Celebrating the People who put Belmont’s SOUL into Action.
Dr. Ted Peetz
Nominated by: Ruth Boscaljon, Special Olympics Tennessee
October 2nd, 2026
For more than a decade, Dr. Ted Peetz has been a dedicated supporter, advocate, and friend of Special Olympics Tennessee (SOTN). What began in 2015 through Unified Sports has grown into a lasting partnership rooted in inclusion, relationship building, and a belief that sport has the power to bring people together.
Dr. Peetz’s connection to Special Olympics Tennessee began through Unified Sports, where he served as a Unified golf partner alongside Sumner County athlete Emily Cage. What started on the golf course became much more than a sporting partnership; It became a lasting friendship and an example of the relationships that make Unified Sports so meaningful.
Today, Dr. Peetz continues to champion Special Olympics Tennessee through his role at Belmont University and as a member of the SOTN Board of Directors. His commitment has created opportunities not only for athletes, but also for Belmont students to experience the mission of Special Olympics firsthand.
Each spring, Dr. Peetz works alongside students in Belmont’s Sport Administration program to organize and host a basketball tournament for Nashville area Special Olympics athletes. Through this experience, students gain hands-on opportunities to plan and execute a sporting event while creating an inclusive and competitive environment where athletes can showcase their abilities.
For Dr. Peetz, these experiences are about more than event management. He consistently looks for ways to introduce Belmont students to Special Olympics Tennessee, helping them understand its mission and discover ways they can become involved through volunteering, event planning, Unified Sports, and other inclusive experiences.
In doing so, he demonstrates what it means to Seek Excellence with Humility – one of four behaviors embodied in Belmont’s SOUL Framework.
Dr. Peetz brings excellence to his work through thoughtful leadership, advocacy, and a commitment to creating meaningful experiences for both students and athletes. At the same time, his approach is grounded in humility, recognizing that students have much to learn from the athletes and communities they serve.
His work reminds us that experiential learning is most powerful when it becomes relational learning. A basketball tournament becomes an opportunity for students to see inclusion in action. A golf partnership becomes a lifelong friendship. A connection between a university and a community organization becomes a pathway for students and athletes to learn from one another.
Over the years, Dr. Peetz has helped strengthen the relationship between Belmont University’s Sport Administration program and Special Olympics Tennessee while opening the door for countless students to become part of the SOTN community.
His impact is measured not simply by the events he has helped organize or the years he has served, but by the relationships he has helped create and the students he has encouraged to see sport through a broader lens.
For more than 11 years, Dr. Peetz has shown what it looks like to pursue excellence while making space for others to learn, lead, participate, and belong. Special Olympics Tennessee is grateful for his continued advocacy, leadership, and friendship; and for the many ways he continues to bring the Belmont and Special Olympics communities together.
Dr. Caroline Hillyard
Submitted by Mary Catherine Mousourakis, BrightStone
When BrightStone reopened its doors after COVID-19, the return to campus brought new challenges for the adults BrightStone serves. Staff began noticing significant regression in mobility, increased fall risk, and challenges with toileting; particularly among older adults.
That’s when BrightStone first met Dr. Caroline Hillyard.
Rather than simply offering advice from a distance, Dr. Hillyard drove from Memphis to BrightStone multiple times to observe firsthand, listen to the concerns of the team, and understand the needs of the adults BrightStone serves. She worked alongside staff and provided training on best practices to help them better support the health, mobility, safety, and independence of their community.
That initial relationship became something much deeper.
When Dr. Hillyard joined Belmont University, she accepted a nomination to serve on BrightStone’s Board of Directors. As a faculty member in Belmont’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OT) program, she also recognized an opportunity to bring her students into the BrightStone community. BrightStone became an occupational therapy fieldwork site, welcoming Belmont OT students at Levels 1, 2, and 3 to learn alongside BrightStone staff while supporting the health, independence, and quality of life of the adults they serve.
Today, that partnership continues with Dr. Hillyard serving as embedded faculty at BrightStone and Belmont OT students actively learning and serving within the community.
At the heart of Dr. Hillyard’s work is a deep belief in the difference occupational therapy can make in a person’s life. Her desire to ensure that others have access to excellent care and meaningful opportunities to improve their quality of life ultimately led her to become a clinician herself. That same compassion continues to shape the way she serves at BrightStone.
Dr. Hillyard embodies the Belmont SOUL behavior of Seek Excellence with Humility in the way she approaches both her clinical work and her relationships. She brings tremendous expertise, but she begins by listening. She takes the time to understand the person, the environment, and the people already doing the work before determining how she can help.
Her impact can be seen in the way she interacts with BrightStone’s adults, in the time she invests in mentoring OT students, in her willingness to advocate for a new approach or regimen, and in the way she equips BrightStone staff to better serve the people entrusted to their care.
BrightStone describes Dr. Hillyard as having a “true servant’s heart” and a commitment to the people she serves. She doesn’t simply bring clinical expertise into a room. She sees the person first. She believes in what is possible for them and works alongside others to help make those possibilities more attainable.
And that impact extends far beyond the students she teaches.
Through her partnership with BrightStone, Dr. Hillyard has helped strengthen the way an entire community understands and supports the health and well-being of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She has created a space where clinical education becomes deeply relational, where students learn not only about occupational therapy but also from the people they are preparing to serve.
Four years into this partnership, the relationship between BrightStone and Dr. Hillyard continues to grow, and so does its impact.
We are grateful for the way Dr. Hillyard continually brings excellence, compassion, and humility to her work. Through her willingness to listen, serve, teach, and advocate, she is helping create a community where adults with disabilities can experience greater independence, dignity, and joy, and where the next generation of clinicians learns what it truly means to serve.
Dr. Sally Barton-Arwood
Submitted by Tanya Chavez, Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee
For years, Dr. Sally Barton-Arwood, known affectionately as “Dr. B,” has been a steady and meaningful bridge between Belmont University and the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee (DSAMT). Her commitment to DSAMT began long before 2017, when Tanya Chavez joined the organization, and over the years, her involvement has continued to grow and evolve while her dedication to creating meaningful connections between Belmont students and the DSAMT community has remained constant.
Through her work at Belmont, Dr. B. has helped connect countless students with opportunities to volunteer, serve, learn, and build genuine relationships with individuals with Down syndrome. But her impact goes far beyond coordinating service opportunities. She has helped create spaces where students, children, families, and community members can learn from one another and experience the joy of belonging.
One of the most meaningful examples of this partnership is Music & Fun, a collaboration between DSAMT, ABA therapist Julie Mayer, and Belmont University’s College of Education, Music Education, and Music Therapy programs.
Music & Fun gives children Down syndrome an opportunity to sing, move, play instruments, participate in games, make friends, and simply have fun in an inclusive and supportive environment. But Dr. B. recognized that the program could be something even more; A meaningful learning experience for Belmont students, too.
Through their involvement, Belmont students have the opportunity to build genuine relationships with individuals with Down syndrome, gain hands-on experience, and develop a deeper understanding of inclusion and the abilities of the people they may one day serve through their careers. Students who may have had little personal experience with Down syndrome are welcomed into the DSAMT community and leave with new relationships, experiences, and perspectives.
That is what makes Dr. B.’s work so impactful. She doesn't simply connect Belmont with a community organization; She creates opportunities for mutual learning, friendship, and belonging.
Her work embodies Belmont’s SOUL framework in so many ways.
Seek Excellence with Humility: Dr. B. has spent years doing the thoughtful, often behind-the-scenes work necessary to make these experiences meaningful for everyone involved. Her commitment is consistent, intentional, and centered on serving others well.
Offer Gratitude with Joy: Music & Fun is rooted in music, laughter, friendship, celebration, and the simple joy of being together. Dr. B. helps create an environment where joy becomes a meaningful part of learning and connection.
Unleash Hospitality with Love: Dr. B. has helped make both DSAMT families and Belmont students feel welcomed, valued, and included. She creates spaces where people are invited not simply to participate, but to belong.
Live the Dream Together: Perhaps most importantly, Dr. B. brings two communities together and helps them discover what they can accomplish when they learn from and serve alongside one another.
For nearly a decade, Dr. B. has been building a bridge between Belmont and DSAMT, one relationship at a time. Her impact can be seen in the children who have participated in Music & Fun, the families who have been welcomed into the Belmont community, and the countless Belmont students whose understanding of inclusion and community will influence the work they do in the future.
Dr. B.’s story is a reminder that encouragement doesn't always happen through grand gestures. Sometimes, it happens through years of showing up, making connections, opening doors, and creating spaces where people can discover one another.
We are grateful for the bridge Dr. B. continues to build, and for the many lives that have been changed because she chose to keep showing up.
Dr. Marnie Vanden Noven
Submitted by Katherine Shaoul, Saddle Up!
Sometimes, making an impact doesn’t require years of service; it requires someone who is willing to show up, say yes, and keep finding new ways to help.
That is exactly what Dr. Marnie Vanden Noven has done at Saddle Up! – an organization that creates therapeutic, recreational, and educational experiences with horses for children and young adults with disabilities
Since beginning as a volunteer in July 2025, Marnie has dedicated more than 100 hours (and counting) to serving the Saddle Up! community.
But Marnie’s service cannot be defined by a single role.
She serves as a Sidewalker and Horse Leader in Saddle Up!’s lesson program, helping participants experience the joy and therapeutic benefits of horseback riding. She has also become a Pamper Pal, caring for the horses that make Saddle Up!’s programming possible; a Stablehand, helping keep the barn clean, organized, and ready for the next participant; and a Therapy Leader, working specifically with horses involved in occupational therapy. She has even stepped into the role of helping train new volunteers, sharing her knowledge and encouraging others to become part of the Saddle Up! community.
Marnie’s indelible impact extends beyond the stables. 
She has continually looked for ways to strengthen the relationship between Saddle Up! and Belmont University. Through her efforts, she has helped facilitate a partnership with Belmont’s fashion program to explore adaptive apparel for horseback riding, creating opportunities to think creatively about accessibility and inclusion.
She has also helped establish a pipeline between Belmont Exercise Science and Saddle Up!, giving students the opportunity to complete volunteer hours while gaining hands-on experience in recreational therapy and the physical and occupational therapy fields.
In other words, Marnie doesn't simply ask, “How can I volunteer?”
She asks, “What else could we build together?”
While Marnie embodies all of Belmont's SOUL values, she especially excels in Living the Dream Together, continually looking for ways to bring people and ideas together. She has connected Saddle Up! with Belmont’s fashion and exercise science programs, creating opportunities that benefit students, the organization, and the individuals Saddle Up! serves.
In just one year, Marnie has become more than a volunteer. She has become a partner, advocate, mentor, learner, and bridge-builder.
Her 100+ hours of service are impressive, but the number only tells part of the story. The real measure of Marnie’s impact is found in the relationships she has built, the students she has connected to meaningful experiences, the volunteers she has helped train, and the new possibilities she continues to imagine.
Saddle Up! describes Marnie as someone who has made a “huge impact in a single year of service.” And perhaps the most exciting part is that her story is still being written.
We are grateful for Marnie’s willingness to show up, jump in with both feet, and continually ask what more is possible. Through her service, creativity, and love for others, she is helping Belmont and Saddle Up! discover new ways to learn, serve, and flourish together.
Ariel Carter
Submitted by Michaela Ping, Retrieving Independence
Sometimes the most meaningful acts of service begin with something simple: saying yes and showing up.
That is exactly what Ariel, President of Belmont University’s Tau Nu Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, did when Retrieving Independence reached out for volunteers for its annual fundraiser, Retrieving in the Round.
As a small organization preparing for one of its biggest events of the year, Retrieving Independence needed volunteers who were willing to do whatever was needed to make the day successful. Ariel was one of the few students who responded to the call.
And she didn’t just show up for the event.
Ariel and her fellow sorority members helped set up the day before, worked throughout the fundraiser, and stayed afterward to help clean up. They took on whatever tasks came their way without hesitation, remained engaged throughout a long day, and helped carry the workload for a small team working hard to make the event possible.
For Ariel, service wasn't about having a particular job or receiving recognition. It was
about noticing what needed to be done and stepping in to help.
That willingness to serve wherever she was needed is what made her stand out.
Retrieving Independence described Ariel as responsive, dependable, kind, and willing to step up. Her commitment helped make the event easier for the organization’s staff and contributed to a successful fundraiser that supports the important work of Retrieving Independence.
Ariel and the Tau Nu Chapter demonstrated each of Belmont’s SOUL values through their service.
Seek Excellence with Humility: Ariel approached every task, big or small, with the same level of commitment. She did not wait for someone else to take responsibility; she simply stepped in and helped.
Offer Gratitude with Joy: Her positive attitude and willingness to remain engaged throughout a long day brought encouragement to the Retrieving Independence team and made the work of serving others feel lighter.
Unleash Hospitality with Love: Ariel and her fellow sorority members created a spirit of welcome through their willingness to serve. They became an extension of the Retrieving Independence team, helping wherever they were needed and making others feel supported.
Live the Dream Together: This first partnership between Retrieving Independence and Belmont’s Tau Nu Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority has already created something meaningful, and the organization hopes it is only the beginning. Ariel’s willingness to respond helped open the door to a relationship that can continue to grow.
Perhaps one of the most encouraging parts of this story is that Ariel did not know exactly where her “yes” would lead.
She simply answered the call.
Because she did, a small organization had the support it needed to pull off an important event. A new community partnership was formed. And Belmont students had the opportunity to demonstrate what it looks like to serve with character, humility, and a willingness to work.
Retrieving Independence shared that they plan to work with Ariel and the Tau Nu Chapter again at their spring fundraiser. What began as a first-time volunteer opportunity may become the beginning of a lasting partnership.
Their willingness to show up, work hard, and contribute wherever they were needed is a powerful example of what it means to Live the Dream Together, and a reminder that sometimes the greatest encouragement we can offer is simply being willing to say, “I'm here. How can I help?”