Nashville CARES Offers Counseling for Those Affected by HIV/AIDS

A financial services professional with over four decades of experience, Wonnie Short worked for over 15 years as senior vice president of investments at A.G. Edwards & Sons in Nashville, Tennessee. Alongside his professional pursuits, Wonnie Short has worked to give back to his community through his contributions to several organizations, including Nashville CARES.

In support of its mission to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Middle Tennessee, Nashville CARES offers a variety of programs and services for people of all ages. Since opening its doors in 1985, the organization has provided counseling for individuals, couples, and families whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS. 

All of Nashville CARES’ counseling services are confidential and available to people from all walks of life regardless of their ability to pay. Although the organization’s focus is on HIV/AIDS, Nashville CARES provides services to address the emotional, relational, and behavioral concerns of those without the disease as well. Licensed by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the organization even provides medication consultation for those who are considering or currently taking psychiatric medication. 

In addition to offering counseling services, Nashville CARES provides HIV testing and oversees prevention education, transportation, healthcare, financial, and other support programs. For more information about the organization’s services, visit www.nashvillecares.org.

Natchez Trail Completes Vegetation Map

Wonnie Short has worked in the finance industry for more than 40 years, focusing on financial and retirement planning; he is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a bachelor of arts in finance and marketing. In his leisure time, Wonnie Short enjoys riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle on the Natchez Trace Parkway.

In a partnership with the National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office, the Natchez Trace Parkway has completed a decade-long effort to compile a comprehensive vegetation map of the park. To help gather the information, the Gulf Coast Inventory and Monitoring Network, NatureServe, and the United States Geological Survey were brought in as contractors. Through the combined efforts of these organizations, a map detailing the vegetation and ground cover throughout all the Natchez Trace Parkway is now complete.

The reason why vegetation maps are important is because they provide classification and descriptions for 270 parks throughout America, which is vital for both information and conservation purposes. Park Superintendent Mary Risser commented on the map’s completion, saying it would be “a great tool for resource management planning.”