Saturday, August 17, 2019, People Staff Incorporated hosted its 3rd Annual All White Affair. The event was held at the Chattanooga Convention Center and celebrated small businesses serving the community. Gold sponsors for the event included ChattanoogaBlackPages.com, Dorothy L. Grisham Allstate Agency, Prestige Cars (Greg Toney), WNOO Radio, Taylor Funeral Home of Chattanooga, The Floral Gallery, Sports Profiles USA, Uncle Larry’s Restaurant, The TimeOut Chair, Primerica Financial Services (Patrick Donaldson) and People Staff, Inc.
Small changes and small contributes can make a big difference in someone’s life. At the same time, helping others in need, especially those less fortunate than you, can put things in perspective and make you realize just how lucky you are. Acts of kindness can also encourage others to repeat the good deed that they’ve experienced themselves. It can have a snowball effect. Creating a better community. A better world.
The 2019 recipients of our community service and leadership awards have displayed acts of kindness that have had big impacts on others and their deeds have influenced others to do the same.
The first recipient for the Senior Excellence Award for community service - Larry Torrence (Uncle Larry).
Pictured left to right. Larry Torrence (Owner, Uncle Larry's Restaurant), andwinner of the 2019 Community Service and Senior Leadership Excellence Award, Terrell Torrence (Larry's son and Manager of Uncle Larry's Restaurant located on MLK) and Gary McClendon (President/CEO, People Staff, Inc.)
A loving husband, father of 5 and grandfather who when asked will tell you because of the grace of God he has a very successful business. Larry Torrence is very much into family. His family – parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and cousins – have always had big family gatherings. Larry use to do a lot of fishing and so his contribution was to bring and fry the fish. Over the years, he became really good at it As a result his family and especially his wife encouraged him to open up a restaurant – Uncle Larry’s and sell his famous fish. He did and today he has two locations. A location on MLK which his son oversees and one in Apison. Larry can be found most days at the Apison location. When you get there, you more than likely will not see him. He is generally in the kitchen cooking fish. Like any good leader, Larry leads by example and doesn’t ask his staff to do anything he wouldn’t do.
Larry’s slogan is for his business is “I Just Got Smacked”. If you’ve ever had Uncle Larry’s fish, you will agree. The fish is so good you think about the old saying, “Food so good, make you wanna slap yo Momma.”
Larry will tell you he has had many ups and downs getting to where he is today. Not just the pains and trials that a new business goes through, but personally. He will tell you he is 15 years sober, a deacon in the church, a mentor to the youth and a faithful husband and father. He starts his day with Psalms 119:105: “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.” He will tell you as we come to trust in Jesus and follow in his footsteps our path becomes easier to see and we learn from the scriptures how we should live and treat others.
There were many people that have encouraged and stood by him on his journey. For that, he is most grateful and the way he shows his gratitude is to play it forward. He doesn’t do what he does for praise, he does it because it is the right thing to do and it makes him happy to extend to others the kindness that was extended to him.
Larry is quick to lend a helping hand. He gives generously to youth football leagues, school events, and he has extended his helping hand to the homeless. One of the employees who keeps the outside of his MLK restaurant free of litter is homeless. Larry treats him with dignity and respect and in return, the employees has gone the extra mile to keep others from lingering on the property. Another employee has difficulty walking and cannot read. No one would hire him, but Larry did. Larry will tell you. His is so glad he did. This man is one of his best workers. Larry has helped a single Mother, by helping her get a car. Larry purchased tickets to the Harlem Globetrotters for children affected by the Woodmore Elementary bus crash. These are just a few of the many things he does for others.
Larry treats everyone with kindness--not because they are kindhearted, but because he is. One of the greatest gifts we can give another is kindness. If someone is in need, lend a helping hand. Don't do it only for the people you like and respect--that's easy--but also for the ones you don't even know.
The second recipient for the Senior Excellence Award for community service.
Pictured left to right. Tony Boston (who is on the board of the River City Bills) accepted the award for Efrin Stewart. Efrin Stewart was the second winner of the 2019 Community Service and Senior Leadership Excellence Award and also pictured is Gary McClendon (President/CEO, People Staff, Inc.).
An adult can have a lasting impression on a child. Glen Chambers is such a person. Our next recipient remembers when Mr. Chambers taught his first year at James A Henry Elementary School. He said that Mr. Chambers love of sports, his kindness to others, his respect for individuals and his ability to connect with people made a lasting impression.
Mr. Chambers coached every sport – basketball, track and flag football. Which of course is memorable, but more than that he stressed black history and talked about the importance of good grades and doing well. He also made sure his teams had nice looking uniforms. Causing children to take pride and feel good about the way they looked.
Efrin Stewart played all sports in elementary school and spent a lot of time under Coach Chambers’s direction and to this day he remembers him to be energetic, positive and always willing to help. So, as a coach – Efrin carried those same principles.
It was not in Efrin’s plan to be a coach. When he graduated from college, he attended his nephew’s game to find that his nephew did not start but spent most of his time on the bench. Efrin worked with him for one week and his nephew went from the bench to starting. The next thing you know he is coaching baseball. He went from coaching baseball to football in much the same way. A coach didn’t show up for practice, he was asked to step in and the rest is history.
In the beginning his football team was a mixture of average children. With a winning program -more and more parents wanted their children on Coach Stewart’s team. He made things fun. He did things other coaches didn’t like lock ins, fish fries at games and made sure the team had nice uniforms.
His first teams were called the Tyner Bills and then the Brainerd Bills and now the River City Bills. With each transition, the number of teams grew. He now has a program with 28 coaches and more than 100 children from 5 to 12 years of age. His teams have grown in number and economic diversity. There are a significant amount of children being raised by single moms and children that would be considered at risk.
Efrin’s teams have won state championships but more importantly than that they have a long history of creating successful players. Such as, Darron Lee, who was a first round pick of the New York Jets in the 2016 draft, and Jarrett Boykin who was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Kenneth Henderson who played in the Arena League. Josh Bullocks was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Daniel Bullocks (Josh’s identical twin) was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft. Also well as, Tony Brown who signed as an undrafted free agent by the Panthers on May 2, 2003. He played in the league from 2003 to 2011.
There are many others who played for Coach Stewart that are husbands with families, college students and college graduates – hard working young men doing well. 13 of his coaches once played for him.
Coaches have always served as mentors to players and maintained that mentor role long beyond the period in which young men play in youth leagues. Coach Stewart and his coaches provide guidance as to how players conduct themselves on and off the field, they promote teamwork and discipline, place emphasis on the importance of education by incorporating educational programs for players and parents.
The River City Bills is now a 501c organization with educational and tutoring programs. They are planning educational trips to Civil Rights Memorial Centers and other places to expose the players to positive influences. As an organization they welcome your involvement. If you can donate monetarily. That is great! If you can donate your time – that is great too. They are always looking for positive examples to expose their players and parents too.
Efrin’s contribution go past his football league. Coach Stewart host an annual football championship tournament for children 5 to 12 years of age. This year is the 22nd annual championship tournament and it has a big impact on the city. The games last 2 days, are played on 4 different fields, and thousands of children participant from various states. Thousands come to Chattanooga to attend the event – spending thousands of dollars in the city.