Nashville CARES offers HIV & community service opportunities in Nashville and Middle TN. Volunteer opportunities are open to individuals, as well as companies, schools and faith communities. To simply volunteer in a support role for one of our annual events (Dining Out For Life, Nashville Pride Festival, Nashville AIDS Walk & 5K Run, annual Gala fundraising event, etc.), sign up now on our Volunteer Portal. Most other volunteer roles begin with a training session and mandatory background check.
Some events listed won’t be available for volunteer sign-up until closer to the actual event date, so please check back often.
One thing that all Nashville CARES volunteers have in common? The positivity and joy you get from taking on a meaningful service project. At a time when kindness and empathy have become more important than ever, we offer all kinds of ways to spread the love.
Ready to get involved? Start by clicking the link below to visit our Volunteer Portal. If you’re interested specifically in group or corporate volunteer opportunities, reach out directly to our Community Engagement & Volunteer Manager at
The Tennessee AIDS Education & Training Center (TN AETC) is a program of the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic (VCCC) in Nashville, TN – one of the largest comprehensive HIV clinics in the country. The TN AETC is part of the Southeast AIDS Education and Training Center (SE AETC) – an eight-state consortium that includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Founded in 1973, Lambda Legal is the oldest and largest national legal organization whose mission is to achieve full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. Lambda Legal’s Help desk provides information and resources relating to discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, and HIV status.
Positive Women’s Network – USA (PWN-USA) is a national membership body of women living with HIV and our allies that exists to strengthen the strategic power of all women living with HIV in the United States. Founded in 2008 by 28 diverse women leaders living with HIV, PWN-USA develops a leadership pipeline and policy agenda that applies a gender lens to the domestic HIV epidemic grounded in social justice and human rights.
Transgender Law Center – Positively Trans (TLC) is the largest national trans-led organization advocating for a world in which all people are free to define themselves and their futures. Grounded in legal expertise and committed to racial justice, TLC employs a variety of community-driven strategies to keep transgender and gender-nonconforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation.
Led by trans women of color living with HIV, Positively Trans addresses inequities, stigma, and discrimination nationally and in our local communities through community-driven research, leadership development, and storytelling.
Tennessee Justice Center works to ensure all Tennesseans have access to affordable health coverage.
Tennessee Equality Project advocates for the equal rights of LGBTQ people in Tennessee. They do this through legislative advocacy.
The Center for HIV Law & Policy challenges barriers to the rights and health of people affected by HIV through legal advocacy, high-impact policy initiatives, and the creation of cross-issue partnerships, networks, and resources.
The SERO Project is focused on ending inappropriate criminal prosecutions of PLHIV, including for non-disclosure of their HIV status, potential or perceived HIV exposure, or HIV transmission, and on building and supporting PLHIV networks.
AIDS United advocates on a national level for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS and the organizations that serve them. TAAN is a member of the AIDS United Public Policy Council (PPC) that brings together organizations from across the United States to advocate for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS & the organizations that serve them. The Public Policy Council operates as a standing committee of the AIDS United Board of Trustees, informing the policy priorities of the organization.
As a part of its overall public health mission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides leadership in helping control the HIV/AIDS epidemic by working with the community, state, national, and international partners in surveillance, research, and prevention and evaluation activities.
The Southern AIDS Coalition promotes accessible and high-quality systems of HIV and STD prevention, care, treatment, and housing throughout the South through a unique partnership of government, community organizations, people living with HIV disease, and business entities.
Treatment Access Expansion Project (TAEP) works to maximize access to comprehensive care and treatment for low-income people living with HIV or AIDS. TAEP’s health care access programs focus on both increasing the number of people receiving care and treatment and on improving the quality of the health care received.
The PAIGE–Memphis (Project for the Advancement in Gays’ Efforts) is an agency consisting of person-centered programming to serve the often disenfranchised, less served, and often misrepresented minority youth and in the LGBTQIA community.
Get PREP – TN is a campaign to raise awareness about Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an FDA-approved treatment for the prevention of HIV. PrEP is a powerful and innovative HIV prevention tool that can help more Tennessee residents live HIV-free.
Cempa Community Care was organized in 1986 and received its nonprofit status in 1988. Our mission is to champion healthy communities through compassionate and responsive delivery of education, health, social, and advocacy-related services. Our community outreach and education department works in collaboration with regional agencies to provide testing, education, and information to break down social stigmas and help prevent the spread of HIV in East Tennessee.