RISE UP Grundy
RISE UP Grundy
Palmer, Tennessee
Palmer, Tennessee
Honorary and Founding* Board Members
“Today I encourage you to take a personal inventory, to ask yourself if the path you are on is in alignment to God's will for you? The choices you make today effect your children, your grand- children and your great grandchildren!
Make good choices, praise Jesus for the preciousness of life and go find somebody to love on!"
~Joe Smith
Joe Smith
Exec Director/CEO, Prison Prevention Ministries
Hamilton County School Board Member
Founder/Former Regional Director of YCAP
Joe may have an ordinary name, but he has led a very extraordinary life. Abandoned at 2 weeks old with a little 2 year old sister, Joe was adopted by a kind Chattanooga couple. He went on to UT Knoxville, where he had his first encounter with cocaine, which would consume his life for many years. He returned to Chattanooga after college and married the little sister of his best friend. They had 2 children and started a successful insurance business. But cocaine was wrecking his marriage and business. Joe lost everything and got to the point that life was so miserable that he decided to end it all by going to Chickamauga Dam with a loaded pistol. On the way there, his truck ran out of gas and a man driving by stopped to help. The man drove Joe to Soddy Daisy and introduced him to Dr. Charles Clay, who spoke to him. Joe voluntarily went into rehab for 6 months and then was given an opportunity as a security officer for Crossroads. He began to take a great interest in the troubled youth at the facility and has been working with kids ever since. He was employed at a rehab hospital in Knoxville for a few years, then returned to Chattanooga, where he began the YCAP program for the YMCA in 1988. Boxing became a cornerstone for the program and he along with his son Andy (who runs the program today), became a prominent figure on the national and international boxing scene. He was the team manger for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team at the Beijing Olympics. He and his wife have fostered 19 different children. After his retirement from the YMCA, he took a seat on the Hamilton County School Board and also serves as Executive Director/CEO of Prison Prevention Ministries.
“My passion is to see everyone embrace who God created them to be and what He created them to do. It is this desire to see all people walking in their identity with their God- given purpose that fuels my interest and dedication to Rise Up Grundy! I believe everyone deserves a chance to explore all that the Lord has for them.”
~Deborah Gall
Deborah Gall
Artist, Founder and Director of Abide Studio Ministry
Author
Experienced Speaker
Professional Visual Artist Spiritual Life Coach
It has been four decades since Deborah Gall formalized her education in merchandising and business. During that time Deborah has walked through multiple careers that have given her expertise in business, teaching, speaking, creating visual art, studying, and writing. She began her entrepreneurial career in 1984 as a speaker and artist. In 2004 Deborah opened Abide Studio —a retail studio and art gallery which became a marketplace ministry for people to go for prayer and counsel. Nearly ten years later, in 2013, Abide Studio transitioned into a full-time art and equipping ministry of the same name. Abide Studio is dedicated to helping others find their way to their God-given identity and purpose. Ms. Gall is a four time published author, an experienced speaker, a professional visual artist, and a spiritual life coach. Deborah is committed to sharing the unconditional love of God through the spoken and written word. Deborah’s paintings also reflect her belief in and experience of the freedom available through Christ. Abide Studio is a department of Artists in Christian Testimony, International. Throughout her career, Deborah has served in leadership and board positions for many organizations and churches including Victory Healing Centers (Nashville, Tennessee), The Williamson County Arts Council (Franklin, Tennessee), and Civic Women’s Organizations (Illinois, and Texas). Deborah has been married for 44 years to Rick, who is the mainstay of her life and her ministry accountability team. Rick serves as Deborah's sounding board and helps to keep her centered on the Lord and the call of the ministry.
Active Board Members
"Grundy county has some of the most beautiful places in the state and the people here are some of the best people you will find. When there is someone in need, Grundy County rallies together and we take care of each other. I am honored to be able to serve this county and the people here and I pray that in some way I can have a positive impact on the future of Grundy County for our children and future generations."
~Daniel Crabtree
Daniel Crabtree*
Assessor of Property, Grundy County
Assistant Pastor
Youth basketball Coach
Former Mayor of Palmer
Daniel is a lifelong resident of Grundy County and of Palmer. Daniel attended Palmer Elementary and graduated from Grundy County High School. Daniel was elected as Mayor of Palmer in 2006 and has been able to learn many aspects of local government. Daniel has served as past Chairman of the Grundy County Commission and currently is the Grundy County Assessor of Property. Daniel is married to Lisa and they have 3 daughters Brittany, Lorren and Kasadee, who is a 2021 graduate from Palmer Elementary School and was a fourth-generation student there. Daniel and Lisa are also grandparents to three wonderful grandsons- Jayven, Jexten and Axton. Daniel was saved by the Grace of God in 2013 and answered his call to preach in 2019. Shortly thereafter, he became the Assistant Pastor of their church. Daniel says, “I grew up knowing that family is the most important thing in this world a man can have, and I can truly say that God has blessed me more than I could have ever imagined. The greatest honor of all is serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, his love for us is indescribable.”
My favorite quote:
“Always be on guard and remember, you carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself a Christian. Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."
~Gary Brewer
Gary "Rooster" Brewer*
Grundy County Commissioner, Chairman
Member of Grundy County Sports Hall of Fame
Gary and Jan have been married 44 years and have 3 sons, 3 daughters-in-love and a house full of grand-children. He was given the nickname "Rooster" by his daddy as a young boy! Gary has been employed for 50 years at the same company, McGlohon Spring and Alignment in Chattanooga. He started after graduation from Grundy County High School, then took a leave to attend college, where he was MVP of the 1976-66 baseball team as a pitcher. He received a scholarship to play the final two years at Francis Marion College, so he and Jan got married and moved to South Carolina. After graduation, they moved back to Grundy County, and Gary went back to work at the same company, bought land, built a house and started a family. His life forever changed on November 1, 1981 when he went to the altar to accept Christ and has never looked back!
"Rooster" will tell you that the Lord is his Savior, that the Lord is rich in mercy and grace, and has as abundance to give to anyone who is willing to ask of Him in godly sorrow.
"My passion is to teach and coach financial stability, to give to those less fortunate". Wise words are found in the book of Proverbs, which gives wisdom about money, good advice, careful planning and how to treat others.
Proverbs 14:31 “If you mistreat the poor, you insult your Creator; if you are kind to them, you show him respect.”
~Tim Holst
Tim Holst
Financial Coach
30 Plus Years as Executive Manager in Big Business
Member of Int'l Mission Trips
Entrepenuer
Tim is a resident of middle Tennessee, and was raised in a small town north of Chicago by loving parents who were married for 61 years with 3 older siblings. Tim married Krista in 1988 and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior in 1995.
In 2018, Tim and Krista both retired from long-term careers from Abbott Laboratories, a big pharma / medical device / nutrition products company in northern Illinois and moved to middle Tennessee. Tim fully retired in 2023 and is serving in multiple capacities in the church and for various nonprofits. His passion is to
teach biblical principles on financial planning and to coach others in financial stability.
Tim and Krista have an amazing adult daughter who is caring, sweet, and hard working. He is thrilled to serve on the board of RISE UP Grundy and serve on various community projects in Grundy County. Tim has also served in Kentucky, Mexico and the Dominican Republic and enjoys rolling up his sleeves to help others. He is a great cook and makes amazing homemade chocolates.
Linda Roberts attributes sucess to perserverance, hard work, and blessings from God.
"The key is to put everything in God's hands and try your best to treat customers, employees, competitors, and anyone else you interact with with a Christian attitude."
~Linda Roberts
Linda Roberts
City Alderman, Town of Altamont
Community Leader in Grundy County
Entrepreneur over 30 years of a successful business
Accounting Expertise
Linda and her family are lifelong residents of Grundy County. In 1991, Linda's husband, Steve, founded All American Enterprises. What was then a small home-based business has since flourished into the successful family-owned company that builds commerical and residential millwork for different projects all around America. Steve was tragically diagnosed with cancer in 1997. Despite this, he continued to fight through and keep running the business until his graduation to Heaven in 2000. Linda and her son formed a partnership to continue the business and in 2003, they decided to open their own commerical millwork shop in Altamont. By 2009, the company had become a primary supplier and installer working directly with general contractors.
Today, the company has grown even further and despite economic hardship or personal struggles, the company has never ceased to grow. The company still champions Steve's motto, "Quality Counts", which remains true for our millwork. Linda personifies this mindset with the following quote, "We have great relationships with customers, our suppliers and even our competitors. Our competitors know they can call us if they run out of materials and they know we will help them anyway we can. That was how Steve did business and we are continuing to live out his dream."
RISE UP Grundy
RISE UP Grundy
Changing lives...One child at a time.
Changing lives...One child at a time.