Vidalia, GA
Every once in awhile, we discover a diamond in the rough, and in those moments we may also experience an epiphany as a result. Last night I realized every second of my life has led me here, right now to tell you about what has recently inspired me.
In a nutshell, it's a small world. I'll justify that statement in a few minutes by tying yesterday's and today's blogs together in a nice, pretty, little bow. I know we could all tell a story about this one, but just humor me...
To refresh, my previous article was about a man who has built a Dothan, Alabama restaurant into a business model poised to spread nationally. Today, I am mainly covering the Paul Anderson Youth Home, and what inspired the founder to do what he did... which, by the way was nothing short of national news a few years back, and is still quite spiffy today.
Paul's journey of intrigue and success began not very promising at all when he nearly died of Bright's disease as a toddler. Anderson, no doubt, inherited his mother's helping spirit, and her faith in something greater than self that would ultimately enable him to fulfill an unending legacy. He crafted an alternative program-type facility for problematic 16-20 year old males in 1961 on the heels of a weightlifting career with a still unbroken world record clean and jerk to his credit. Although Paul Anderson died in 1994, the PAYH has never veered away from its' founder's core values, and what's more, boasts a near-90% success rate.
Nowadays, Paul's wife, Glenda serves as program director for the PAYH. The Christian organization implements a welcoming, non-judgmental yet enriching environment, and many proven strategies that will benefit troubled male youths from all over the world for the rest of their lives. The residents are accomplishing great things as a result of having been a part of this useful program, considering the alternatives. Family counseling services, a spiritual guidance component, intensive, strategic classes on exactly how to set goals, and implementing a plan to follow through are only a small part of PAYH's well-rounded, structured curriculum.
One of Anderson's first missions was - and still is - a bike ride through Florida that included several stops along the way. He spoke to high school students and teachers, and several church communities about what he was accomplishing only by the grace of God and a burning desire to help people.
As this is being written, some of the residents of PAYH are preparing to trek via bikes from Key West, Florida back to the youth home in Vidalia, Georgia. They too, will be making some scheduled, fund- and awareness-raising stops. I urge you to check out their website at: PAYH.org as soon as possible, or those interested in an investment in future generations may donate at the following secure link: https://secure2.convio.net/payh/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app202a?df_id=2196&2196.donation=form1&NONCE_TOKEN=965078C3744CC968463FC42F6D4DFAFB.
One alumni of this ingenious program now owns and operates a Chic-Fil-A restaurant in Georgia, which is by the way, what leads perfectly into why I say it's a small world spiffily after all (and spiffily is an actual word, so don't even...). The first donation Paul Anderson ever received was rumored to be twenty dollars from none other than founder, and Chairman of Chic-Fil-A Systems, Mr. Truett Cathy!
Back to yesterday's blog for a second in order to wrap the bow...
For those of you who know about the Dorminy family from Dothan, Alabama, and the beautiful Goldfingers restaurants Bill and Lyne founded there... well, you know where I'm going with this, I would hope.
Some-quarter century ago or better, Bill Dorminy began with Chic-Fil-A Systems, and years later received a genuine atta-boy from Truett Cathy when the two conversed about the possibility of Bill's pet project, Goldfingers.
Here's a bonus point or three for free. My youngest sister, Leigh-Anne, is a licensed counselor with the PAYH, and I blog for Goldfingers, and that's today's small world tidbit.
Hopefully, we are all helping other people become better, and thus becoming better ourselves within that process... Truett Cathy, Paul Anderson, and Bill Dorminy... all inter-connected by and through creating new ways to help others, and our perception of what family should be... It is truly my belief that we are all connected on some level, and I appreciate you for helping me get to right here, right now. With your help, we can all do something truly Spiffy! In the meantime, let the healing process begin with you!
Photo and Informational Credit: PAYH.org
Paul Anderson, pictured below, with his Olympic Gold Medal.
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