Jami Thornsberry moved to Cookeville after falling in love with the area, while here visiting family. A long history with family services and a passion for adoption, Jami began to feel a stirring to explore the possibility of bringing an adoption agency to the Upper Cumberland. That dream became a reality last year. Hope Center: Adoption & Family Services is a private placement agency and exists to walk through the adoption journey with both the birth and adoptive parents. In this episode, Jami shares about the work of the Hope Center, the practical ways that we can help, and how the movement to change the culture is making a sweeping impact on how adoption is viewed by our community. Informative and encouraging!

Dave and Diane Roland are long time Cookeville residents and business owners. Diane has always felt a connection to teenagers and young adults that feel orphaned in one way or another. It was this passion and her own personal experiences, that inspired her to open Next Step for Life, a transitional living facility, where program members can grow personally, professionally, and spiritually. Whether teaching life skills like cooking and budgeting, or helping residents further their education and find work, Diane says that Next Step's vision is to offer a hand up, not a hand out. In this episode, Diane shares her heart for broken families, gets vulnerable about her own story, and explains why she believes success is not always what we think it is. Learn about this amazing nonprofit and the lady behind it!