SPECIAL TO THE REPORTER

Aubrey Garrison III of Shelby County received the first Person of Hope Award at the &8220;A Place Called Hope&8221; benefit on Thursday, Dec. 14. at the Workplay Center. This award recognizes an inspirational person who has provided hope and support to the community. Garrison, who has worked with I Found Hope on highway 280 for six years, has been an instrumental force in the support and success of the Center. According to Mark Means, the Center&8217;s director, Garrison was recognized as, &8220;someone who exhibits hope through everything he touches; his church, his business, his friends and people that first meet him always walk away with a sense of how interested he is in them.&8221; The award presentation included video testimonials from several of Garrison&8217;s longtime associates and friends.

The &8220;A Place Called Hope&8221; benefit supported the I Found Hope Counseling Center. This event also included appearances by Grammy award winning artist Russ Taff, special words from Aaron Beam, the Co-founder of HealthSouth, NBC-13s Fran Curry and many others including Marc Phillips along with Wes Hampton and Marshall Hall of the Gaither Vocal Band. Garrison is also the president of The Garrison Barrett Group, Inc. is a 19-year-old multi-faceted southeastern architecture and interior design firm. When asked about Garrison&8217;s work with the I Found Hope Counseling Center, Means said, &8220;Aubrey has sponsored hope with his life, his words and with his donations, because of that he has helped change thousands of lives.&8221; Means went on to say he has, &8220;never met another person, that when he becomes involved in something he has so much passion and zeal to give to that cause.&8221;

The I Found Hope Counseling Center is a unique, comprehensive center that provides the help of caring, trained professional counselors to help individuals discover a healthy way of care-fronting themselves and loved-ones when faced with life&8217;s toughest issues