Skills That Change Communities
Tennessee members use leadership, technical knowledge, and compassion to solve real community needs.
Leadership Through Service
Community service is more than volunteering. It is an opportunity for students to apply the skills they are developing to improve the lives of others.
Across Tennessee, SkillsUSA members build, repair, mentor, care, collect, organize, advocate, and serve. Their projects strengthen children, families, veterans, senior adults, schools, nonprofits, campuses, and local communities.
These experiences demonstrate that career-ready leadership includes responsibility for the communities where students live and work.
A Statewide Culture of Service
Local Needs, Local Leadership
Community colleges and TCAT chapters identify local needs and build service projects around the people and organizations they know best.
Technical Knowledge in Action
Students apply construction, information technology, healthcare, cosmetology, leadership, and other career-ready skills to authentic community work.
More Than Volunteer Hours
Members complete projects, form partnerships, solve problems, and develop the professionalism expected of workforce and community leaders.
What Our Chapters Support
Projects vary by campus and community, but each one connects student leadership and career skills with a meaningful need.
- Children and families
- Veterans and military families
- Senior adults and caregivers
- Food banks and community agencies
- Schools and youth programs
- Healthcare and wellness initiatives
- Career exploration and mentoring
- Nonprofits and civic organizations
27th Annual Tennessee Board of Regents Statewide Food Drive Challenge
Tennessee’s community colleges and colleges of applied technology collected and donated the equivalent of 163,175 food items during the 27th Annual Food Drive Challenge—far surpassing the previous year’s total of 110,851 items.
Since student leaders launched the challenge in 1999, participating campuses have contributed a cumulative total of 2,017,637 food items and cash equivalents to campus food pantries, community food banks, nonprofit food-assistance programs, and other local support agencies.
- 18 TCATs and 9 community colleges participated
- Pellissippi State collected 66,012 items
- Roane State collected 20,954 items
- TCAT Dickson collected 7,654 items
- TCAT Upper Cumberland collected 6,143 items
- TCAT Oneida/Huntsville collected 5,643 items
- Annual campaign runs from early November through mid-December
- Food and funds support students and local communities
Campuses also expanded their service through Angel Trees, toy drives, backpack and coat drives, household-goods collections, hygiene and school-supply drives, domestic-violence support, and child-abuse prevention initiatives.
Community Service in Action
These featured projects are examples submitted by Tennessee SkillsUSA chapters and award nominators. They do not represent the full amount of community service completed statewide.
TBR Food Drive Challenge
For 27 years, students, faculty, and staff across Tennessee’s community and technical colleges have worked together to fight food insecurity on campus and in their communities.
Champions of Service: Sleep in Heavenly Peace
At the 2026 National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, more than 60 Tennessee students, advisors, and volunteers joined SkillsUSA members from across the country in service to children and families.
Building Skills While Building Community
Residential Building Maintenance students complete real construction projects with schedules, safety requirements, inspections, clients, and community expectations.
Construction Service at TCAT Northwest
Building Construction Technology students use hands-on trade skills to support substantial community construction and improvement projects.
Care, Connection, and Encouragement
Students serve senior adults through personal-care services, holiday outreach, and meaningful interaction.
Honoring Those Who Served
Chapters organize ceremonies, research veteran history, raise funds, and support local Veterans Service Offices.
Technical Knowledge That Helps Others
Information technology students provide customer service and troubleshooting while completing authentic technical work.
Introducing Young People to Technical Careers
SkillsUSA members support STEM camps, open houses, career exploration, and hands-on learning experiences.
Serving with Career-Ready Skills
Cosmetology students provide dignity, care, and social connection through professional services.
Service and the SkillsUSA Framework
Community service gives students an authentic setting in which their choices, teamwork, technical skill, and professionalism directly affect others.
Personal Skills
Service develops integrity, responsibility, work ethic, adaptability, compassion, and personal purpose.
Workplace Skills
Students practice communication, teamwork, leadership, planning, decision-making, and respect for people from different backgrounds.
Technical Skills Grounded in Academics
Members apply job-specific knowledge, safety practices, customer service, technology, and professional standards while completing meaningful work.
Submit Your Chapter's Community Service Project
Complete this form to generate a structured email containing the details needed to review your project for possible inclusion on this page.
After selecting the button, your email application will open. Review the message, attach approved photographs, and send it.