The Mark White Show

Tonight, Melissa "Mel" Cook of Mel's Sweet Treats joins me on The Mark White Show! A heartfelt post from Melissa about the challenges facing small businesses caught my attention and led to this conversation. For nearly 25 years, her shop has helped people celebrate special occasions, say thank you, and bring a little sweetness to someone’s day. We’ll share the story behind Mel’s Sweet Treats, the...

On this Make a Difference Minute, Dr. Constance Smith Hendricks shares why documenting the lives and contributions of nurses matters. Nurses are often reluctant to talk about themselves or believe what they’ve done deserves recognition. As Dr. Hendricks puts it, though, if we don’t tell those stories, they can be lost. That belief helped lead to the book Alabama Notable Nurses, preserving the stor...

Tonight, U.S. Army veteran Michael Matthews shares a story of service, survival, isolation & the connection that helped change the direction of his life. Michael served three deployments to the Middle East. During a mission in Mosul, Iraq, he was severely injured in an attack. He awoke two weeks later in a hospital in Germany with a broken jaw, severe burns & injuries that required months of physi...

On this Make a Difference Minute, Dr. Gennifer Horton Moon joins me at the inaugural Alabama Nurse Honor Guard State Conference in Cullman to talk about preserving the stories and traditions of nurses for future generations. For families who still have a loved one’s nursing cap, pin, lamp or other piece of their nursing history, Dr. Moon has a message: “Write it down.” She explains that preserving...

Tonight, I’m sharing more conversations from the inaugural Alabama Nurse Honor Guards State Conference in Cullman, with Dr. Gennifer Horton Moon and Dr. Constance Hendricks joining me on The Mark White Show. Dr. Moon shares why her grandmother initially questioned her decision to become a nurse and how she eventually followed the family tradition of teaching, too. We discuss the difference simply...

On this Make a Difference Minute, I’m continuing to share stories from the inaugural Alabama Nurse Honor Guard State Conference in Cullman. Amanda Simmons, founder and president of the Nurses Honor Guard of East Central Alabama, shares the story of Eunice Johnson, a nursing home nurse whose tribute reminded Amanda why this work matters. Not every nurse receives recognition for the work they do. So...

Tonight, I'm taking you to Cullman, Alabama, for the inaugural Alabama Nurse Honor Guards State Conference, where nurses and families share why a lifetime of caring deserves to be remembered. Joining me is Kala McClendon Lash, conference emcee and founder of Quietus Nurse Honor Guard. Kala shares what inspired her to establish a chapter and how these tributes recognize the sacrifices of nurses and...

On this Make a Difference Minute, Frank Dillman shares what it meant to watch the Nurse Honor Guard pay tribute to his wife, Dorothea Anne Dillman. I spoke with Frank at the inaugural Alabama Nurse Honor Guard State Conference in Cullman, where he described watching nurses who had barely known, or had never known, Dorothea honor her with genuine love & respect. This Make a Difference Minute is bro...

On this Make a Difference Minute, I’m coming to you from the inaugural Alabama Nurse Honor Guards State Conference in Cullman, Alabama, with Kala McClendon Lash, founder and chapter leader of Quietus Nurse Honor Guard. Kala shares what moved her to establish a Nurse Honor Guard in her area and the meaning behind the name Quietus, representing a nurse’s final discharge from this life. Her message t...

On this Make a Difference Minute, I have Meesha Emmett with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Alabama Chapter, sharing encouragement for anyone who is struggling. Meesha reminds us that our lives and stories matter, that we aren’t alone, and that reaching out for help is a step we can take. If you or someone you love needs support, call or text 988 to connect with someone who will li...

On this Make a Difference Minute, I have Chase Woods, founder of Rocket City Adapted Athletics. Born with muscular dystrophy, Chase remembers reaching a point when he could no longer keep up with other kids in sports and began feeling isolated. At 15, an invitation to play wheelchair basketball gave him an opportunity that would ultimately help shape what he’s doing today. Now, through Rocket City...

On this Make a Difference Minute, I have Buffy Loveday with the Sumner County, Tennessee chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Buffy shares from her own childhood what it means to grow up without a bed and why providing one can mean so much more to a child than simply having somewhere to sleep. A bed can become a place of comfort, security and something that belongs to them. It’s why one reaction fr...

On this Make a Difference Minute, I have JoHelene Patrick with the Alabama Kidney Foundation. As a former kidney patient herself, Jo Helen understands the importance of support, awareness and recognizing kidney disease before it progresses. She shares why people with diabetes or high blood pressure should talk with their healthcare provider about kidney health and the two simple tests—a blood test...

On this Make a Difference Minute, I’m sharing a thought about some of the decisions we make about ourselves when we’re young and why it may be worth revisiting them years later. You’ve changed & you’ve grown. Does that old conclusion still fit the person you are today? This Make a Difference Minute is brought to you by Athens Bible School, proudly supporting stories and the people who make our com...

On this Make a Difference Minute, I want to share a personal thought for anyone who has ever looked at what they’ve been through and wondered why life had to be so difficult. Some experiences are unfair & burdens are heavier than anyone should have to carry. We can acknowledge what happened & recognize how deeply it affected us without allowing it to determine everything that comes next. Our time...

On this Make a Difference Minute, I have Kinsey Grace Canerday as she shares about Avie Gail's Adorning and the support they provide to families grieving the loss of a child. Through floral arrangements, financial assistance for funeral services and care packages, Avie Gail’s Adorning reminds grieving parents that they are seen, their children are remembered, and they do not have to walk through l...

When Kinsey Grace Canerday lost her daughter, Avie Gail, at just 18 hours old, the kindness of others helped her family through days they never imagined facing. As they received support, Kinsey recognized a need. She made Avie Gail’s funeral flowers herself, knowing that another grieving parent might not be able to do the same. That experience became the beginning of Avie Gail's Adorning. Today, K...

On this Make a Difference Minute, I have Timmy Pickett, a husband, father of three and longtime steel foundry worker who is searching for a kidney donor. With his kidney function declining and a GFR of 14, Timmy hopes to receive a transplant before dialysis becomes necessary. He shares what’s weighing most heavily on him—the thought of leaving his family behind—and how a living donor could give hi...

On this edition of The Mark White Show, I'm talking with Jewell Brown, a mother and grandmother who is courageously living with end stage kidney failure and searching for a living kidney donor. Twenty years ago, Jewell received a kidney transplant from her mother, a gift that allowed her to raise her sons, build a life, and become the proud Mimi of three grandchildren. That transplant gave her yea...

On this Make a Difference Minute, I have Jamie Gatlin as she shares about her husband, Jeff Gatlin, and his search for a living kidney donor as he lives with polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Jeff has known since his teenage years that he had PKD, a hereditary disease that also claimed his father’s life and affects one of his sisters. For years, he was able to live a relatively normal life, but now...

On this Make a Difference Minute, I have Jessica Darby as she shares about losing her husband, Ethan, and helping their two young boys navigate grief while carrying her own. Jessica talks about the support her family has received through Caring House and the challenge of recognizing that sometimes the big emotions of childhood grief are about much more than what appears to be happening in the mome...

At just 33 years old, Jessica Darby is navigating life without her husband, Ethan, while raising their six- and eight-year-old boys. She wants people to understand what they can’t see from the outside, including the grief behind a child’s difficult moment and the weight of decisions she never expected to make alone. Tonight, Jessica shares about the husband and father they miss, the people who con...

On this Make a Difference Minute, I have Dr. Michael Merzenich, one of the neuroscience pioneers whose early work helped establish the foundation for multichannel cochlear implants. Dr. Merzenich reflects on the scientific and engineering challenges once thought nearly impossible and the collaborative work that ultimately helped give more than one million people worldwide access to sound and spoke...

I’ve shared many stories about Bankston Motor Homes and the wishes they’ve helped make possible through their partnership with Make-A-Wish Alabama. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to see the heart behind those wishes firsthand. On this Make a Difference Minute, I’m taking you to Bankston Motor Homes in Huntsville, where Make-A-Wish Alabama Wish Coordinator Tonya Baker shares what these camper wis...

Tonight’s guest is one of the most accomplished and fascinating people I’ve had the opportunity to interview. Dr. Michael Merzenich helped establish the neurological foundation for the modern multichannel cochlear implant. His research contributed to electrode design, implant safety, and some of the earliest clinical trials of a technology that now provides access to sound and spoken communication...