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Founding
Families 2006 Honorees Public Service Family Margit and Earl Worsham really
fulfill the Public Service Family. They are an inspiration to all
who have the opportunity to meet them and even those who receive their
generous nature through the many things they do for our community. Margit and
Earl serve our community in many ways.
They are both involved with several non-profit boards through which
they support with time and money as well as their leadership. In 2002 Earl served as
our Campaign Chairman for the annual United Way of Sevier County
Campaign. That campaign had a 47%
increase over the prior year. It
was this year that Earl and Margit created the
Alexis de Tocqueville Society which was comprised of donors who give $10,000
or more to the campaign which covers all cost for administration of the
organization. This has allowed
donors to be assured that every dollar they give to United Way goes directly
to the agencies we serve. Margit followed Earl's lead and served as the 2003
Campaign Chair raising almost 25% more than her husband in 2002. In 2004, the two teamed up to lead the
campaign together in hopes of reaching the million dollar mark. The campaign again increased under
their leadership but fell shy of reaching their goal. Both Margit
and Earl remain committed to United Way and serve on the board of directors
for Sevier County. Their
commitment to their community is very evident through their support of many
other organizations as well as United Way. Both Margit
and Earl are also involved with the Friends of the Smokies. Earl is involved locally as a board
member with Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic (Board Vice President) and
Child Help USA National Board (got Child Help established in Knox county). He
serves on a committee with The Gatlinburg Gateway Foundation and is involved
with other organizations such as the Knoxville Museum of Art, National Museum
of Fly Fishing in Vermont, Atlantic Salmon Foundation in New York, Trout
Unlimited International, and National Fish and Wildlife. Margit is involved with Child Help South Knoxville, East
Tennessee Foundation, Knoxville Arts Council, Gatlinburg Gateway Foundation,
First and Lasting Impressions, Sevier County Arts Council, Gatlinburg Fine
Arts Festival, Leadership Sevier, Sevier County Library Foundation, National
Fish and Wildlife, Atlantic Salmon Trust - UK, Atlantic Salmon Trust -
Iceland, and Little River Water Association in Maryville. We salute Margit and Earl Worsham for all
they do to make East Tennessee a better place to live. Foster or Adoptive Family Royce
and Rita Benward
During the five years
they have been fostering, the Benwards have been
especially successful at working with sibling groups. In 2002, they had three brothers whose
ages were 4, 6, and 7. These
children came from a severely abusive home and their behaviors were very much
out of control. They were
with the Benwards for almost a year and the change
we saw in those boys was truly remarkable. In 2003, a sibling group
of 4 little girls were placed in their home. They also did a wonderful job of
changing the lives of those children and enabling them to realize that they
could trust adults to provide a safe and healthy environment for them. Those children have all been adopted
into loving homes. Throughout the years of
fostering with Holston Home and DCS, the Benwards were aware of a sibling group of five children in the area,
but they had really never had the opportunity to get to know those
children. In the spring of 2004,
while praying late one night, Rita felt God was telling her that she and
Royce needed to adopt those five children. At 53 years of age, her first response
was “No way…I am too old for this!” She kept praying about it and asked
God to have Royce come to her and tell her that he wanted to adopt the
children as a sign that it was truly God’s will for them to adopt. The next day after work, Royce says he
was out mowing the yard and felt that God put a message on his heart to adopt
those five children. When Royce
and Rita sat down to dinner, Royce looked at Rita and said “We should
adopt those 5 children”……..Rita says she almost fell out of
her chair (they had NEVER discussed those children before). About this same time, the
adoptive placement the children were in fell through and the children had to
be moved. The children moved to
the Benward home on 8/8/04. On February 14, 2005,
Valentine’s Day, a celebration was held in the Chapel at Holston Home. The family accompanied by many friends and
relatives, participated in a moving ceremony welcoming the five children into
their family. Each child was presented with a Bible engraved with their new
adoptive name. The adoption was
finalized on 2/18/05. We commend
Royce and Rita Benward for opening their home and
their hearts to children without a home.
Inspirational Family Nancy
and Wade Mitchell Nancy and Wade Mitchell
have endured lots of storms and challenges in their life, and through their
faith, they have truly inspired so many others. Nancy, around 7 years ago, fell 15
feet from an attic onto a concrete garage floor and sustained a broken neck
and brain injuries. She had two
small children at the time, and spent her first year after the accident as an
inpatient at Patricia Neal, and then two years following as outpatient, going
every single day. She had memory
loss and is still recovering and going to Patricia Neal for therapy. Nancy and her family
never lost faith, and she has continued being an inspiration to everyone she
meets. Nancy volunteers at the
school where her children attend and her husband teaches on a daily basis. She not only is there for her
children, but helps children in all of the grades. She has an ability to find strengths
and encourage children under every circumstance. She is highly involved with her
church, and participates in many of the children's programs there. She heads up the FISH program at her church. Nancy, through all of her recovery,
supported her sister, when she was diagnosed with cancer, and Nancy and Wade's eldest son, Grant, was diagnosed with meningitis
during all of her recovery. Nancy
is one of five in her family, and one of her sisters says she takes care of
her siblings, her mother, and tutors and volunteers in her nieces and
nephew's school as well as her own childrens'.
Nancy and Wade are generous with their home, their time and their love. Wade is the most supportive and kind husband,
and he is a true-teacher in all aspects of his life. He is constantly helping his children
and others be the very best they can be in whatever they do. Nancy has the
most humble and gentle spirit, and she never complains about the
ramifications of her accident.
She still has some short-term memory loss and horrific headaches from
time-to-time. Nancy never loses
faith in what she is here for, and her love and affection for others truly
shows in all that she does. The Mitchell
family has endured many stumbling blocks, but you will always see them
helping and doing for others above themselves. For these reasons and more, Nancy and
Wade Mitchell are our Inspirational Family for 2006. Who
do you know that should be nominated? Click here to
enter their story into consideration for the 2010 Founding Families Awards. |
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