The Appalachian Trail extends 2100 miles from Georgia to Maine along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains. “Thru hikers” endeavor to hike the entire trail in one hike which usually takes 5-6 months. Most thru hikers adopt trail names, so in 1991 “Stumpy” hopped on the AT in GA and started hiking north toward Maine. Stumpy was seeking adventure, a challenge and to find a purpose in his life. During his 5 month journey, Stumpy discovered, as he never realized before, that happiness & fulfillment in life is derived not from selfish pursuits but from being of service to others, from helping others with their journeys in life.

So Stumpy returned from the trail determined to turn his life around by serving others in various ways. He became a scout leader to hundreds of boys, mentored underprivileged young people, invested in their education, and participated in various school, church, and community charities. About six6 years ago, he sponsored a brilliant young lady from Nairobi, Kenya to relocate to the US and enroll in college. That young lady just graduated cum laude from GA State University with a degree in accounting and now has a fabulous job with Microsoft. Thereafter, Stumpy sponsored the Kenyan young lady’s sister to enroll in a Canadian college, where she’s now earning a graduate degree.

Two years ago, Stumpy traveled to Uganda with a Boy Scout contingent, where he met some fantastic, happy, cheerful, bright, but desperately poor, mostly orphaned kids. He realized that they, like the Kenyon young ladies, could be successful too if they only had a chance at an education. So, Stumpy’s Foundation, Inc was formed to give them that chance.