Brooks and Company 2nd quarter 2014 | Page 12

Love Your Community People to Know: Amy Dunham I’ve known of Amy Dunham for quite a while now but it wasn’t until about a year ago that I was blessed with the opportunity to meet her personally. She truly is an amazing woman; not only is she smart (a dang good financial advisor) but she’s caring, compassionate and giving too! The list of things this woman does seems endless. Amy is currently the chair for the Five Loaves & Two Fish food pantry. She shared that they feed anywhere from 1500-1800 households per month. They are a level one pantry. During our conversation I asked her if she felt that many people TRULY NEED the food assistance (after all there are government food programs). Her response was quickly “It’s not for me to determine or judge. If they come we will feed them” I inquired as to how she became involved with the pantry, she laughed and stated “it was my kids”, “through a school project with them”. In speaking with her it’s very clear that she is passionate about her work with the pantry and extremely proud of the assistance that they provide. She’s quick to downplay her role and give credit to the others involved with the work at the pantry. Amy is also president of the booster club for the Griffin Christian Athletic Association and president of the Griffin Chapter of the Business Professional Women’s Group which meets the 2nd Monday of each month at J. Henry’s. She is an active member of Oak Hill Baptist Church and the Griffin Kiwanis Club. She also works on capital improvement projects and Cancer Warriors. When I asked her to please share with me something that she “sees” in Griffin that others may not recognize, she simply stated “Griffin steps up when needed and asked”, “look how we came together after the tornados, look how they donate time and resources to the food pantry”. I had to inquire how she is able to carry so much on her plate. I mean I get tired just listening to her day and I consider myself a pretty busy woman. She gave me the sweetest smile and replied “It’s easy when you have a good man behind you. My husband is my rock”. Her love for her family shows in her eyes when she speaks about them. I had to find out with all that she does personally and professionally, “What would you like to achieve on a personal level that you have not so far?” She took a few minutes to respond but finally said “run a ½ marathon at Disney” … Geesh girl, I’m tired just from the interview and now you want to run… I bow in admiration. So I’m closing my interview with her and it hits me that I would like to know what she would change about Griffin if she could. So I inquired, she states “I would love to see the day when the needs are less and there are less people struggling” Wow, it makes sense to me now, why she does what she does. I have to admit finance would not be “fun” for me. In my opinion she does it because it’s her way of helping. She can share her knowledge and skill with her clients and help them “need” less. Amy’s Edward Jones office is out on Williamson Road. Stop by and visit her. I know you will be as impressed by her as I am. She can always use volunteers for one of the many community projects that she takes on, too. Written By: Christy Brooks