Serving on the CREATE Foundation Board has given me the opportunity to have the broadest possible impact as a community volunteer, whether the need is in education, health and welfare, philanthropy or in highlighting issues critical to our region and helping to assemble the human and physical resources to address them through CREATE’s Commission On The Future Of Northeast Mississippi.

Service is the gift we give to the world. It’s what makes us human. It is also what gives our lives meaning.  When you serve, you often discover the most important gifts you have to offer are not things at all. You start to uncover the full range of resources at your disposal – your time, presence, attention – and recognize that the ability to give stems from a state of mind and heart, a place much deeper than the material. A life full of love, family, friends, faith and hope … hope that I leave the world a better place by serving my community.

Service on the CREATE board is a wonderful opportunity to support our efforts to build community throughout the Northeast Mississippi region. As has been the case with so many of his ideas, George Maclean’s vision of an entity to carry the goals of the Daily Journal forward to future generations continues to be fruitful. We also know that the charitable contributions we make through CREATE are put to work with a strong focus on our fiduciary responsibility to the donor.

Judy and I have been making our charitable contributions for years through our Advised Fund at CREATE – whether it be be to the church, St. Jude Hospital, our high school alma mater or to unexpected needs such as tornado relief in Tupelo recently and in neighboring Smithville a few years ago. CREATE handles all of the details and paperwork and, most important, respects and follows our charitable wishes to the letter.

It’s my privilege to be a part of an organization that has its mission and work laser focused on improving the quality of live in our region.

I contribute to the Create Foundation to further the great work and support that Create provides to the families and organizations in Northeast Mississippi.

I want people to know that CREATE’s mission is simply to serve and support the people of Northeast Mississippi and to help in any way that it can to advance the opportunities for a better life for all of our people through the efforts of a wonderful staff, a committed and engaged board of directors and a network of county affiliate organizations.  CREATE may be best known for its philanthropic activities, but it is much, much more.

My family, our Business, and many of our friends have found CREATE to be an excellent vehicle for charitable giving.  Whether through an Advised Fund, an Endowment, a Pass-through Account, or a Special Project, CREATE offers many benefits.  And “Believe you me”, we have taken have taken advantage of it.

Charitable gifting through CREATE is a very effective way to give to organizations and people in need.  CREATE has the knowledge and ability to quickly process donations to almost any existing charity.  Plus with online secure access to your donor advised account, you can transact this business from anywhere, anytime, and know you have good records of what you have done.  I serve on the CREATE board because I was asked and considered it a wonderful opportunity to be inspired to help others more.  If you have the heart to give to help others, there is no better way to achieve that end than through CREATE.