NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — People come here to Nashville from all over to chase their dreams in music, but sometimes that dream doesn't leave room for much else.
"We always say the music industry is a lifestyle my rebuttal to that is if its a lifestyle you better be building a life you love," Haley Montgomery said.
Montgomery is a co-founder of the Family Alliance in Music organization along with other music industry members Margaret Hart and Jackie Jones.
"We have a passion to create an environment where professional ambition and caring for a family can coexist. We believe the starting point for sustainable change is elevating awareness and education across the music industry, and our mission is to improve caretaker benefits, equip music professionals with evidence-based resources on key issues, and establish a space for open and honest dialogue," the organization's website said.
The organization is working towards becoming a 501(c)(3) and they have four core pillars.
- Education and Resources
- Benefits
- Grants
- Community Resources
They do not just focus on things revolving around parents, but there is focus on those who are caretakers.
The group also has a task force and you can hear from some of those members in the video above.
From making different families' stories more visible, to working with people on how to approach their company about parental leave, the founders see this as a calling. They want to leave the music industry better than they found it.
There are still so many families in East Tennessee hurting following the floods from Hurricane Helene in September. That made this year's running of the Santa Train extra special for many families in the northeast part of the state. This special Santa Express has been making an annual run in part of Appalachia for over 80 years.
-Lelan Statom