Because of Scott Prince, students at Gulf Shores Middle School are racing to learn about STEM.

Prince, who teaches advanced placement physical science and makerspace engineering at Gulf Shores Middle School in Gulf Shores, Alabama, started a GreenpowerUSA racing team at his school.

The nationwide program puts students as young as 9-years-old in the driver’s seat of learning science, technology, engineering, and math. Teams design and build single-seat electric-powered cars and race against teams across the country.

Gulf Shores Middle School Principal Kyle McCartney introduced Prince to the program. Racing was a popular extracurricular activity at the schools in which McCartney previously served, and he knew Prince was the perfect fit.

“Scott is a fantastic teacher,” says McCartney. “He’s fun, hands-on, energetic, and he gets students engaged in science.”

Prince also got the community involved. He rallied Gulf Shores and Orange Beach businesses to donated tools and materials so the Gulf Shores Turbo Dolphins could build two cars they designed. Now in their second season, the students are working on a third car.

The payoff for Prince, who was just named Gulf Shore Middle School Teacher of the Year, is in watching the students work together.

“It’s great to see them take ownership and have pride in producing a final product,” he says. “Seeing them fight through, problem solve, come together, and come out on top is very rewarding.”

iNVision Photography

Everyone can sing, says Gulf Shores, Alabama, music teacher Gay James, and her mission is helping children find their voices.

“First, you have to get them to buy in,” says James, who has coaxed music from hundreds of students in her 23 years of teaching elementary school. Students in her music classes at Gulf Shores Elementary School learn to sing, and they play musical instruments.

Fourth- and fifth-graders in her extracurricular Dolphin Sound program play recorders, drums and bells, and they perform two musical productions each year.

“To hear their voices sing for the first time, it’s worth it in the end,” says James, who started playing piano and singing in her church choir as a child.

Though she earned a college degree in music education, she didn’t see herself where she is today.

“I never planned on being an elementary school teacher,” Gay says. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, so I fell into it.”

She worked 11 years as a legal secretary before finding her calling in the elementary classroom and her passion.

“Music can take you places,” says James, adding that music education builds confidence and improves academic performance.

In addition to teaching music, she leads the Gulf Shores Elementary after-school program and accompanies productions at South Baldwin Community Theatre.

“She’s a pretty fascinating woman,” says Ryan Anderson, who met James five years ago when she enrolled her son in kindergarten. “Part of the reason I say that is how she handles children. Some people would say she’s strict, but she has absolute and total command over her job and at the end of the day, the kids come up and hug her.”

In today’s technology-driven world, children — and their parents — consume music in different ways. But they need to hear their own voices.

“As educators, we have to do what we can to expose them to music,” she says. “Students need to experience a live performance. If nothing else, they will be singing lullabies to their children.”

iNVision Photography

Michael Wakeford intended to teach special education only for a year. He studied to be a history teacher and was planning to clock time until a history position opened up at his former high school. But that all changed on his first day of teaching.

“I’m standing outside of the school waiting for the students to arrive,” Wakeford says. “The first bus pulls up and a special education student, Samantha, gets off with a huge smile on her face. She’s a bundle of joy. And that’s when I thought: ‘I might be able to do this.’ After week three, I was hooked.”

Cut to 14 years later.

Not only is Wakeford still a special education teacher, but he also helms the Special Olympics Unified Sports program at Raymond S. Kellis High School in Glendale, Arizona. The pilot program launched in 2010. It pairs special education students (known as athletes) with their general education peers (known as partners) to play on the school’s sports teams together.

The program has been so successful that Kellis High was named a National Unified Champion School, which means the unified sports teams at Kellis compete in Special Olympics games at the national level.

Wakeford’s commitment to special education should not be that surprising considering his father spent 41 years in public education. At least half of that time was as an adaptive PE teacher and Special Olympics coach. “He is the biggest inspiration in my life,” Wakeford says of his father, Roger. “Everything I have done in my life I have done it to make him proud. I have followed in his footsteps every step of the way.”

Roger Wakeford often took his kids with him to Special Olympics events when he was a coordinator for more than 20 years. “Michael learned from that team concept early on,” Roger Wakeford says of his son. “It has served him in building a village at Kellis High School.”

That village includes former students like Zack Vernon, a recent Kellis graduate and Wakeford’s partner on the gold medal-winning Special Olympics Unified golf team for the city of Peoria, Arizona. Zack jokes that he carries his partner and former coach in tournaments. “Coach Wakeford is a pretty good guy,” Zack says. “He’s a fun guy to be around.”

“Zack blossomed when it went into the Kellis program and Mike Wakeford is a huge part of that,” says Zack’s dad Aaron Vernon. “We’re so grateful for everything he’s done. I wish we could do more for him to say ‘thank you’.”

For Wakeford’s role, he’s earned the Leadership in Teaching Award, was named the AIA Unified Coach of the Year and received the Rotary Club’s Peacemaker Award, which celebrates people who promote unity throughout their community and beyond.

“I often think back to Michael’s disappointment at not getting that history teaching job at his former high school,” Roger says. “It was such a blow at the time, but in hindsight, it enabled him to change culture and impact lives at a far greater reach than he could have ever imagined.”

And it all comes full circle. Kellis High just hired a former partner, Ann Marie Demeter, as a teacher for this school year.

“What we do takes a village,” Wakeford says. “The teachers, assistants, nursing staff, athletes and partners all work together. We’re not as different from each other as we think we are.”

Cara Bowerman had just learned to walk when she stepped into the classroom at Edmonton North High School on her first day as a teacher and a coach.

Recovering from multiple fractures from an automobile accident, the 22-year-old confesses she doubted her career choice.

“I had just learned to walk again,” she recalls. “I thought, ‘I barely have my life together. How am I going to teach a hundred kids about what I love?’”

She soon realized how much students could teach her.

Learning together

“Helping students get through their problems helped me get through my own issues. It’s like spreading the light was lighting up my life, too,” she says. “Teaching has been the greatest growing experience of my life.”

Bowerman, now a six-year teaching veteran, stresses real-world applications in her classes.

As head girls’ track and cross-country coach, Bowerman gives her athletes a great outlet for dealing with stress. Her art classes equip students with lifelong tools for coping with fears, traumatic experiences, or just the general difficulties of life.

“I’ve always used art as a way to heal,” she says. “It’s especially hard to process feelings as a teenager, to break out of that cycle and heal. That’s how I present art to my students. We have a curriculum, but it’s also a real-world tool.”

That approach resonates with students. “In the classroom, Cara has created an atmosphere of trust and creativity where her students thrive and feel safe,” says Debreon Davis, principal of Edmond North High School, where Bowerman was honored as the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year.

Art, for Cara, is as much about health as exercise. “I see students having healthier mindsets and healthier behaviors when they’re incorporating art into their daily life,” she says.

Abraham Farrar Photography

For 12 years, Star Yellowfish has made it her mission to connect Native American students in Oklahoma City Public Schools to their roots. It’s a complex mission that focuses on the future of about 3,000 Native American students in the city’s school while delving deep into the past.

Yellowfish leads Native American Student Services, a program with two goals. She’s determined to give the students everything they need to succeed in school, from supplies to uniforms to motivation. She also wants them to understand their rich cultural heritage.

That also means teaching teachers.

“We are teaching teachers about native culture, and specifically native history,” Yellowfish says. “We go into schools and teach the third-graders and their teachers Oklahoma history from a native perspective.”

Yellowfish, a Cherokee on her father’s side, grew up on a Navajo reservation. She understands the value of being immersed in native culture.

Native American students in Oklahoma City get that immersion in activities outside the classroom. Summer camps, art shows, and an annual Stompdance and Powwow keep students engaged throughout the year.

“She cares about her students a lot,” says Talia Mendoza, a former student and co-worker.

Mendoza says Yellowfish was instrumental in helping her attend a program to get a close up look at the state legislature. “She paid my fees. She helped with our clothing and our school supplies,” Mendoza says. “She is really one of those genuine people you meet once in a lifetime.”

As a boy in El Reno, Oklahoma, Harvey Pratt sculpted toys from clay. His artistic abilities served him well, but he probably couldn’t have forecast how many people his talents would serve in coming decades.

In 1965, Pratt returned to Oklahoma after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. His military time included seven months in Vietnam.

Military service, he explains, was an honor and an expectation within the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of which he is a member.

“Indians weren’t given citizenship until 1924, but they fought in World War I anyway,” he says. “They volunteered. Even old men wanted to go to war.”

National Native American Veterans Memorial

His experiences informed the creation of a design that will soon be a memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Pratt and his wife, Gina, are overseeing construction of “Warriors’ Circle of Honor,” the sculpture they designed as the National Native American Veterans Memorial. The memorial will feature a large stainless-steel circle, representing the Native American sacred circle symbol, balanced on a carved stone drum with an eternal flame at its center.

“He’s very humble and it didn’t hit him how big of a deal this was,” says longtime friend, fellow Marine, Vietnam veteran and retired FBI agent Jim Horn. “I told him, ‘Your name is going to be on the Mall 1,000 years from now if this country is still standing. You’re going to be the Gutzon Borglum of the Mall,’” comparing Pratt to the designer of Mount Rushmore.

The monumental piece, which will stand among other war memorials on the National Mall, is scheduled for completion by Veterans Day 2020. A groundbreaking ceremony was held September 2019.

His work is also on display in galleries locally. A selection of Pratt’s artwork will be featured in Oklahoma City as part of “Standing Their Ground: Warrior Artists.” The exhibit will run through Oct. 31 at Exhibit C Native Gallery.

Investigative Art

After his military service, Pratt returned to Oklahoma in 1965. He continued to pursue art in his free time and signed on with the Midwest City Police Department.

In that job, he applied his talents to creating sketches from witness descriptions of suspects in crimes. From 1972 to 2017, Pratt worked with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, where he added skull reconstruction, age progression and other skills to his resume.

“He has a God-given talent,” Horn says of his friend. “We look at it the same way. We are each given special gifts and how we use them is up to us. He has this special talent and he’s made the most of it.”

He assisted in investigations of high-profile cases, such as gangster Whitey Bulger and the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing.

“I worked on homicides, missing people cases, and murder victims, but the thing that really kept me going was helping to identify people,” Pratt says. “And finding the person who did those things, that was extremely important to me.”

Abraham Farrar Photography

It looked like Danielle James might not see her 26^th birthday.

In 2013, the registered nurse was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and given six months to live despite having never smoked. Her particular diagnosis had about a 7 percent survival rate.

“In the scan, all of the cancer in my chest lit up like a Christmas tree,” James says.

Despite the grim prognosis, James started fighting. She began chemotherapy. When that didn’t work, doctors prescribed a targeted medication for her specific cancer cells. The medicine was successful, and by July 2013 James’ tumors were barely visible.

In January 2015, she married.

But cancer wasn’t finished with James. Eight months after her wedding her lung cancer had spread, and she had five tumors in her brain. The targeted medication had stopped working.

“I went to Denver and got on a clinical trial for a drug that was supposed to work better,” she says.

Three years later, James is alive thanks to that drug. Now, the survivor is using her experience to help others do the same.

Fighting for a voice

James works with the American Lung Association’s LUNG FORCE initiative, which creates a network for survivors and advocates for more research.

In April, James met with legislators in Washington, D.C., about increasing spending on cancer research.

“I want to share my story because I know I can help or inspire someone,” she says. “People need to know that there is life after diagnosis.”

Paying it forward

Terri Bailey, the executive director of the American Lung Association, Oklahoma, is so appreciative of the support James has given to the organization. “She is instrumental in spreading our message in Oklahoma, and her impact can be felt by so many.” Bailey tells the story of a woman who recently moved to Oklahoma and was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. “It took her three months before she even came to our support groups,” Bailey says. “She began to open up, but she always talked about, ‘why would I want to buy a new car or buy a new house or anything?’ But through the help of the support group, specifically Danielle, she learned living with stage four lung cancer can be done.”

Bailey says that woman has since bought a house and is decorating it with her husband. And she gives the credit to James who lives an inspirational life and shares her powerful story with others.

A new chapter

James recently started a new adventure: motherhood. With her nursing experience, she and her husband fostered infants born with drug addictions. They have since adopted one of those infants, naming her JoyAnna.

She says they plan to foster again, but teens. “There is a huge need for families that are willing to foster older kids,” she says. “Many of them age out of the system, which puts them at a huge risk for homelessness.”

Until then, their focus is on their daughter. “JoyAnna is my little best friend,” James says. “She is the reason that I get out of bed every morning. She brings so much joy to my life and she is my hope for the future.”

Abraham Farrar Photography

Students at Mountain Ridge High School are learning some real-life skills to prepare them for life outside the classroom. Things like technology, public speaking, business and finance are all part of Renee Woodruff’s curriculum.

“If you give kids the right opportunity, they’ll learn skills for the real world: problem solving, how to work as a team, and giving back to the community,” Woodruff says.

The 25-year veteran educator teaches marketing and information technology at Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, Arizona. She’s also the adviser for the school’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and DECA programs, two national co-curricular organizations that help prepare students for future success.

That “opportunity” Woodruff mentions? Participating in FBLA and DECA. Under her inspirational leadership, not only have her students earned top awards at the state and national levels, but more important to Woodruff, they’ve grown as individuals.

“I had a shy, quiet freshman one year,” explains Woodruff. “By the time she was a senior, she had become an FBLA State Officer, speaking in front of thousands of students.”

That student was Shivani Vaidya, a freshman finance major at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York.

“When I was a freshman, I didn’t want to talk to anyone, and I froze up when I had to talk to people in public,” Vaidya says. “Mrs. Woodruff was my mentor in this process and guided me through the first steps of public speaking, what I can do to make myself more confident in my speaking abilities, and how to make good first impressions.”

Vaidya says in her first year for FBLA, when she was 13, she won first place in the job interview event competing against 18-year-olds. She went on to win more than 10 awards including a number at the state level.

“She gave me the tools necessary to get me ready for state office, where I went on to be the very first state officer for FBLA from my school, which opened the gateway into so many opportunities, including speaking to over 5,500 members,” Vaidya says.

Woodruff describes the students in the FBLA and DECA programs as a broad cross-section of the student body. It’s a mix of personalities, interests and abilities, and that’s just how Woodruff likes it. She finds joy in helping each student achieve their very best.

“Everyone has their own ability level, and if I can get them to that next step, it’s all worth it,” she says.

“I certainly haven’t taught them all of the things they know,” she says. “What I really do is give them the space and the tools to help them fulfill what they need to do.”

Marcus Fetch is leaving his mark — figuratively and literally — on his adopted hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.

The Nebraska native rolled into Birmingham in 2012 while traveling the country and decided to stay awhile. Then 23 years old, he worked construction jobs and got to know folks.

“The people here are just really friendly,” he says.

But he noticed that the city’s only bike shops were in the suburbs — and saw a need.

Redemptive Cycles

“For people who are struggling and are trying to get back on their feet with steady work, having a bike for transportation can be huge,” he says.

With that in mind, Fetch founded Redemptive Cycles, Birmingham’s nonprofit bicycle shop. It serves any interested cyclists and helps fund an organization called Earn-A-Bike through sales of used bikes and accessories.

Through Earn-a-Bike, people can trade volunteer work hours for bicycles.

“I bought a bundle of 40 used bikes and started figuring it out. At first it was just a really small thing that we did on weekends from a warehouse,” he says.

The project has evolved to include discounted bicycle repairs for qualified people. In 2018, the value of those repairs totaled a whopping $30,000.

“He sees a need and he goes after it with his whole heart and makes it happen somehow,” says Ryan Taylor, an early Redemptive Cycles volunteer. “He has a vision of a future where his adopted city of Birmingham is more inclusive, sustainable and vibrant, and most importantly he has the determination to see his vision brought to life.”

City of Murals

Seven years later, Fetch is deep into his second community endeavor, Color Bham. The project brings bold color to outdoor spaces in the form of murals.

Fetch and his artistic team have brightened Birmingham with their colorful creations, including a 500-foot-long rainbow wall painted with the help of more than 100 volunteers. It was picked by the editors of Birmingham magazine as the Best Community Project of 2019.

“Murals can do so much for a city. They create vibrancy, and get people excited about where they live,” Fetch says. “People want to be part of creating a landmark that they can still look at years later.”

Together, Joe and Karen Eulate of Mesa, Arizona, have dedicated almost 60 years to the public schools in their hometown.

And that's just one way they're making a difference.

“We love anything that helps kids have a great experience, anywhere they are in their lives, at any stage,” Karen says.

That love of supporting children has shaped both of their careers. Karen – now in her 31^st year in education – currently serves as the site leader for the district’s special education campus, while Joe, who is in year 27, teaches English and coaches football and wrestling at Red Mountain High School.

“They are the hardest-working people I know,” says Cindy Hunt, who first met the Eulates in 1986 when she started working for the city of Mesa. “They’re just really good people who believe that it takes a village. Nobody does it by themselves. They believe that if you give a little of yourself, it makes a huge difference.”

For the past 10 years, Karen has also served as booster president for the Red Mountain High School Football Association.

Even after long days working with students, both spend their evenings and weekends helping a variety of Mesa organizations, including Special Olympics, the American Cancer Society, and Arizona Disabled Sports.

“The Saturday before Easter they have this huge pig roast,” Hunt says. “You’re invited and they ask that you bring three more people and that they bring three more people. They will never turn anybody away.”

The Eulates spearhead fund-raising initiatives, are always among the first to volunteer for a youth organization or to serve on an education committee, and they counsel students struggling through difficult times.

“If we could give one message,” Karen says, “it would be to make the most of the community you live in. You’ll meet your best friends. You’ll meet your village.”

Being in a hospital room can be lonely — a reality 15-year-old Jacob Davis has experienced all too often. “Most of my life, I’ve spent time in hospitals,” says Davis, who has already undergone 27 operations to treat a rare medical condition. “There’s not much you can do in a small room.”

But when a therapy dog scampers in, the room lights up. “They give me happiness. It’s nice to have a small dog that comes in and cheers your day,” Davis says.

A big plan

Knowing the positive impact therapy dogs can have on people when they’re struggling, Davis organized a pet charity supply drive for his Scout Eagle project. He started by contacting six area rescues in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, and asking for their wish lists — from cleaning supplies and dog treats to cat food and pet toys.

While thrilled at the prospect, several were skeptical. “Some of them were like, ‘We have a list a mile long. There’s no way you can get everything. People don’t even know who we are,’” Davis remembers.

But Davis was passionate -- and determined. “Jacob knew he didn’t have to do such a complex Eagle Scout project, but he said, ‘Go big or go home,’ and he wanted to help these animals,” says Chris Hollister, a family friend of the Davises.

Success!

In just two-and-a-half weeks, the results of Davis’s social media postings, flyers, grant requests, door-to-door visits, and queries to family and friends tallied up to $6,000. “I had donations from people I’ve never heard of in other countries,” Davis says. “Friends talked to friends who talked to friends who talked to friends. And a lot of people know about therapy dogs or have had therapy dogs.”

Davis was able to donate every single item on the wish lists of six different organizations that help animals in the Jacksonville area. “When I delivered to them, they were shocked that I got everything on their list,” Davis says. “With everything I do, I try to put 100%,” Davis says.

And while he has earned his Eagle Scout distinction, Davis continues to support local shelters. (Check out charities and needs here.) For Davis, who credits therapy dogs with helping him heal, it's a way to pay it forward. "Dogs have made such a huge difference in his healing that it inspired him," says his mom, Lauren. 

Game day is big for high school football coach Rashaun Woods and his players. So are all the days leading up to it.

“You have to teach kids that if they love to play the game, they have to work at it,” says Rashaun, a two-time Oklahoma State All-American who played in the NFL before returning to his native Oklahoma to coach.

The bottom line: “You can’t just show up on game day.”

That’s what the Enid High School Plainsmen are learning under Rashaun, their new head coach. He’s implementing the same strategy with the Enid team that turned around the John Marshall High School Bears in Oklahoma City.

His strategy teaches students discipline and gives them direction, making them winners on and off the field.

Under Rashaun, the Bears went from an 0-10 record in 2013 to state champions in 2018. He implemented mandatory workouts, practices, and study halls. He even gave students rides to make sure they put in the time.

“Leadership transfers, regardless of whether you’re on the football field or in the classroom,” Rashaun’s younger brother Donovan Woods says. “Everything he does, he puts his all into it.”

Donovan says her always recognized his brother’s prowess on the gridiron, but he gained greater appreciation when he saw him work with high school students and youth through his church.

“His journey is unique getting to play in the NFL and then getting to go back and show it’s a possibility for you if you do the right things,” Donovan says. “But after that, if you haven’t sharpened other tools, you need to do that to continue to make a life for you and your family.”

Now, Rashaun’s working to make winners out of the Plainsmen, a team that ended its 2018 season with a 1-9 record. "It's about focus and determination," he says.

Abraham Farrar Photography

When the Friday night lights flood the field at the high school in Gardendale, Alabama, one of the team’s most valuable players doesn’t take the gridiron.

Instead, this unsung hero cheers from the stands, happily.

De Allen, a volunteer with Gardendale High School’s athletics department for 13 years, makes sure the lights are on and everything from the field house to the concession stand is maintained.

Fields need mowing? Allen’s on it. Locker room repairs? He’s the guy. Filming games and keeping stats? Yep, Allen does that, too.

“I’ll do anything to help. I’ll take out the garbage if that helps,” says Allen, who spends 20 to 25 hours a week at his alma mater.

Why does he do it? To support his hometown team and help the community.

“It’s about pride and passion for the community. We need that throughout our communities, not just in sports,” he says.

A proud volunteer

After selling his mortgage business, Allen got to work in the community. He began volunteering first with Gardendale Middle School, then Gardendale High.

“I try to encourage the kids and hopefully mentor some of them,” he says. “I’m 59. Being around young people keeps you younger.”

Head football coach and athletic director Chad Eads says he heard about Allen his first day on the job two years ago. “He was a huge help to me being the new coach and coming to a new town,” Eads says. “He does all the jobs that need to be done that people don’t want to do. And he does it out of the goodness of his heart.”

Eads says so many of the things Allen does go unreported because that’s how he wants it. From building cabinets for the coaches, paying to send kids to summer camp, to serving as a chaplain for the Alabama State Troopers. “Yesterday word got to him that there was a family that was homeless, so he gets up out of a meeting and heads out,” Eads says. “De said, ‘Let’s see if I can’t find them a place to stay,’ and he probably went into his own pocket to do it. That’s what he does.”

Last year, Eads created a community service award bearing Allen’s name. It will go to a football player whose work ethic and commitment to the community mirror Allen’s.

But even with his name at the forefront, Allen prefers to avoid the spotlight.

“It’s not really about recognizing me. It’s about the school recognizing students,” he says. “Hopefully watching me volunteer will encourage them to do the same when they have those opportunities.”

Hometown Hero: Timothy Alexander of Birmingham, Alabama

“You don’t need it to be easy. You need it to be possible.”

Timothy Alexander understands obstacles. And he has the passion and determination to get around, over, and through them.

After a 2006 automobile accident left him paralyzed and ended his dream of playing college football, Alexander went through several years of intensive rehab before enrolling at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

In 2012, he became part of the UAB Blazers football team with his own locker and jersey, attending all the practices and working out from his wheelchair in the weight room.

Two years after joining the team, in 2014, Alexander learned that his beloved UAB football program was struggling financially and might not continue.

He was determined not to have football taken from him again.

So Alexander focused his energies on saving the program, rallying students and the Birmingham community behind the Blazers.

He spent six months organizing student rallies and talks with community leaders and government officials. Corporate partners chipped in, and fans bought tickets.

UAB took notice, and the program was reinstated six months later.

“I kept telling people to not give up, that we’re going to make it through this,” Alexander recalls.

Since the Blazers comeback, Alexander has worked as the team’s motivational leader and character coach, using his experience to encourage others.

Last year, in the team’s second season back on the field, UAB won the conference championship and a bowl game, both for the first time in program history.

“You don’t need it to be easy,” Alexander says. “You just need it to be possible.”

“When you Google, ‘What is uplifting and perseverance,’ Timothy Alexander should be there,” according to Michael Core, who credits Alexander with helping him through some low periods after graduation.

“He literally stayed on me and taught me how we should persevere through things,” Core says. “He was the only person I could literally fall back on. If I needed a car to get to work, he would say, ‘Take my car. If you need a bed, stay over here.’”

Core now works as a software developer and remains part of “family” of people Alexander has helped, befriended and supported. “He just makes that connection and you feel like he really knows you,” Core says. “I felt that pure love, and to be honest, I’m not the only one who ever felt that way.”

Alexander’s goal is to become “an inspiration doctor” after earning a Ph.D. in psychology.

“I don’t want to just be a speaker. I also want to be a teacher and trainer, to help with self-development,” he says. “I’ve seen both sides of life. I want to help people make good decisions on either side.”

The mealtime entertainment? Ninety-year-old Aulden Sumrall, who comes in to play seasonal songs on his harmonica.

It’s a tradition he began 10 years ago – and it’s a favorite of local guests.

Harmonica Harmony

Sumrall’s concerts at Whataburger started with Christmas carols. His daughter-in-law, Denise, and son, Kenny, once owned the store as a franchise then, and he asked them about offering a serenade.

“Of course, we said yes,” Denise recalls. “It grew into a tradition.”

Now, Family Members and guests are excited to see Sumrall walk in with his harmonica and a photo of him from his days in the U.S. Air Force, says Robbie Fitzgerald, the store’s Area Manager.

After ordering, guests go straight to the table where Sumrall’s playing, singing along and applauding between numbers.

82 years, hundreds of songs

Sumrall got his first harmonica when he was 8 years old, and he’s been playing ever since. That’s 82 years of harmonica playing!

“Back in 1937, harmonicas were very inexpensive,” he says. His stepmother taught him to play, and he honed his skills when he joined the U.S. Air Force in 1947. Through the decades, he’s learned to read a few notes, but he still plays by ear.

“I can play hundreds of songs,” he says.

He compiles a playlist of about 10 tunes connected to each holiday. On July 4th, for example, guests sing along to “Grand Ol’ Flag” and other patriotic favorites. St. Paddy’s calls for “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling."

He’ll break from the set list to play children’s tunes when kids come in. “They love it,” Fitzgerald says.

When Sumrall’s not playing his harmonica at Whataburger, he might be there with Minnie, his wife of 62 years, enjoying a Patty Melt or a Whatacatch sandwich.

“I like meeting people – and I like Whataburger,” he says. 

Earlier this summer, Robyn Brake was jet-skiing on Lake Ray Hubbard in Rockwall when she saw smoke.

It was coming from a nearby boat, which almost immediately burst into flames.

Seconds later, Brake, a mom of four, heard people calling for help.

As black smoke billowed into the air, she didn’t hesitate.

Navigating her Jet Ski over to the burning boat, Brake rescued four children – including a six-week-old baby – while her own daughter watched from a nearby boat.

“I told my daughter, ‘I’ll be right back. I’ll be right back, I promise,’” she told the local news station. “I prayed to God that I would make it back.”

Honoring Courage

Everyone on the boat – including the four children Brake ferried to safety – survived the fiery explosion.

Whataburger and local civic leaders honored Brake at a Hometown Hero breakfast at the Whataburger on Bass Pro Drive in Garland, Texas, Aug. 6.

The event, attended by her friends and family, was a chance for the community to say “thank you,” says Patti McKenzie from the Whataburger of Mesquite franchise.

“It took tremendous courage to ride so close to the flames, risking her life to save those children,” McKenzie says. “She’s amazing.”

Cell phone video of the incident shows the rear of the boat engulfed in flames while Brake rides in and out of frame ferrying children to safety on nearby boats.

“If I don’t help, no one else is,” Brake said in an interview. “I know I’m risking my life, but I can’t just watch these kids and mother scream at the top of their lungs.”

Hometown Hero

In addition to hosting breakfast in Brake’s honor, franchisee John Heiman made a $1,000 donation to the Rockwall Children’s Advocacy Center, her charity of choice.

Whataburger is proud to honor Hometown Heroes like Robyn, who didn’t hesitate to help those in need.

At 17, Rachel Kamata is no stranger to big public art projects.

As a member of Blue Star Contemporary’s MOSAIC Student Artist Program, she was part of the crew that created “The Legacy of Our Journey,” an epic mural for the Historic Outdoor Museum in New Braunfels.

Her latest large-scale venture, however, is all her own. For the holiday season, Kamata created “Light Fiber,” a window mural for Whataburger’s downtown San Antonio location. It’s on display through January.

Cast your vote for Kamata's work in the Light Up Downtown Holiday Contest here! You can vote daily through Thursday, Dec. 19. 

The vibrant design features a golden white current running through a river of stained glass in earthy shades of red and green. Hidden in the flow are several ‘W’s” (for Whataburger, of course).

As the kids say, the piece is lit. Literally. In the evening, LED light strips give it a festive glow.

The initial inspiration for the design was Christmas lights “and that warm feeling you get” from them, Kamata said.

Made up of 26 panels printed on translucent vinyl, “Light Fiber” is an impressive 8 feet by 100 feet. After submitting a proposal to Whataburger, Kamata was commissioned to create the design for Light Up Downtown, the city’s annual holiday contest.

Working under the mentorship of MOSAIC Artist-in-Residence Alex Rubio, Kamata made a hand-drawn scale model of the design, then tweaked it on an iPad and computer.

A senior at the International School of the Americas, Kamata became interested in art in fifth grade after winning a contest with a notebook paper drawing of a pond. Since then, her realistic drawings and paintings have won numerous accolades, including multiple medals from the State Visual Art Scholastic Event competition. She joined MOSAIC in 2016.

Throughout her time in MOSAIC, Kamata has “demonstrated an advanced level of composition and design,” Rubio said, along with “a natural sense of creativity and vision.”

After graduation, Kamata plans to attend the University of Chicago and study international relations and art. Japanese, which she began studying to chat with her grandparents, also will be in the mix.

For now, she’s enjoying her first “real world” experience creating a commissioned artwork.

“I think it will have a positive impact on the community, especially during the Christmas season,” she said. “I think it will bring a bit of happiness to people who see it and be something they don’t expect when they visit Whataburger.”

When Family Members at the Whataburger in Burleson, Texas, learned Jo Wright — their “work mom” — needed help around her house, they rolled up their sleeves and got busy.

Hair pulled back and tools in hand, a half-dozen Whataburger Family Members got together on a hot summer afternoon to paint, patch — and even put on a new roof. They kept going back until the work was done.

“Jo is a wonderful person, and she doesn’t deserve to have to worry about her home,” says Assistant General Manager Amber McKinney.

Family helping family

McKinney and the rest of the team stepped up after a contractor didn’t complete promised work on Wright’s home – leaving her unsure how to get the work completed on the tight deadline her landlord had imposed.

That’s where her Whataburger family stepped in.

“I was pretty upset,” says Wright, who has worked at Whataburger’s front register and drive-thru for six years. “They asked what was wrong, and they jumped right in and said they would help.” Family Members helped paint, install siding and replace shingles. Some Family Members even chipped in to buy materials.

“It’s a real family,” says Jo of her Whataburger Family. “We work together and help one another.”

Crystal Hughes, General Manager at that restaurant, Unit 358, says her crew is all heart.

“They do special things because they care for each other,” she says. “We love each other.”

Wright is a surrogate mom to many of her Whataburger Family Members. She bakes and decorates cakes for their birthdays and makes them smile.

“Ms. Jo is one of those rare people that makes everyone’s day,” says Hughes “We don’t want her to worry.”

Like almost any kid, 12-year-old Phoenix Garner lists her top three activities as school, dancing and “chillin’.”

But the Yukon, Oklahoma, student has a passion for supporting the Special Olympics — and a goal to be an educator.

Inspired in part by her mother, Kim, who has been a special education teacher at Yukon High School for almost 20 years, Garner is determined to connect with others.

“I’m in middle school, so I see a bunch of kids who are not exactly kind,” she says.

But Garner, who has visited her mother’s classroom and attended Special Olympics events since she can remember, wanted to lift others up.

In third grade, she joined the Skyview Buddies, a program that pairs typical and special needs students in order to build life and sports skills. Now, the eighth grader is a member of Partners Club, which is dedicated to pairing students with Oklahoma Special Olympics athletes.

“Sixth grade was when I really started helping out at Special Olympics events, bringing snacks and activities to keep us all entertained,” Garner says.

Garner also helps the athletes stay on track, sometimes literally. “Depending on the kid, I’ll walk with them and make sure they’re where they’re supposed to be,” she says. “I might help get them a drink or help them do their sport.”

But she doesn’t just help at events. During any given school day, Garner might assist students with assignments, and spend time with them at lunch and during free periods planning for future activities.

And each day, she shows up with coloring books, sunscreen, and whatever else her partner for the day might need. “She just has a heart for this,” says Sharon Mitchell, special services facilitator for Yukon schools.

Abraham Farrar Photography

I joined the Whataburger family in September 2018 after five years of active duty in the U.S. Army and currently serve in the Army Reserves. While on active duty, I served as a human resources officer with combat and special operations units. Through my time with those units and my experiences on two deployments to the Middle East, I realized that I have a passion for building relationships, helping people and problem solving.

Once I transitioned out of active military service, I was able to bring my skills and experiences from the Army to Whataburger as part of the Field Talent Acquisition Team. Finding a company that I can call home was very important to me during my transition out of active duty, and I couldn’t have found a better fit than Whataburger. Ashley Vinson

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I joined the Whataburger family after serving 20 years in the Marines as an infantryman before retiring in 2017. After retirement, I served as an operations manager for an auto sales company, but never really felt at home there. My uncle, who is also a veteran, had previously worked for Whataburger and loved it, so I decided to give it a shot and apply.

I believe my skills and experiences from my time in the military helped make the transition to Whataburger really easy. My time spent running a dining facility overseas gave me a basic knowledge of the food service industry, and my experience maintaining a supply and arms room gave me a great understanding of inventory, supply management, cleanliness and organization. Holding leadership positions within the military, including years spent as a First Sergeant, have prepared me to lead and manage teams.

I’m really excited to learn and grown with Whataburger, and I’m honored to be part of the family. Jake Singleton

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As a Battle Captain in the U.S. Army, I was responsible for the oversight of all operations in my area, actively gathering information to help Company Commanders in the field. In this role, I addressed enemy activity, coordinated resources and support for all forces, and was responsible for communicating and overseeing major operations. Now, I serve on the Incident Management Team at Whataburger as a Command Center Professional, where I’m tasked with assisting in the resolution of incidents, supporting our Business Continuity Plan and developing plans and courses of action for re-opening restaurants after the resolution of a business disruption.

There are several similarities in the responsibilities within my current role within Incident Management for Whataburger and my previous role as a Battle Captain in the Army. Through my day-to-day work, I’m able to use the skills I honed through military service to provide recommendations to prevent major incidents and identify the root causes of problems to better mitigate issues in the future. Rudy Saenz

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I joined Whataburger in 2016 after retiring from the Air Force with 20 years of service. During that time, I learned things that I've been able to use and share in my current role as a Field Organization and Talent Development Manager.

While assigned to the Air Force Honor Guard, I learned that perfection is the standard and there's always room to grow. My next role was as a 4-Star General's IT support where I inspired and empowered my team and depended on them to develop solutions. I then transitioned into an instructor role, where I taught advanced leadership concepts and learned to ask probing questions. My final position in the military was as First Sergeant. In this role, I coordinated with various departments around our base to ensure that our military and families were taken care of, and that our performance management system was efficient.

I use these skills and many others which I learned in the military when coaching and developing restaurant leaders at Whataburger. I can't believe I found another organization as focused on people's development and with such a caring culture. I am proud to be part of the Orange family! Stephen Sunstrom

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As an Air Force Veteran with experience in Aircraft Mechanics, I never thought that I would be able to transfer my skills to a corporate environment. To my surprise, my military experience helped me develop leadership skills which transferred easily to my current role as an Organization and Talent Development Manager at Whataburger.

Helping others develop themselves to not only to meet the needs of Whataburger, but to meet their personal needs as well, springs from solid coaching in the Air Force. My experience working on A-10 Warthog Aircrafts, and constantly turning wrenches for the cause was just the beginning of learning the importance of PRIDE in my work, CARE for my fellow Airmen, and the LOVE for my country.

Pride, Care, and Love are fundamental at Whataburger, which has made it possible for me to seamlessly transfer my skills, attitudes, and values from Air Force Blue to Whataburger Orange. I was inspired to be my best self by my military leaders, and I enjoy the opportunity to inspire Family Members to reach for what makes them their best in my current role. At Whataburger, I feel valued as a veteran and I continue to connect the past with the present while looking forward to what the company has to offer for veterans like me. Vaundee Arnold

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I joined Whataburger in 2012 as a Business Manager. The environment and culture of Whataburger matched my passion for learning, and my desire to apply those learnings to being of maximum service to individuals and teams here at our corporate office.

As an Officer in the U.S. Navy, my positions varied widely, but all of them required me to learn quickly so I could help those who relied on me. I worked for my superiors, but I served those in my charge. It was the passion for learning and the desire to serve, along with understanding who my customers really were, that I applied to all my positions in the military and still applies to my work today.

Here at Whataburger, we take Pride in our work, we Care about each other and we LOVE serving our customers. This is personally meaningful to me. The military set the foundations of learning and service for me, and I’m able to build on it here at Whataburger. Mark Kreipe

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Whataburger is proud to partner with Children’s of Alabama -- and you can help. Donate just $1 at any participating Whataburger, and score a coupon for a free Whataburger with purchase of medium fries and a 32-oz. drink.

Support your community today by visiting any of these locations Oct. 14-Nov. 4, 2019!

• Alabaster - 1101 1^st Street South, Alabaster 35007

• Birmingham - 111 Resource Center Pkwy, Birmingham 35242

• Clanton - 2280 7th Street South, Clanton 35045

• Fultondale - 1601 Main Street, Fultondale 35068

• Pelham - 557 Cahaba Valley Road, Pelham 35124

• Trussville - 5931 Trussville Crossing Pkwy, Trussville 35173

• Tuscaloosa – McFarland Blvd. - 1301 McFarland Blvd E, Tuscaloosa 35404

• Tuscaloosa – Skyland Blvd. - 820 Skyland Blvd., Tuscaloosa 35405

One year after the devastation of Hurricane Michael, we are revisiting the stories of the heroes who are still working to make a difference in their hometowns. 

U.S. Army Veteran Bill Blair was watching football one Saturday when he saw something that changed his life.

It was a short video about Team Rubicon, which puts veterans to work delivering humanitarian aid in the wake of disasters.

“The hair stood up on the back of my neck,” Blair remembers. “I said to myself, ‘I can do that. I can help them out.’”

He joined right away, and – in less than two weeks – he was on his way to Houston to assist in Hurricane Harvey recovery.

Since his first deployment to Houston, Blair, who lives on the west coast, has been on the ground helping in both Texas and Florida.

In addition to providing immediate relief to these areas, Blair has returned several times to help with the long-term hurricane recovery efforts.

He predicts the Hurricane Michael recovery could last well into 2020.

“We can’t forget about them,” Blair says. Hurricane Michael no longer dominates headlines, but the residents of Panama City, Florida, are still on Blair’s mind as they rebuild. The same is true of people affected by Hurricane Harvey in Houston.

“Once something is no longer the top story, after a week or so, it’s gone,” Blair says. But it shouldn’t be forgotten, he says. “We’re still rebuilding Houston. We’re still rebuilding Panama City.”

Whataburger continues to partner with Team Rubicon, and other organizations, to keep the focus on rebuilding lives.

“Our biggest reward is helping those in need,” Bill says. “We don’t go there to be appreciated. We go there to help those in need, and just to be able to do it is a blessing.”

One year after the devastation of Hurricane Michael, we are revisiting the stories of the heroes who are still working to make a difference in their hometowns. 

What began out of desperation in the days after Hurricane Michael has become a mission for a Panama City, Florida, woman.

Every Thursday and Friday – and often other days during the week – Toni Gainer is at the food bank she established at 2^nd Mount Moriah Baptist Church in the days after the Category 5 hurricane devastated her community.

Thousands were without power and water then, and she started distributing food from a small space in the church sanctuary. “Then the trucks started coming out of nowhere.”

From all over the country, trucks ferried in diapers, clothes, bottled water and nonperishable foods.

“We just kept going,” she says. “We also got produce, canned goods, dried goods … I decided to feed everyone for as long as I can.”

Through a partnership with Feeding the Gulf Coast, Gainer has helped to feed hundreds of families in need through community meals and food giveaways.

“I see the people come in and get what they need, and it makes me feel good,” she says. “There’s been some ups and downs, but I keep praying and pushing forward.”

The struggle toward recovery continues for people in Springfield, Panama City and surrounding areas along the Florida panhandle.

“I know everyone goes through hard times, but don’t forget about us,” Gainer says. “We’re still going through it. We’re still trying, still struggling. There’s still a long road to recovery ahead.”

We’re proud to salute Toni Gainer, a neighbor helping neighbors, as a Whataburger Hometown Hero!

iNVision Photography

 This year, the Friday night lights shine especially bright for Jacob Munoz.

As he fought for his life earlier this year, the 17-year-old focused on three things: Family. Faith. And Football.

His goal? Beat leukemia so he could suit up for his senior year on the football team at Klein Cain High School.

With the help of his friends and family – plus a few Whataburger Patty Melts – he did just that.

A passion for football

Diagnosed with leukemia for the first time at 15, Munoz has now beaten the disease twice.

After his first diagnosis in 2015, Munoz celebrated being cancer free after undergoing chemotherapy treatments. He played football his junior year, only to learn at the end of the season that the leukemia was back – and that he needed a bone marrow transplant.

Munoz’s little brother, Christian, was a match. And the family held tight to one another as both boys went in for surgery.

It was successful. Now recovered from the bone marrow transplant, Jacob is again cancer free.

And he’s back on the football field.

“Football got him through fighting cancer,” says Luke Pardee, one of the teammates who visited Munoz and brought him Whataburger Patty Melts while he was in the hospital.

“I just kept believing,” Munoz says. “I knew I could get back out there, and I was ready to play.”

Local Lafayette, Louisiana, news anchor Al Hebert had to do a double-take when he checked his rearview mirror at a red light—only to see Whataburger manager Dexter Ledet get out of the car behind him and run toward Hebert’s window.

Hebert: I couldn’t believe he followed me after I left the store!

Dexter: Earlier that morning, Hebert had placed a breakfast order for his morning crew. On his way in to work, he stopped by to pick it up.

Hebert: We’re fanatics about Whataburger. We have about 10 people on the morning show, so our orders are huge. And we place our orders on the Whataburger app, which, by the way, is very cool.

Dexter: I thought we had it all ready for him when he got here, but I didn’t realize we were still working on the last order.

Hebert: Apparently, I forgot a bag.

Dexter: When we realized that was the case, I literally ran to my vehicle. I jumped in, floored it, and met up with him at the next light. Luckily it was red!

Hebert: He knocked on my window and gave me my bag. I was stunned. No one does that! Any other place would expect you go turn around and go back. I can’t think of anywhere else that would chase you down the street if you forgot something.

Dexter: I haven’t run in years! I was paying for it later!

Hebert: In a fast-food environment, you expect to have a transaction. But Dexter turned it from a transaction into an experience—and a memorable one!

Dexter: He even gave us a shout-out on the news.

Hebert: What Dexter did was so above-and-beyond. He didn’t have to do that. That is a level of customer service that is totally unexpected. Am I more loyal to Whataburger than ever? You bet! Dexter is a customer service hero.

Dexter: We never want to disappoint our guests. This is the first time I’ve ever had to run after an order, but I would have done it for anybody.

Bath? Check. Brushed teeth? Check. Pajamas on? Check.

On Tuesday nights, bedtime is a cinch for Homer Drive Elementary School students in Beaumont, Texas.

They know that at 7:30 p.m. sharp, they can tune in via Facebook Live to watch their principal, Dr. Belinda George, read them a bedtime story.

“Tucked-in Tuesdays” started last December. As the holidays approached, George couldn’t bear the thought of going so many days without her students knowing she was thinking about them. So for the 35 or so students who tuned in, she put on a onesie and read her favorite book, “Red,” by Michael Hall.

“Red is a blue crayon born in a red wrapper,” George explains. Red’s teacher, his parents—even his grandmother—try to help him be red, but no matter how hard he tries, it doesn’t work. It’s only when his friend asks him for help drawing water that he understands how valuable he really is. “I tell kids, ‘Don’t ever let people tell you what you can’t do. If you have a dream, you pursue it,’” George says. “I always pick books that have a lesson.”

Usually George reads from her living room. Once, she sat by the firepit in her backyard. Wherever she is, after her signature “Remember, Dr. George loves you” sign-off, she tucks herself in. “I don’t dare leave the house after I read,” she says. “I’m a phony if anybody sees me out on Tuesday nights!”

The last time she noticed, about 200 students were watching. “But the number doesn’t matter,” she insists. The important thing is that her children know she cares about them even when school’s out, she says.

“I think the biggest misconception is that I’m doing this because parents don’t read to the kids,” she says. “That’s not the case. I have wonderful parents.” George sees it as one more way to connect with the kids she cares about. “These parents are allowing me to have 15 minutes of their kids’ time to do something that means a lot to me,” she says. “It’s just the best feeling.”

MercyMae Photography

When little things pile up into one big ball of stress for college students, Tiffannie Jones wants them to have an arsenal of little things to help them relax.

Jones, a Houstonian who founded the Just College Students Project, sends care packages to students so they can focus on the big-picture goal of earning their college degrees. She stuffs those boxes with snacks for late-night cram sessions, pens and notebooks to make class more fun, trinkets to make them smile, and personal letters of encouragement.

“We want students to not just go to college, but to finish. And to do that, a lot of times they need some extra emotional support,” Jones says. “Even if it’s just a pack of ramen noodles, a bag of chips and a pen, college students need that support.

“They don’t see it as being something small,” she says. “They see it as encouragement, and it stays with them for months.”

The JCS Project began in 2014 when Jones’ younger cousin was enrolling in college.

“I felt like I needed to do something for her, so I made her a care package,” Jones says. “I also knew some other people with kids in college. Every paycheck, I would buy snacks and supplies and put a few items in each box. Once the boxes were full, I gave them to the parents to give to their child.”

Boxes for five students quickly grew to boxes for 25 students, and Jones realized she had tapped into a need.

Last year, more than 3,000 students signed up – and Jones is excited about what’s next.

“We want to try to help as many as we can,” Jones says.

Shannon Wrights, who is legally blind, had a passion for dance from an early age.

Now, she shares that passion at her studio, Aspiring Attitudes, where the thrum of upbeat music and the rhythmic clack of tap shoes sets the mood.

It’s the sound of people of all abilities dancing side-by-side.

“I grew up not being able to do a lot of things,” Wrights says. “People told me I couldn’t because of my visual impairment. But even as a kid, I was a fighter, so I said ‘So what?’ ”

After graduating from Oklahoma City University with a dance management degree, she volunteered at local schools to combine her compassion for those with special needs with her passion for movement. When she had her own children, she started teaching dance at a home-school co-op. Then she got a phone call from a mother of a 4-year-old with cerebral palsy.

Other dance studios wouldn’t accommodate the child. Wrights said yes.

The list of private clients grew, and Wrights opened a home dance studio to teach all students. Now, Aspiring Attitudes operates in a free-standing space where Wrights and two other instructors teach 75 students everything from tap and jazz to ballet and cheer.

It’s no wonder students ages 2 to 50 flock to the studio.

“The special-needs kids are open hearted. They’re encouraging with hugs, smiles, and over-the-top support,” Wrights says. “The typical kids learn all those wonderful things. They also learn not to be afraid to try things. There are kids that are just barely walking through a routine and there are kids accomplishing the highest skill level. They’re all doing it together.”

Chelsi Dennis Photography

For New Braunfels, Texas, resident Dottie Laster, flowers, horses and good food represent freedom. She makes a point of appreciating them.

Laster is a longtime advocate for victims of human trafficking, and through her work she’s seen horrendous conditions and unspeakable suffering.

“If I didn’t have good things to eat and flowers to photograph, I would be bitter and angry,” she says. “The world has so many beautiful things, and Ifight so the victims can enjoy those.”

Laster has poured her tireless energy into every aspect of her freedom-fighting cause. She’s brought in millions of dollars in grant money, represented clients as an immigration attorney and confronted the very people she’s fighting.

Helping others often means putting herself in danger. When Laster jumped in to help Inna, an immigrant from Krygyzstan who was living in an unsafe situation with her two young daughters in East Texas, she hired a bodyguard to protect herself.

Inna says Laster secured visas for her and her daughters and crisscrossed the state multiple times taking them to appointments. Through it all, they became like family.

“She’s our hero,” says Inna, who has earned freedom and is one semester away from her accounting degree. “She stands for justice no matter what. Any time I call, she answers. I love her dearly. I will be grateful always.”

It brings us joy to celebrate Dottie Laster, a Whataburger Hometown Hero.

When Jimmy Dorrell sees a need in his neighborhood, he gets busy.

Dorrell is president of Mission Waco, a nonprofit that operates everything from an economic center and health clinics to a children’s theater program and a grocery store in his North Waco neighborhood.

Dorrell and his wife, Janet, moved into the neighborhood more than 20 years ago. The house they chose was a fixer-upper, at best. It sat across the street from a bar, and its foundation was compromised by years of neglect that blighted the surrounding neighborhood.

“We decided it was the perfect place to raise our family,” says Jimmy Dorrell, laughing. He and his wife, Janet, had just returned from a four-month mission trip to Haiti and India. “We had been so shaped by our experiences.” They wanted to continue their work at home.

Making it Happen

As the Dorrells befriended their new neighbors, Mission Waco was born.

Neighboring high-school kids needed a place to play, so the Dorrells built a basketball court in their backyard.

The man across the street was struggling to land a job, so they started a training program.

A friend’s uncle, who struggled with addiction, needed a place where he could get clean. They started an alcohol and drug rehabilitation center.

“Mission Waco didn’t have a master plan, but we took the natural next steps based on our relationships with people in the community,” Dorrell says. “We believe that change starts with friendship and empowerment.”

Now in its 26th year, Mission Waco has become Mission Waco/Mission World. It employs a staff of 70 and has more than 15 programs, including health clinics and an economic center.

They aim to bridge cultures and get others involved by hosting bus tours of their part of the city.

“We talk about barriers surrounding things like how to find employment, and how to get out of the cycle of poverty,” he says.

Inspired tour participants often sign up to volunteer at Mission Waco’s Friday-morning breakfasts, which serves 125 people experiencing homelessness, or tutor at an after-school program. “Mobilizing is a process – not a single event. But when someone builds a relationship, especially with a child, it changes everything,” he says.

In the neighborhood, Mission Waco has transformed abandoned business buildings – including a vacant shopping center – into neighborhood facilities. The Jubilee Center, for example, houses a computer lab, a climbing wall and a 200-seat theater for dance, drama and neighborhood meetings.

“As I get older, my heart leads me to empower people who have good hearts,” Dorrell says. “I love my job.”

Twenty Toes Photography

When Leonardo Charles, a Desert Storm veteran from San Antonio, Texas, purchased his family home through the VA, he had a dream: the garage would become his very own man cave.

He set up a TV. He brought in a recliner. He hung up some mementoes.

But something was missing.

That’s when his family reached out to Whataburger, Charles’ favorite place to eat.

For Father’s Day, we decided to surprise this Hometown Hero with the Whatasized man cave he deserves. Check it out!

From drab to fab. Nothing makes a space feel like home like a Whataburger blanket and Fancy and Spicy Ketchup pillows. Cozy up your own man cave with a few things to remind you of your hometown Whataburger.

When you love Whataburger this much, waving your Whataburger flag high is a must.

Because he’s puro San Antonio, Charles loves two things: Whataburger and the San Antonio Spurs.

So, we called our friends at the Spurs who donated a framed Tim Duncan jersey, a signed basketball, wall art and tickets to his very first Spurs game! In a suite, no less. With catered Whataburger.

Hey Charles – don’t forget about your wife! After the game, don’t forget to tell her she’s pretty and take her to Whataburger.

Fancy Ketchup or Spicy Ketchup? When the goal is this delicious, it’s easy to score some points.

Sometimes art just speaks to you. This art is telling you what’s for dinner.

Charles’ friends are going to be dying to check out his new space. But they better know the house rules before they arrive …

What every man cave needs – a display case with shelves stocked full of ways to show off your Whataburger pride, including our signature sauces. Good thing they’re bottled.

Put this Whataburger Pez on the need list, along with the Whataburger trucker hat, a man-cave must.

Even if you don’t have Whataburger for lunch, you can pack your meal in this classic lunch box that’ll always be in style.

This neon sign will light up your life… and your cravings.

That feeling when you’re just as excited about what’s outside of the refrigerator as you are about what’s inside.

What’s a man cave without a pool table?! 

It helps to have a cue ball that’s on point!

It was a privilege to bring some Father’s Day joy to this veteran, who loves Whataburger so much he even celebrated his most recent birthday in our restaurant! His order of choice? A #2, cheese, bacon, no onions, and extra pickles.

Want to see the transformation in action?   Check out the time-lapse video below. 

As parents of terminally ill children struggle through their darkest days, Jeanne Busby works to shine light and show hope.

Busby helps to coordinate fundraising efforts at Just Keep Smiling, a Birmingham, Alabama, nonprofit that provides financial relief to parents. Money raised through donations, sponsorships and events goes to pay for immediate needs such as housing costs and utilities bills.

Busby is the “heart and soul” of the organization, says Patrice Brooks, who founded Just Keep Smiling in 2005 with two other women grieving the loss of their children.

They understand that work is disrupted and bills go neglected as families focus on their children. “We try to help give these families some relief from household expenses, so mom and dad don’t have to worry about being at work, but instead can spend quality time in the hospital with their child,” says Busby, who has been with the organization since the beginning.

Busby oversees quarterly fundraising events such as auctions and golf tournaments. Next up? The June 27 Golf Tournament at Greystone Golf and Country Club in Birmingham.

Busby also offers support for many of the families on a personal level, including working with hospitalized children to create handmade Christmas cards.

“I’ve gotten to know so many of the children, and that’s really kept my heart attached to the core of what Just Keep Smiling tries to do,” Busby says. “We want to let these families know that the sun is always out there, it’s just sometimes behind the clouds. But eventually there will be a new day dawning.”

Mr. Finley is a gentleman, a refined soul who loves his routines and the companionship of others. He also loves his stuffed toys, which he gathers around him when he naps.

Mr. Finley is a miniature poodle.

This isn’t any ordinary dog. The seven-year-old pup, along with his owner Linda Tingstrom, brings joy to at-risk youth in Phoenix, Arizona, on a weekly basis. Linda and Mr. Finley are a certified therapy team for Gabriel’s Angels, a nonprofit agency in Arizona that serves 15,200 at-risk children. It is the only organization in the state offering behaviorally focused pet therapy.

The therapy teams, each comprising a dog, its owner and a helper, are 100 percent volunteer.

Linda has been giving her time to Gabriel’s Angels since 2003, just three years after Pam Gaber launched the nonprofit with her weimaraner Gabriel.

“I was going through a tough time in my life,” Linda explains. “I said to myself, ‘I’ve got to give back.’”

Linda and Mr. Finley meet with children at an elementary school once a week and at a shelter every other week.

Visits to schools include one-on-one time for each child to interact with the dog. Kids can brush the pup, give treats, walk the dog on a leash, even listen to the animal’s heartbeat with a stethoscope.

Linda has seen kids with aggression find calm. She’s witnessed once-shy children emerge from their shells. And she’s experienced kids previously terrified of dogs bond with them.

“I don’t need any thanks because I get more out of this than anyone,” she says. “I feel like I’m making a difference and that’s all that matters to me.”

Tavits Photography

Galvan – inspired by Whataburger’s challenge to teach social and emotional skills – created a one-of-a-kind lesson plan for her students at Specht Elementary in the Comal Independent School District, in New Braunfels, Texas.

Galvan was this year’s Comal ISD nominee in a new category for the applicants of the Trinity Prize for Excellence in Teaching Award. This involved submitting a lesson plan that focuses on teaching students social and emotional skills using Whataburger’s core values of Pride, Care and Love.

Everyone got a sweet taste of her victory with cookies for the entire school, and Galvan's grade-level planning team all got teacher-survival kits to get them through the last few weeks of the semester. Her class loaded up on Whataburger snacks and swag, while Galvan received a one-of-a-kind Whataburger for a Year gift basket that included a Whataburger phone charger and branded school supplies.

Read what Comal ISD had to say about Galvan here. You can also download a copy of her award-winning lesson below.

Join us in celebrating Amber Galvan, a Hometown Hero!

Empathy runs deep for Emari Hunn

“I had a less-than great childhood, often left to fend for myself from abuse, neglect and hunger,” Hunn says. “I even experienced a brief homelessness when our apartment caught fire in Japan.”

The difficult past inspires Hunn, now mom to a 7-year-old daughter and a financial center manager. She works closely with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central New Mexico and recently joined the BBBS board.

She also enjoys being a “big” to Angie, a high school freshman, and the two have been hanging out for three years – enjoying time at the movies, the ballet, the theater and the state fair. They’ve gone swimming and played arcade games and baked together. Hunn also attends Angie’s school orchestra performances.

“I want to make an impact in the lives of children and youths by being their constant – and being a reliable and trustworthy adult who can provide guidance when they need it,” she says. “I want to give them everything I didn’t have.”

Hunn also is active in the children’s ministry at her church and volunteers with Special Olympics, Roadrunner Food Bank, Run for the Zoo, Walk for the Cure, clothing and shoe drives, and a few personal initiatives such as putting together “busy kits” for kids staying at the University of New Mexico Hospital and Presbyterian Hospital.

For her big heart and her love for children, we’re proud to salute Emari Hunn as a Whataburger Hometown Hero. Read more about other Hometown Heroes here.

A lot of men laugh when Jim Keegan tells them he had breast cancer. He tells them it’s no joke.

Breast cancer affects one in 833 men, according to the American Cancer Society. And while the odds are far greater for women to have the disease, men should take heed.

In 2013, Keegan’s wife discovered a hard lump in his left breast that felt like a pea. Within weeks , he’d undergone a mastectomy. After a few months, he had reconstructive surgery and started a yearlong journey with chemotherapy.

“The diagnosis hit us like a ton of bricks,” he says. But he and his wife of almost 50 years didn’t let it knock them down.

Keegan’s become active in raising awareness about male breast cancer, telling men they are the best advocates for their health.

And don’t procrastinate. “The longer you wait, the worse it will get.”

Keegan dedicates time to nonprofit organizations such as The Donna Foundation, which helps provide debt relief to those affected with breast cancer.

Since 2006, The Donna Foundation has raised more than $5 million dollars and served more than 12,000 families in need through hosting a series of events such as the Donna Marathon and the Players Donna 5K.

“I did my first 5K run with the Donna Foundation five years ago, and my wife and I volunteer and run every race,” he says. “It gets a little bit addicting after the first one.”

For raising his voice and helping others, we salute Jim Keegan as a Whataburger Hometown Hero!

Sarah Hedden Photography

Volunteering started early for Brookie Brown. While other 6-year-olds focused on scooters and soccer practice, Brown spent her free time volunteering with her mother to help raise awareness about breast cancer.

In the 12 years since, Brown has logged more than 2,000 volunteer hours with the Donna Foundation in Jacksonville, Florida. She doesn’t plan to slow down any time soon. Brown even compiled a cookbook to benefit the foundation, which provides support to people living with breast cancer.

Her work began as a way to honor her mom’s mother, who died of breast cancer before Brown was born.

Brown felt a connection to her grandmother through cooking.

“My grandmother had all these recipes written down on cards,” she says. “I took every recipe she ever had and started compiling them into a book.”

That book blossomed into “Recipes to Celebrate the Finish,” which includes not only her grandmother’s recipes, but also those from other breast cancer patients and even Olympic athletes. Proceeds from cookbook sales go to the Donna Foundation, which has served more than 12,000 families since 2006.

Brown also finds time for scholarship pageant competition and uses that to also spread awareness about breast cancer. When she earned the crown of Miss River City Outstanding Teen in 2018 and competed in the Miss Florida Outstanding Teen pageant, her dress color opened the door for her to speak out.

“Brookie usually wears a pink dress,” says her mom, Valerie Brown, also Donna Foundation Director of Race Sponsorships. “But she also has worn a blue dress. When people ask about the color choice, it gives her an opportunity to talk about how breast cancer also affects men.”

Sarah Hedden Photography

For eight decades and counting, Bill Brantley has had a thing for bicycles. The passion began on his sixth birthday, when his father gave him a big, new bike.

Now 87, Brantley has pedaled many a mile on two wheels. Along the way, he learned to make necessary repairs. As a result, the octogenarian has become known around Pensacola, Florida, as “The Bike Man.”

About eight years ago, he began giving those restored bikes to folks who needed transportation. He’s given away almost 100 in the last two years alone.

Fellow church members at Gateway Church of Christ in Pensacola help out, donating bicycles and spare parts for the cause.

Keep on rollin’, Bill Brantley! We proudly salute you as a Whataburger Hometown Hero!

iNVision Photography

From her first breath, Sydney Darling had a medical team.

“I was born with two kidneys, but one had cysts,” she says.

The team at Arkansas Children’s Hospital diagnosed and treated her “when no one else knew what was wrong with me,” she says.

Now 20, Darling lives a normal life thanks, in part, to those dedicated doctors. So, the Bentonville native and University of Arkansas student is helping children as she works toward becoming a pediatrician herself.

Her treatment took place at Arkansas Children’s in Little Rock. When its regional pediatric hospital, Arkansas Children’s Northwest, opened in 2018 in Springdale – about a 15-minute hop from Darling’s campus in Fayetteville – she became a volunteer.

Every Sunday afternoon, Darling’s there helping patients and their families. Sometimes, she helps kids express themselves with paint or Play-Doh. Other times, she’s on clean-up duty: sanitizing toys as she puts them away.

Even when Darling isn’t volunteering at the hospital, she still dedicates much of her time to making patients’ lives better. As president of Arkansas Dance Marathon, the sophomore helped raise $50,000 for Arkansas Children’s Northwest.

“There are things I’ve realized that people need that I never would have thought of,” she says. “Like gas cards, for example. Some families can’t even pay for the gas to go home.”

Sometimes, the needs of the families are more than Darling can handle. Luckily, she’s surrounded by an amazing team of nurses, staff and doctors who make a huge impact on little lives.

“It’s really sad seeing families dealing with hardships like cancer,” she says. “It’s hard to imagine what they’re going through, but it’s nice to know that they’re getting good care. And now that Arkansas Children’s Northwest is open, they don’t have to drive hours to get good care.”

Daniel Moody Photos

Instead, each wished on a single Whataburger-branded candle while family, friends and Whataburger Family Members cheered.

Both the World War II veterans love them some Whataburger, so their families arranged parties to mark the milestones at their local Whataburger restaurants.

Wallace partied down on his big day – April 13 – at Whataburger in Malakoff, Texas. Palmer celebrated on April 15, and even Whataguy came out to the store in Lufkin, Texas, to join the fun.

Each party was filled with sage advice from the guests of honor and plenty of orange.

April 13: Honoring C.J. “Red” Wallace

Wallace stepped out of a stretch limo and onto a red carpet rolled out in his honor at the Malakoff Whataburger. “If you want to live a long life, you’d better get plenty of exercise,” he says.

Wallace’s grandchildren, great-grandchildren and Whataburger family fulfilled the WWII veteran’s wish of receiving 100 cards on his 100^th birthday.

After serving with the Air Force in North Africa, Italy, France and Germany during WWII, Wallace worked for General Motors for 27 years.

Wallace’s great-grandaughters were among the guests marking the milestone at one of their great-grandfather’s favorite places.

He says the bun is one of the best parts of his usual order: a #1 Whataburger with mayo added, minus onions and pickles.

“It’s special that he let Whataburger share his milestone,” says Shelly Lipe, the marketing director for Hablinski Investments, a Whataburger franchise.

April 15: Celebrating Wayne Palmer

Palmer, being greeted here by friends, agrees with Wallace about the key to a long life. “You gotta stay active, otherwise you’re not going to go very long.”

During steamy East Texas summers, Palmer keeps a half-dozen lawns mowed. Each of those takes about two hours. Whew!

Balloons, cards and banners marked Palmer’s big day.

He credits his faith for getting him through tight spots in life. One of those tight spots was D-Day on Normandy Beach in France.

At the Lufkin restaurant, the Whataburger Family knows Palmer’s breakfast order as the “Palmer Special.” That’s one scrambled egg, one pancake and two pieces of bacon. Other customers ask for it by name too!

Palmer’s cake was 100 percent Whataburger, even orange on the inside, and topped with a Whataburger French fry candle.

“We know how much Mr. Palmer enjoys coming to our restaurant,” says Maci Dover from the G.V.C.S. Whataburger franchise. “This celebration is just one way for all of us at Whataburger to show how much he means to us.”

Airman Ryan Charrier is on a special mission to give the gift of family time to fellow combat veterans.

The spark for the idea came during his first deployment to Afghanistan in 2014 when a fellow serviceman remarked that in 28 years of military service and six deployments he and his family never had been on a true vacation together.

Charrier changed that when he returned home to the U.S. in 2015. Shortly after coming home, Charrier and his wife settled in Orange Beach, Alabama.

Working with a network of Gulf Coast resources, Charrier gave the family of his fellow veteran their first vacation, a weeklong stay in a beach house on the white sands of Gulf Shores, Alabama.

From that one act of generosity, Charrier’s Operation ReConnect was born. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit provides seven days of uninterrupted time for service members to reconnect with family members when returning home from combat. Since 2015, the nonprofit has served about 300 families.

“I am honored to serve those who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice so we may all enjoy freedom,” he says.

And we are honored to salute Ryan Charrier as a Whataburger Hometown Hero.

Photos: iNVision Photography

It all started when Tracy Piatt-Fox, a California native who is now a police officer in San Angelo, Texas, let it slip that she’d never had a Whataburger.

And her team called her out on Twitter.

Next thing you know, Tracy’s colleagues and Whataburger hatched a plan – and Tracy found herself at Whataburger.

Whataburger surprised Tracy with orange flowers and Whataburger swag – and treated her and 10 of her coworkers to a VIP lunch.

The big moment for Tracy, who eats gluten-free, came when it was time to place her first Whataburger order.

Her choice? Whataburger’s Grilled Chicken Breast with Monterey Jack cheese. On a platter, no bun. Add avocado, green chiles, and other veggies on the side.

Her verdict? As the former Californian told the San Angelo Standard-Times, “I'm going to have to say, Whataburger is No. 1"