Chef Kelly English’s name is synonymous with culinary acclaim for Restaurant Iris, The Second Line, Fino's, and Panta. Behind the scenes, Kelly has been known to place a food table outside his restaurant for folks in need to enjoy on holidays. In 2020, Kelly began hosting an annual "Day of Warmth" at The Second Line. Homeless Memphians are treated to warm clothes, a meal, haircuts and more. Kelly says Covid showed us that our livelihoods can quickly be threatened. “We survived on the generosity of others, and will pass it on when we can.” Due to recent resurgence of Covid, the Day of Warmth was postponed, but not abandoned, and Kelly’s kindness will continue to inspire.
Jonathan Large has been the Civic Services Club advisor at Memphis University School (MUS) for 14 years. In the role, he is teaching the boys at MUS to be apostles of service by connecting them to volunteer opportunities with organizations such as the Salvation Army, MIFA, Meals on Wheels, and others. Jonathan himself has volunteered tirelessly for the Salvation Army for the past eight years. During the recent holiday season, he and the GPS squad (young people dedicated to “Give, Pray and Serve”) volunteered approximately 1,500 hours towards Salvation Army efforts at the Kroc Center, ringing kettle bells, and working at the angel tree warehouse to make sure everyone had a Christmas. Thank you, Jonathan, for molding future nonprofit leaders in our community.
Bob Wilder has been dedicated to the Larry Hatchett Fishing Foundation (LHFF) for 31 years. This organization takes foster children to the Gulf of Mexico annually for a weekend of fishing. With this adventure, the LHFF hopes to lessen the unpleasantness in these children’s lives by offering a weekend of fellowship, demonstrating that there are people who care for them and their welfare. The LHFF is founded on the principle, “If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime. If you teach a child to fish, he may feed the world.”