Catholic Charities, Diocese of Nashville hosted its annual Festival of Hope, presented by First Horizon event, for more than 300 attendees on Tuesday, April 18, at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Nashville. The Cuban-themed event included a catered breakfast, Cuban music, and allowed attendees to learn more about Catholic Charities. Attendees were also addressed by Bishop J. Mark Spalding, Judy Orr, Catholic Charities executive director, and former Catholic Charities client Noelle Rasmussen. The event was MC'd by Rhori Johnston, a news anchor for Channel 5.

Thousands of Nashvillians came together to create a three mile human chain from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where the victims of The Covenant School shooting were brought to the Tennessee State Capitol as a demonstration for the urging to pass gun safety measures on Tuesday, April 18. The "Linking Arms for Change" event was Voices for a Safer Tennessee, a newly-formed, nonpartisan statewide coalition dedicated to prioritizing gun safety and advocating for common sense gun laws to make communities across Tennessee safer for all.

Voices for a Safer Tennessee organized a three-mile long human chain ending outside the State Capitol on Tuesday, April 18.The event followed in the wake of a shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, in which an assailant shot and killed six people, including three 9-year-old children. The goal of the event, which drew more than 8,000 people, was to urge the Tennessee Legislature to take steps to address gun violence.