“I am the type of principal who interacts with the kids, and I want to be a good role model for them in hopes that some of them, once they graduate, will come back and be teachers.”

“I am a lot like my dad and not afraid to work hard,” Diane admits. “I am a fighter.”

“Getting the historical marker was a big victory for us,” says Martha. “My whole life I had heard stories of how the Creeks escaped Davy Crockett and the Tennessee Militia. Now the story is there for all to see.

“I believe that we change lives every day, and in order to effectively change those lives, you’ve got to really meet people where they are with an open heart and an open mind.”

“I remember when we were kids, our neighbors used to go down to the Sheffield community center, which was a couple of streets over, to get free lunches, and we asked, ‘Mom, can we go with, can we go?’ She said ‘No, there are people who are more needy than y’all.’”

“My nature is problem-solving. I have a pretty good feel for math and science. It was just a natural for me to get into engineering.”

“We’re more involved with our grantees than a lot of other grantmaking organizations. “We want them to be successful and dream big.

“We could visually see how you could take somebody making minimum wage and put them through a nursing or welding program and…a high demand, high wage job was at the end of that program,” Stephenson says. “And that was the thing that really set me on fire to earn my degree and elevate myself to make a difference.”

“I felt like I was really making an impact in a way I never had before. I had found my calling.”

“I didn't know how to read a financial statement,” John says. “When they delivered the parts for Toyota, I didn’t have a service or parts manager at that time. I had one salesman and one mechanic…”

“We didn’t know what to expect, but it actually worked out. People were stuck at home with nothing to do, so many came to hit golf balls at the range, just to get out of the house.”

“I didn't know what the heck I was doing,” Jeff admits. “My early stuff wasn't good, but he would try to run some of it.”

“You aren’t going to learn a lot from a win. Either you win, or you learn. If you can self-reflect, you’ll be a phenomenal wrestler.”

“Dad…was always pushing us, always encouraging us to work harder. Mom always had us at the pool from a very young age coaching and supporting us on the swim team. Our parents have high expectations for us.”