Tennessee Innocence Project Hosts Inspired by Innocence Oct. 27th
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (October 11, 2022) – Tennessee Innocence Project will hold its biggest event of the year, the 2022 Inspired by Innocence fundraiser on October 27th at the Music City Center. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. The music will showcase innocence work across the State and highlight the organization’s four exonerees; honor exemplary legal professionals in the community; and feature a keynote address from Roger Mitchell, Jr. MD FCAP.
“This year’s event will focus on stories and songwriting to inspire our community,” said Jessica Van Dyke, Tennessee Innocence Project, Executive Director/Lead Counsel. “Our exonerees partnered with professional singer-songwriters, Jon Mabe, Zac Maloy, Marcus Hummon, and Bill Ditenhafer to use music as a means of storytelling, healing, and connection. Guests will have the opportunity to listen to these original pieces for the first time. They will hear the emotional struggles of the wrongfully convicted and the feelings connected with being imprisoned for a crime you did not commit.”
This year is the Tennessee Innocence Project's second year presenting an annual "Rule of Law Award" to honor those heroes who courageously work to uphold the Rule of Law in the most fundamental sense. The 2022 recipients will be both Bass Berry and Sims PLC and the firm’s Pro Bono Member, David Esquivel. The inaugural 2021 recipient was Judge Gil Merritt.
The Tennessee Innocence Project’s 2021 event won Nfocus Magazine’s “2021 Best Special Guest Award” with guest Amanda Knox. The organization’s debut fundraiser won Nfocus Magazine’s “2019 Best New Fundraiser Award.”
“It is an honor to once again be a part of the team planning and executing the Tennessee Innocence Project annual event,” said Board Vice President and Development Chair Stephanie Ditenhafer. “The Tennessee Innocence Project is necessary in Tennessee and filling a gap in our legal system for those who have been wrongfully convicted.”
This year’s event is made possible by generous sponsors across the state, including Innocence Sponsor Garza Law, and Exoneration Sponsors Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, Burr & Forman LLP, Ginny & Garry Ferraris, FlyteVu, Hagan & Todd PLLC, Joanne & Mark Hazelwood, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, Luxury Auto Collection, Cindy & Brad MacLean, Pinnacle Financial Partners, Polsinelli PC, Regions, Sanford Heisler Sharp LLP, Swafford Law firm, and Waller LLP.
To learn more about the 2022 Inspired by Innocence fundraiser, visit www.tninnocence.org/inspired-by-innocence.