The Mark White Show

On this Make a Difference Minute, Army veteran Michael Matthews shares what he wants others to understand about veterans returning home after experiencing combat.

After being injured in Mosul, Michael says some of the biggest changes involved a heightened sensitivity to certain things and learning to live with the person he had become through those experiences.

His message for families and friends is one of empathy. The person who comes home is still your loved one, but combat and injury can change them. Supporting a veteran can mean learning to adapt alongside them while encouraging them to embrace life as the person they are today.

This Make a Difference Minute is brought to you by Singing River Dentistry, a proud community partner of The Mark White Show. We appreciate their support as we continue sharing stories of encouragement, service, and people making a difference in their communities.

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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 relationships built along the way, and what community support means to the person behind the counter.

Listen tonight and help me share Melissa’s story!

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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 stories of hundreds of nurses, including those who are no longer here to tell their own.

Their names mattered, their work mattered, & their stories are worth preserving!

This Make a Difference Minute is brought to you by Premier Structures, Inc., a proud community partner of The Mark White Show. We appreciate their support as we continue sharing stories of encouragement, service, & people making a difference in their communities.

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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 physical therapy. He also returned home with a traumatic brain injury & PTSD.

As Michael withdrew from others, a chance encounter with a fellow veteran led him to a Wounded Warrior Project event. That first step helped him rediscover the camaraderie he had been missing. Today, Michael shares his story and mentors other wounded warriors so they understand they are not alone.

As Suicide Prevention Awareness Month comes to a close, we’ll discuss what it will take to end veteran suicide and what each of us can do to support veterans throughout the year.

Listen tonight at 9p CST/10p EST and subscribe to The Mark White Show podcast on your favorite platform.

Learn more at WoundedWarriorProject.org/preventsuicide.

Veterans and their loved ones can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 and pressing 1 or texting 838255.

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Real people.

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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 the item is important, but preserving the story behind it matters just as much. Record the story. Write down what you know. Pass it along to someone who will value it and understand why it mattered.

Dr. Moon also shares how one family entrusted her Nurse Honor Guard chapter with a nurse’s original cape, allowing another piece of nursing history to continue telling its story.

This Make a Difference Minute is brought to you by The Butcher's Smoke and Flames Barbeque Cookoff & The Butcher - Meat Co., proudly supporting stories and the people who make our communities strong.

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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 listening can make, the meaning behind nursing’s caps, pins, and lamps, and why the stories connected to those keepsakes deserve to be preserved.

Dr. Hendricks explains how a classroom assignment grew into Alabama Notable Nurses, a book documenting the contributions of nurses across our state. She also shares how she helped bring Nurse Honor Guard services to Alabama’s Black Belt and why she wants future nurses to understand the work and sacrifices of those who came before them.

Both conversations offer a reminder that preserving a nurse’s legacy starts with listening to their story and making sure it is recorded for the next generation.

Share this episode with a nurse, nursing student, or family with a story worth preserving.

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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. Some quietly serve their patients day after day for years, never expecting attention or praise.

As Amanda put it, “What she did mattered.”

We’ll hear why making sure families know that can mean so much after a loss.

This Make a Difference Minute is brought to you by Athens Bible School, proudly supporting stories and the people who make our communities strong.

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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 their families.

Frank Dillman remembers his wife, Dorothea Anne Dillman, a Navy veteran and nursing educator. He shares what it meant to watch fellow nurses honor her and why he now helps spread the word about the Nurse Honor Guard.

Amanda Simmons, founder and president of Nurses Honor Guard of East Central Alabama, reflects on her chapter’s first tribute, the meaning behind the ceremony, and the effort to reach more families across Alabama.

You’ll also hear from nurse Selena Gurley, whose mother received both a living tribute and a memorial tribute. Selena shares how three chapters came together to honor her mother and why that recognition became a gift she will always treasure.

These conversations remind us that behind every nursing career are lives touched, sacrifices made, & families who deserve to know that service mattered.

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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 brought to you by Bama Estate Planning by Attorney Harlan D. Mitchell, proudly supporting stories and the people who make our communities strong.

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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 to fellow nurses is to spread the word so that no nurse is forgotten & Nurse Honor Guards can continue showing up to honor a lifetime of service while offering comfort to the families left behind.

This Make a Difference Minute is brought to you by Bankston Motor Homes, proudly supporting stories and the people who make our communities strong.

Real stories.

Real people.

Real impact.

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