There is a really old saying about how big things sometimes come in small packages. Nowhere is this more evident than in the package that is Glenda Anderson Leonard, president and co-founder of the Paul Anderson Youth Home.

But before I tell you about this amazing woman, I need to share something with you about preconceived notions. I knew when we booked the interview with Miss Glenda that she was a South Georgia grandmother in her 70's. Being from South Georgia myself, I sort of had an idea of what "that type" looks like. Let me just say, that image IS NOT the woman who walked into my studio! This petite, genteel Southern woman, who might be 100 pounds soaking wet, came in dressed way more stylishly than me. (My producer told me she'd donate a kidney to have hair as beautiful as Miss Glenda's.) So I was really excited to be interviewing this super cool, Godly woman who looks and talks like a woman a generation younger than she really is.

Ok, now that I have the backstory covered, on to why you want to know more about Glenda Anderson Leonard....

As I mentioned earlier, Glenda is the president and co-founder of the Paul Anderson Youth Home, a facility which provides a second chance to hurting young men ages 16-21. Many of the boys who come to the home are there as an alternative to incarceration in a youth detention facility or are there trying to get clean from substance abuse.

The home is the brainchild of Glenda's first husband, the legendary strongman Paul Anderson. Paul earned Olympic gold medals for weight lifting and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the World's Strongest Man.  He toured the world doing weightlifting exhibitions and even went to the former Soviet Union - during the height of the Cold War - when virtually no one from the United States was allowed to go there.

Paul eventually went back home to Taccoa, GA, and it was there he met and married Glenda. It wasn't long after their marriage that Paul felt the calling to help boys who needed a second chance. Paul had been a Christian for years and sharing his testimony was always a part of his speaking engagements - many of which were at prisons and youth detention facilities. It was his encounters with these hurting young men that gave rise to the idea for the boys home. However, the idea didn't come with funds to build the home. Glenda said she would often travel with Paul on his over 300 speaking engagements each year, in fundraising efforts on behalf of the boys home. The Anderson's however, were faithful and the funds started to come in. Truitt Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, was an early supporter of the home.

They settled on a location in Vidalia, GA, and they were able to help dozens of hurting young men and their families get a second chance. PAYH is able to provide individualized programs for each boy, depending on their situation, but all receive high school educations, counseling, and if necessary, drug treatment. Most importantly, they receive it all in a Christ-centered, loving, home environment. Paul Anderson died in 1994, but his dream to make a difference in the lives of troubled young men lives on in Glenda and their daughter, Paula Schafer, who also plays an integral role in the operation of the home.

You may be saying to yourself, "that's all great, but my kids are fine. Why do I want to hear about a home for troubled youth?"

Let me tell you why you want - no, actually NEED - to hear what Glenda has to say. I asked her this very question. Her answer shocked me. She said the majority of the families she talks with - parents whose kids have gotten into drugs or are engaging in criminal activities - never thought they would be in her office. Glenda offers up some great wisdom on how we, as parents, can do things better, as well as signs of trouble we need to be on the lookout for.

I have no doubt you will enjoy hearing Glenda's story. She is a small lady in size; and while she couldn't lift a thousand pounds like her husband could, you'd be hard pressed to find a stronger person than Glenda Anderson Leonard.