Suffolk man wants to be a 'Millionaire'
For Glenn and Mindy Stearns, “life is about sharing.”
The California millionaire and his wife are sharing their good fortune with the 350 members of the Enterprise High School Class of 2007, whose wish is to graduate in Bates Memorial Stadium on May 31 as legions of EHS alumni have done before them. They are also sharing with the Wildcat athletes and cheerleaders, band members and fans who hope to return to Bates Memorial Stadium this fall for classic gridiron action in a 50-year-old setting that is as time-honored as the game itself.
The Stearns are helping to fund a significant portion of the estimated $500,000 cost to restore the wind-damaged Bates Memorial Stadium to a safe and suitable location for graduation, football and other activities for the next few years while another high school and stadium are under construction.
“Life is about sharing,” Mindy Stearns said last week in a telephone interview with The Southeast Sun. “We feel like whatever we’ve got is just borrowed anyway. It’s God’s gift and we’re just spreading it around.”
Megan Parks, president of the EHS Student Government Association, said the gift is one that the Class of 2007 seniors have been hoping for since a March 1 tornado destroyed their high school and severely damaged the stadium where they were to celebrate a traditional Wildcat graduation.
“I can’t put into words how much it means to us,” said Megan, one of the seniors planning to graduate in the stadium in four weeks. “They are contributing to great memories that are going to be made and a wish by the senior class that will be fulfilled.”
A grateful Megan said she and her schoolmates at EHS have been humbled by the generosity from the Stearns, and so many others like them who have come to the aid of strangers.
“They didn’t know about Enterprise before this,” said EHS Principal Rick Rainer, who described the generosity of the Stearns, and all who have helped the school system and the city in the wake of the tragedy, as overwhelming.
Rainer said someone told the Stearns about the students’ wish to restore the stadium for graduation and fall activities.
“They came up with the idea to try to give the kids their stadium back,” Rainer said. “They just took the ball and ran with it.”
Indeed, the Stearns said last week that they are enjoying their hands-on approach to the stadium restoration project, which is already under way.
“We’ve got a great scoreboard coming,” said Glenn in a telephone interview last week, just days after he and Mindy filmed an upcoming segment of The Rachael Ray Show.
The Stearns joined Dr. Bob Phares, assistant superintendent of Enterprise Schools, football coach Kevin Collins, several students and parent Lisa Eichhorn in taping a sequel to the April 30 show about the Enterprise prom. The show is expected to air May 8 at 3 p.m. on WTVY-TV 4.
Stearns, the owner of 20 companies, including one of the largest mortgage companies in Southern California, and his wife were in Enterprise April 5 for the EHS senior prom, where they presented a giant mock check to the senior class, pledging their contribution to be good for “one stadium.”
“We’re going to do the best we can to make sure this happens for Enterprise,” said Mindy, praising the school leaders, school board, architects and others who are working on the clean-up, restoration and reconstruction projects.
“We’re doing what we can with our phone calls and our time and money, but the real heroes are the people right there in the thick of it who are making decisions every day, pulling together and moving on,” she said. “They’re the inspiration really. We’re just a small piece of the puzzle in a very grand picture.”
Nevertheless, the Stearns said they feel a connection to Enterprise and are excited about the project. An upbeat Glenn said the scoreboard is going to be capable of digital programming.
The couple has also been helping to plan for lighting, a press box and concession stand and other facilities that were destroyed at the stadium when the tornado tore through the school campus.
They understand the importance of a hometown stadium.
“Both of us being from small towns (he from Maryland and her from Oregon), we know that the football program and the football stadium is an intricate part of the community,” Stearns said. “We wanted to do something to make a difference ... so we said, let’s see if we can help them get that stadium back so that the tornado didn’t take that away from the town.”
Bates Memorial is steeped in tradition. Its construction was completed in 1956, along with the original EHS building consisting of 16 classrooms, a vocational agriculture classroom, an auditorium, shop, lunchroom, gym and library.
The stadium was built in an area that once was the city dump. The project, according to local historians, was made possible by the city’s Lions Club and other civic-minded individuals who saw it through.
It was first called Enterprise Municipal Stadium, but was changed in 1957 to honor R.L. Bates, who served as EHS principal from 1933 until his death April 19, 1957, just under 50 years before the tornado struck the respected community landmark. Largely because of the Stearns’ assistance, the 2007 class are expected to be able to graduate in the stadium 50 years after the first EHS class that graduated there in 1957, after the EHS campus moved from the old Coffee County High School on College Street.
The Stearns said they hope that restoring the stadium will help give the students and community some sense of normalcy and familiarity.
“In the midst of the chaos, we can keep tradition strong,” said Mindy.
She and her husband hope to be at the first Wildcat football game this fall to see the fruits of their generosity.
The Stearns first heard about the Enterprise tornado on the news reports immediately following the tragedy. Later, through friends in the entertainment business, they learned more about the tragedy and the efforts of celebrity cook Rachael Ray to help host a special prom for the teens.
Through the Stearns Family Foundation, the Stearns provide resources and funds primarily to children’s charities and abuse prevention programs. Stearns said the couple travels around the country for philanthropic projects so they were eager to help in Enterprise.
Though they don’t take credit for being role models, they do want to bring a message of hope to Enterprise High School students and all affected by the tragedy.
“You really have to believe that there’s something greater beyond today,” Mindy said. “I just believe that, in every tragedy, every adversity, if we can see the gift in it, we will always come out on top.”
For students still learning to cope with the tornado’s wrath, she encouraged them to honor their schoolmates whose lives were lost by moving on and living good lives.
“The saddest thing would be to waste the lives that were given, the lives that were spared,” she said. “What greater contribution could you make than to ask, ‘what can I do now to give back to the world?’”
She said both she and Glenn have “faced dark days” in their past. Though young and energetic, and considered one of California’s most beautiful couples, the Stearns said they didn’t always enjoy the kind of success that has given them the opportunity to share with others.
She said her husband particularly knows what it’s like to face adversity.
“I failed the fourth grade. I thought I’d ruined my life,” he remembered. “Then at 14, I became a father, and I thought I’d ruined my life.”
Growing up in a neighborhood where shootings and drug-dealing was common, Glenn said life wasn’t always easy, but he didn’t give up.
“We struggled, and now we’re so fortunate to have opportunities and things I never dreamed of having in my life. Now I have the greatest life,” said Glenn.
In addition to owning companies that make $2 billion in transactions each year, Glenn and his wife, a successful entertainment reporter and actress, won the 2005 reality show “The Real Gilligan’s Island.” They played The Millionaire and His Wife, and gave the $250,000 cash prize to charity.
“Because we’ve been so fortunate, it’s almost an obligation to give back and make a difference,” Glenn said, adding, that the joy of giving has made he and Mindy very happy through the years.
Since their visit to Enterprise, they have been wearing the now-trademark bracelets circulated after the tornado that declare the anthem, “Recover, Remember, Rebuild.”
The Stearns have returned to California and are going about their busy lives, with the daughter Glenn had at 14 by his side, helping to run one of his businesses. Glenn also proudly talks about his new granddaughter, Tjaden, and the rest of the family. He has two sons by a previous marriage, and he and Mindy have an 18-month-old daughter.
“We’re trying to have another baby... and we’re still going to be doing charity work and other things - just trying to leave the world a better place than we found it,” Mindy said, adding that even though she and Glenn are thousands of miles away, they feel a connection to Enterprise.
“We still wearing our bracelets; we have them on now,” Mindy said. “Our hearts are invested in this.”
She said the couple has met many “wonderful people” in the local area who have been welcoming and exuding traditional southern hospitality. She said the determination and self-motivation of the students and people of the Enterprise area is inspiring.
She and Glenn hope that their relationship with Enterprise will be a long one.
“By the grace of God, that community was brought to us,’ she said. “However, we found each other, we are really pleased that it has happened. We hope we can give back as much to Enterprise as Enterprise has brought to us.”
The California millionaire and his wife are sharing their good fortune with the 350 members of the Enterprise High School Class of 2007, whose wish is to graduate in Bates Memorial Stadium on May 31 as legions of EHS alumni have done before them. They are also sharing with the Wildcat athletes and cheerleaders, band members and fans who hope to return to Bates Memorial Stadium this fall for classic gridiron action in a 50-year-old setting that is as time-honored as the game itself.
The Stearns are helping to fund a significant portion of the estimated $500,000 cost to restore the wind-damaged Bates Memorial Stadium to a safe and suitable location for graduation, football and other activities for the next few years while another high school and stadium are under construction.
“Life is about sharing,” Mindy Stearns said last week in a telephone interview with The Southeast Sun. “We feel like whatever we’ve got is just borrowed anyway. It’s God’s gift and we’re just spreading it around.”
Megan Parks, president of the EHS Student Government Association, said the gift is one that the Class of 2007 seniors have been hoping for since a March 1 tornado destroyed their high school and severely damaged the stadium where they were to celebrate a traditional Wildcat graduation.
“I can’t put into words how much it means to us,” said Megan, one of the seniors planning to graduate in the stadium in four weeks. “They are contributing to great memories that are going to be made and a wish by the senior class that will be fulfilled.”
A grateful Megan said she and her schoolmates at EHS have been humbled by the generosity from the Stearns, and so many others like them who have come to the aid of strangers.
“They didn’t know about Enterprise before this,” said EHS Principal Rick Rainer, who described the generosity of the Stearns, and all who have helped the school system and the city in the wake of the tragedy, as overwhelming.
Rainer said someone told the Stearns about the students’ wish to restore the stadium for graduation and fall activities.
“They came up with the idea to try to give the kids their stadium back,” Rainer said. “They just took the ball and ran with it.”
Indeed, the Stearns said last week that they are enjoying their hands-on approach to the stadium restoration project, which is already under way.
“We’ve got a great scoreboard coming,” said Glenn in a telephone interview last week, just days after he and Mindy filmed an upcoming segment of The Rachael Ray Show.
The Stearns joined Dr. Bob Phares, assistant superintendent of Enterprise Schools, football coach Kevin Collins, several students and parent Lisa Eichhorn in taping a sequel to the April 30 show about the Enterprise prom. The show is expected to air May 8 at 3 p.m. on WTVY-TV 4.
Stearns, the owner of 20 companies, including one of the largest mortgage companies in Southern California, and his wife were in Enterprise April 5 for the EHS senior prom, where they presented a giant mock check to the senior class, pledging their contribution to be good for “one stadium.”
“We’re going to do the best we can to make sure this happens for Enterprise,” said Mindy, praising the school leaders, school board, architects and others who are working on the clean-up, restoration and reconstruction projects.
“We’re doing what we can with our phone calls and our time and money, but the real heroes are the people right there in the thick of it who are making decisions every day, pulling together and moving on,” she said. “They’re the inspiration really. We’re just a small piece of the puzzle in a very grand picture.”
Nevertheless, the Stearns said they feel a connection to Enterprise and are excited about the project. An upbeat Glenn said the scoreboard is going to be capable of digital programming.
The couple has also been helping to plan for lighting, a press box and concession stand and other facilities that were destroyed at the stadium when the tornado tore through the school campus.
They understand the importance of a hometown stadium.
“Both of us being from small towns (he from Maryland and her from Oregon), we know that the football program and the football stadium is an intricate part of the community,” Stearns said. “We wanted to do something to make a difference ... so we said, let’s see if we can help them get that stadium back so that the tornado didn’t take that away from the town.”
Bates Memorial is steeped in tradition. Its construction was completed in 1956, along with the original EHS building consisting of 16 classrooms, a vocational agriculture classroom, an auditorium, shop, lunchroom, gym and library.
The stadium was built in an area that once was the city dump. The project, according to local historians, was made possible by the city’s Lions Club and other civic-minded individuals who saw it through.
It was first called Enterprise Municipal Stadium, but was changed in 1957 to honor R.L. Bates, who served as EHS principal from 1933 until his death April 19, 1957, just under 50 years before the tornado struck the respected community landmark. Largely because of the Stearns’ assistance, the 2007 class are expected to be able to graduate in the stadium 50 years after the first EHS class that graduated there in 1957, after the EHS campus moved from the old Coffee County High School on College Street.
The Stearns said they hope that restoring the stadium will help give the students and community some sense of normalcy and familiarity.
“In the midst of the chaos, we can keep tradition strong,” said Mindy.
She and her husband hope to be at the first Wildcat football game this fall to see the fruits of their generosity.
The Stearns first heard about the Enterprise tornado on the news reports immediately following the tragedy. Later, through friends in the entertainment business, they learned more about the tragedy and the efforts of celebrity cook Rachael Ray to help host a special prom for the teens.
Through the Stearns Family Foundation, the Stearns provide resources and funds primarily to children’s charities and abuse prevention programs. Stearns said the couple travels around the country for philanthropic projects so they were eager to help in Enterprise.
Though they don’t take credit for being role models, they do want to bring a message of hope to Enterprise High School students and all affected by the tragedy.
“You really have to believe that there’s something greater beyond today,” Mindy said. “I just believe that, in every tragedy, every adversity, if we can see the gift in it, we will always come out on top.”
For students still learning to cope with the tornado’s wrath, she encouraged them to honor their schoolmates whose lives were lost by moving on and living good lives.
“The saddest thing would be to waste the lives that were given, the lives that were spared,” she said. “What greater contribution could you make than to ask, ‘what can I do now to give back to the world?’”
She said both she and Glenn have “faced dark days” in their past. Though young and energetic, and considered one of California’s most beautiful couples, the Stearns said they didn’t always enjoy the kind of success that has given them the opportunity to share with others.
She said her husband particularly knows what it’s like to face adversity.
“I failed the fourth grade. I thought I’d ruined my life,” he remembered. “Then at 14, I became a father, and I thought I’d ruined my life.”
Growing up in a neighborhood where shootings and drug-dealing was common, Glenn said life wasn’t always easy, but he didn’t give up.
“We struggled, and now we’re so fortunate to have opportunities and things I never dreamed of having in my life. Now I have the greatest life,” said Glenn.
In addition to owning companies that make $2 billion in transactions each year, Glenn and his wife, a successful entertainment reporter and actress, won the 2005 reality show “The Real Gilligan’s Island.” They played The Millionaire and His Wife, and gave the $250,000 cash prize to charity.
“Because we’ve been so fortunate, it’s almost an obligation to give back and make a difference,” Glenn said, adding, that the joy of giving has made he and Mindy very happy through the years.
Since their visit to Enterprise, they have been wearing the now-trademark bracelets circulated after the tornado that declare the anthem, “Recover, Remember, Rebuild.”
The Stearns have returned to California and are going about their busy lives, with the daughter Glenn had at 14 by his side, helping to run one of his businesses. Glenn also proudly talks about his new granddaughter, Tjaden, and the rest of the family. He has two sons by a previous marriage, and he and Mindy have an 18-month-old daughter.
“We’re trying to have another baby... and we’re still going to be doing charity work and other things - just trying to leave the world a better place than we found it,” Mindy said, adding that even though she and Glenn are thousands of miles away, they feel a connection to Enterprise.
“We still wearing our bracelets; we have them on now,” Mindy said. “Our hearts are invested in this.”
She said the couple has met many “wonderful people” in the local area who have been welcoming and exuding traditional southern hospitality. She said the determination and self-motivation of the students and people of the Enterprise area is inspiring.
She and Glenn hope that their relationship with Enterprise will be a long one.
“By the grace of God, that community was brought to us,’ she said. “However, we found each other, we are really pleased that it has happened. We hope we can give back as much to Enterprise as Enterprise has brought to us.”
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