We call ourselves a “Nashville blog,” but for those who might know it, most of us actually grew up in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. It’s grown a lot over the last 15-20 years. But, it’s still a nice little town about 20 miles outside of Nashville. It’s a place that we, personally, take a lot of pride in hailing from. More so, it’s a place that noted friends of the SoBros Network team, Steven Whitehouse & Friends aim to maintain as a city that looks out for its own. Together, maybe we can all insure that Mount Juliet remains the tight-knit, comfortable town that it was for us growing up. And, let’s face it – more often than not, we could all use a little refresher on how to give back to our community.
The philosophy behind Steven Whitehouse & Friends is simple. From their own website:
Steven Whitehouse and Friends is just that; a group of friends dedicated to giving back to the communities where we live and work. Using events focused on fellowship and fundraising, we are able to help local individuals and other non-profit organizations in need. Our mission is simple: be a blessing to others and have fun in the process. If you have a need or would like to help, please reach out to us!
This year, they’ll be using their annual golf scramble (7/28/18) to help benefit an area girl named Amelie Marshall. Amelie is six years old, battling Stage 2 Ewing’s Sarcoma. It’s a rare bone cancer, the treatment of which is aggressive, with chemotherapy being administered every two weeks. As you can imagine, those medical expenses pile up in a heartbeat.
But, you don’t have to be a Tennessean to help Amelie and her family, and you don’t have to read this entire interview to help out (just in case you’ve read my work before and think it sucks). You can help Amelie and her family by donating here, and you can help support Steven Whitehouse & Friends here.
We make a lot of vulgar jokes, and we write a lot of questionable content. But, hopefully, in the spirit of helping others, we can put this SoBros platform to good use. Steven has been a friend of mine for a long time now, and he was gracious enough with his time to take me up on my interview request. Here, we’ll talk about what led to the formation of Steven Whitehouse & Friends, the growth of Mount Juliet, and why Amelie’s story hit him and the rest of the SW&F team so hard.
The Journey to ‘Steven Whitehouse & Friends’
Stoney Keeley: I’m going to bust your chops a bit just to give our readers some insight into our relationship. We go way back – the year 2001, to be exact, and yes, I know it’s weird that I remember that, but don’t feel special. I just have a weird memory that allows me to remember minute details, like dates, throughout my entire life. I can remember when almost all of my friends entered my life.
We got our start backyard wrestling together back in our freshman year of high school. Brandon Vick and I thought you had immense potential as a backyard wrestler, and when we wrote our first show, we were like, “this Whitehouse guy….he’s “the guy.” He’s our champ.”
I can remember us starting a baby powder fight in my bedroom that produced a cloud so thick you couldn’t see through it. My mother, bless her heart, still remembers opening the door to yell at us and not being able to see us because the air was so thick with baby powder.
We put a Hershey’s kiss in your mouth while you were asleep one night that melted, dripped out of your mouth, and left an irremovable stain on that couch that we never got out. We threw that damn thing in a bonfire with that chocolate stain still on it.
Though we never got in any real trouble together, I’m sure there are a ton of other stories that neither of our families probably care to read about. But, back in those days, when we were doing shit like that, did you have any inkling that you would be the face of such a fine upstanding organization with such a great corps of support around you? And, that I would be running a web site making fart jokes? What did you see yourself doing with your life back when we were younger?
Steven Whitehouse: “My goodness, those were the days! We could probably do a 5 hour podcast sharing stories from my days at the Stoney K. Ranch, but I would hate to ruin my somewhat decent reputation around these parts. Imagine the stories we would have if they never split our school up after our freshmen year? We definitely had some great times together.
If you would have told me 17 years ago that we would both be doing what we are doing now, I would have been much more surprised with my role than your’s. Throughout high school and our first few years of college I wanted to be a doctor, a pediatrician to be exact. So, I at least knew that I wanted to help kids and other people. I would have never guessed I would be running a non-profit organization as a second job.
You, on the other hand, were made to have your own website…you have always had that creative/humorous mindset, which is absolutely fantastic. You and I think a lot alike but you are able to articulate the nonsense much better than I can. So, I am super proud of what you have going on and thoroughly enjoy reading your content no matter how immature it may seem to some.”
SK: Mount Juliet was definitely a different town back then – what do you make of all this growth? How can we, as a community, make sure Mount Juliet remains a hell of a place to raise a family?
SW: “The growth we have seen in the last 15 years is crazy, isn’t it?? I remember back when MJ only had like 5 total police officers in the whole town. The only restaurants we had were Waffle House and Cracker Barrel. We have definitely come a long way from the semi-rural town we were in the 80s and 90s when people considered those of us from MJ as “country folk,” but the growth is super exciting. It’s crazy to see companies like Under Armour wanting to lay down roots here. But, it’s awesome for the community because it creates more jobs and opportunities for everyone.
If we want to keep this town as a place where everyone wants to raise their family we have to embrace the change and welcome the newcomers with open arms. I have met so many great people over the years at my scramble that are new implants in MJ and have developed some great friendships with those people.
Change is inevitable and it’s tough. But, those of us that have lived here for 20+ years need to accept it and keep taking care of each other like we always have. I think most have that mindset.”
SK: What ultimately sparked your journey down the path to ‘Steven Whitehouse and Friends?’
SW: “It’s really a multitude of things that got the whole SW and Friends idea started. I have always been a big sports guys with a passion for philanthropic work. But, it really wasn’t until college that I put the two together. Ryan Armstrong and I, along with Jonathan Drake and several others, started this thing called C3 Events. It coupled sports tournaments/events with charitable fundraisers. We did a few volleyball tournaments for Make a Wish, a 5k for Wounded Warrior, and a couple of other events for charitable organizations.
The event that eventually birthed SW and Friends was my annual golf scramble for my birthday. It started in 2006 as just a 12-man shitshow on the golf course just for fun. We had so much fun that I decided to do it again, but wanted to make it more legit. The next year, it grew to 40 people. Due to the overwhelming support of my friends each year, it hasn’t stopped growing since.
In 2012, I had my head injury that about killed me. Not long after my injury, there was a little girl that I knew that had an unknown brain aneurysm rupture. It completely changed her life.
So, that was the first year I used it as an official platform to raise money for someone. We raised about $2700 that year. With some urging and help from my good friend and CPA, Casey Cox, we became an official 501 (c) 3 organization 2 years later.
Ultimately, the “Friends” are what make it all happen. I have been blessed with an amazing network of friends that enjoy giving back to the community just as much as I do. I really couldn’t do it without their support year in and year out. But, I have also surrounded myself with an amazing board of directors. They are the true unsung heroes of it all; I just get to reap the notoriety from all of their hard work, haha.
Shout out to Ryan Morris, Casey Cox, Joe Baltz, and Jonathan Drake. Without their help the last few years, none of it is possible.”
The 12th annual Steven Whitehouse Golf Classic, benefiting Amelie Marshall
SK: 7/28/18, we have the 12th annual Steven Whitehouse Golf Classic coming up. Tell us a little bit about that, and who you are helping this year.
SW: “This year we are holding the scramble at Pine Creek Golf course. We will be supporting a local little girl by the name of Amelie Marshall who is battling Stage 2 Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. A few months ago at our board meeting in preparation for the golf scramble, Jonathan Drake mentioned a little girl that lived next to him that was battling cancer. After the meeting was over, Joe Baltz and I looked up her website (www.ameliestribe.com) while sitting at the bar at Burger Republic and were in tears reading her story. We were all absolutely floored reading her mom’s updates. None of us, as parents, could imagine facing what they are up against. All of us on the board have daughters as well. So, it was a no-brainer on who we were supporting this year.”
SK: If someone wants to help out, what’s the easiest way they can do it?
SW: “If someone wants to help with a sponsorship, play, or to donate a silent auction item, they can visit our website at www.swandfriends.org for more info or call me at 615-613-5723. We also have a donate tab on the site. All money donated until the end of the month will go directly to Amelie.
Last thing. We will be holding a 5k in the fall to help raise money to buy a service dog for a disabled veteran or child with autism. So, make sure you check back regularly for updates on that and future events we will be holding.”
Final Thoughts
I have to give a special thanks to Rubber Rooster, Herbie Brooks, “Nature Boy” Brandon Vick, Cadbury Pringlebatch, and Poppa Bear. They all jumped right in when I asked the SoBros team for donations. I’m proud of this bunch. But, Whitehouse is right. You read the updates from Amelie’s parents on their website, and it’s hard to keep a dry eye. I know we have some good people that read our work, too. Anything helps, so if you’re in a position to help out, help out. And, if you’re not, then simply give the donation page a share and help spread the word.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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