Welcome to Nashville

MOTHERS & SONS SERVING TOGETHER TO IMPACT THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY

Welcome to the Nashville Chapter of the Young Men’s Service League. 

The four years of high school go by incredibly fast. Finding time to spend together with your teenage son gets harder and harder. When you join YMSL, you commit to spending quality time together with your son serving in the community.

In these moments, he sees your dedication to serving others. You see his eyes and heart become open to the world around him. These are memories to last a lifetime and service projects that impact our community forever.

In addition to service, YMSL offers valuable leadership opportunities and a four-year curriculum that covers topics such as car repair, interview skills, cooking, hazing prevention, and more.

We hope you will consider joining us. The time to start the membership process is during your son’s 8th-grade year. We look forward to meeting you and serving together. Scroll down for more details.

About YMSL

The Young Men’s Service League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit national organization. Members of YMSL are moms and their teenage sons who volunteer together to serve their local communities during his four years of high school. YMSL currently represents over 27,500 members and young men as part of more than 160 chapters across 22 states. 

YMSL offers moms service opportunities and time together with her son(s) to grow their relationship and to instill in him a heart of service to last a lifetime. In addition to service, as part of its four-year comprehensive program, YMSL teaches leadership and life skills to develop our young men to become the capable, confident, and compassionate leaders of tomorrow.

The pillars of the YMSL experience are service, learning, and leadership. YMSL is a four-year comprehensive program. Requirements for membership include:

YMSL Mentor (Sponsor)

YMSL is a sponsorship organization; a prospective member needs to be mentored (sponsored) by a current member of the chapter she wishes to join. Contact membership for guidance. Enrollment is during the son’s 8th-grade year. 

4-Year Commitment

Joining YMSL is a four-year commitment. Young men and their mothers are expected to remain active in the chapter during his four years of high school. An annual Volunteer and Senior Recognition Banquet is held each spring.

20 Hours of Service

A minimum of 20 service hours is required annually at a variety of chapter-approved philanthropies. Half of these hours must be served as a Mother/Son team.

Job within the Chapter

Each mom and son must individually serve in a job or leadership position within the chapter. Positions rotate annually. Roles offer valuable experience and leadership opportunities.

5 Meetings

A structured four-year curriculum for young men covers a variety of life skills and brings in local speakers. Young men must attend at least 5 meetings per year. Moms must attend at least 3 meetings per year.

Membership Fees

YMSL annual chapter dues and banquet fee.

Contact membership for more details.

Joining YMSL

Ready to take the next step?

Enrollment for new members takes place in January/February/March of the son’s 8th-grade year.

If you do not know anyone in YMSL, please contact us to assist you.

YMSL is a sponsorship organization, which means a prospective member needs to be mentored and sponsored by a current member of the chapter they wish to join.

If you would like to learn more about joining, please click the contact membership button below to send us a message. 

Our Chapter’s Membership Dates & Deadlines for Enrollment:
  • 01-16-2024Moms meeting
  • 01-21-2024Boys meeting
  • 02-13-2024Moms meeting
  • 02-25-2024Boys meeting
  • 04-02-2024Moms meeting

Contact Membership

Testimonials

“The opportunity for serving our community has been a true blessing. My son has grown by showing love and care for those in need. To be able to have this time volunteering and creating memories is something I will never take for granted.”
Erika ThierNashville, 2026
“YMSL provides the opportunities for us to share intentional time together doing good in the world. We are exposed to the needs around us which grows our hearts and shapes our character. We are grateful for these moments. “
Shonaree MichaelNashville, 2025
“YMSL has helped Logan and I appreciate our time together! We are both learning new skills and giving back to the community by serving some pretty amazing philanthropies in the greater Nashville area.”
April KepnerNashville, 2026

Leadership

Our Chapter’s Leadership Board

Cindi Hibsch

Board Member: President

Audrey Koss

Board Member: First Vice President

Nicole Michaud

Board Member: Parliamentarian

Jennifer Bissonnette

Board Member: Secretary

Dayna McAdams

Board Member: Treasurer

Jamie Tassa

Board Member: VP Communications

Suzanne Smothers

Board Member: VP Membership

Denise Bowler

Board Member: VP Philanthropy

Sarah Ezell

Board Member: VP Website

Autumn Jones

Board Member: VP Young Men Coordinator

Ellen Roberts

Board Member: Assistant VP Membership

Melissa Doyle

Board Member: Assistant VP Philanthropy

Mandy Shanks

Board Member: Assistant Secretary

Allison Hammat

Board Member: Assistant Treasurer

Catherine Lane

Board Member: Assistant VP Young Men Coordinator

Philanthropies we Serve

Alphabetical List

  • 147 Team
  • AAAD – Area Agency on Aging and Disability
  • American Red Cross (Nashville Area)
  • Bell Garden (Bellevue Edible Learning Lab)
  • Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle TN
  • Cheekwood Estate & Gardens
  • E.L.I.’s House
  • Feed My Starving Children
  • Franklin Challengers
  • Friends of Warner Parks
  • GraceWorks Ministries Inc.
  • Inner City Ministry Nashville- Give One Get One
  • Mary Queen of Angels
  • My Bag, My Story
  • Nashville Diaper Connection
  • Nashville Dolphins
  • Nashville Rescue Mission
  • One Generation Away
  • Pinson Hospital Hospitality House of Nashville
  • Room in the Inn
  • Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee
  • ShowerUP
  • Special Olympics
  • Tennessee Senior Olympics
  • The Store
  • Turnip Green Creative Reuse
  • We Rock the Spectrum
  • Wreaths Across America – Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery
  • YMCA Brentwood Full Circle Program
  • Youth Villages

If you are a philanthropy interested in partnering with our chapter, we would love to hear from you. Please use the contact our chapter button below. 

Contact our Chapter

We look forward to hearing from you about membership or how our members can serve your philanthropy and our community. Click the button below to contact our chapter.

If you are interested in joining our chapter, please use the contact membership button in the Join section.

To learn more about the YMSL National organization visit: YMSL.org

To see a full list of chapters visit: YMSL.org/find-a-chapter

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