
Jerry Harvey, the President and Chief Rehabilitator at Opie Acres, has woven together careers as a veterinary technician, paramedic, comedian, and hairdresser throughout his life, yet the one through line has been his love for animal rehabilitation. “Dealing with people and dealing with different situations of all kinds made a really great wildlife rehabilitator, in my opinion,” said Harvey.
Jackson Gammon soars above a wooden half-pipe outside of Cassette Skate Shop. The business held its grand opening of a temporary skatepark in February. Friday, February 20th, 2026. (Photo by Andromeda Stewart)
Chattanooga, Tennessee, is home to a vibrant skate community currently undergoing immense changes. What was once a cultural hub, practice grounds, and the only legal spot designated for skating, ChattTown Skatepark is currently reduced to being a dirt lot. While only a temporary inconvenience, skaters from far and wide are searching for a gathering place while the $4.4 million skate park renovation is underway.
The dilapidated wooden structures hadn’t satisfied local skaters for decades. A need for a new park was brought to light by local skaters who spoke up about how the previous wooden ramps just weren’t cutting it anymore. The Chattown Skatepark officially closed for reconstruction on November 10, 2025, and is set to reopen in late 2026.
Gene Haman, the owner of VW Clubhouse, shares how Thursday nights have welcomed a community of displaced skateboarders in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A backyard car shop turned haven with a simple half pipe, these skateboarders stay resilient amidst the current renovation of ChattTown skatepark.
Despite not having a main skate park for the next few months, the Chattanooga skate scene is still thriving and finding any and every opportunity to go out and skate together. It’s community players that work behind-the-scenes, offering their own business parking lots and backyard shops to Chattanooga skateboarders that act as the glue for skate culture while ChattTown is closed.
Cathy St. Georges takes the helm while Jerry Lee Jones offers a wave from the stern as they navigate the Tennessee River. The 31-foot custom cruiser represents a multi-year commitment by Jones. Wednesday April 22, 2026 (Photo by Hannah Godel)
Jerry Lee Jones doesn’t need a map to find his favorite stretch of the Tennessee River; he follows the sun. With fiancé Cathy St. Georges at his side, the engine’s hum fades into the background, replaced by the rhythmic rush of the water against the hull. For a few hours, the rest of the world is just a dock they’ve left behind.
After decades navigating the corporate landscape at IBM, Jones has traded the glow of a computer screen for the grain of polished wood. Having spent years quietly crafting hulls in his garage, the retiree now has the one thing his career couldn’t provide: the freedom to follow the river whenever the water calls his name.
Woodworking has been a part of Jones’ life for as long as he can remember. At ten years old, he and his father built a kayak together, a project that sparked a lifelong obsession. That project did more than just teach him how to join two pieces of wood; it instilled a standard of beauty that the modern world rarely meets.
Students, mentor, aviation instructor, and Cleveland High School administrators manually attach the wings on their experimental aircraft kit. Construction started August 2023. Wednesday, April 27, 2026 (Photo by Corbin Winters)
Blurry reflections of focused students stare back from the aluminum shell as the high pitch drill echoes inside a portion of their high school’s old library. Due to partnership with the Tango Flight Program, aircraft construction has found a new home at Cleveland High School, CHS.
“It’s getting more of a hands-on type of experience,” Garrett says. “They learn about different systems of aircrafts. Then they participate in putting that system together.”
Garrett first developed a love for aviation at a young age. While in middle school, Garrett got the opportunity to fly in a “little low-wing Piper Cherokee aircraft,” instantly infatuating him with flight.
