Rising Rock is excited to showcase some of our best audio stories in a continued partnership with Scenic Roots.
Category: Love
Written by Miller Richardson
From the outside Walker State Prison looks like any other state penitentiary. Brick walls, wire fences, and a hidden location away from the public eye. When driving past it one would never expect it to have the lowest recidivism rate in the state of Georgia. This is the result of Walker State being a faith and character-based prison. By running this prison with values and beliefs rooted in love for one another Georgia has seen incredible results out of Walker State.
Back in 2004, the Georgia Department of Corrections implemented the Faith and Character Based initiative to provide Georgia with a model for positive change. This program runs on a holistic approach and allows inmates to partner with volunteers to strengthen their minds, body, and spirit in a positive way.
Walker State is the only prison in the state of Georgia that is partnered with a faith and character-based initiative and subsequently the only prison in Georgia with a recidivism rate of less than 2%.
Continue reading “Get Out, Stay Out”Written by Taryn Brooks
Cheerful giggles and child-sized stomps harmonize with singing birds to fill the air of an otherwise quiet afternoon. In a world where trees are towers to be climbed, sticks are swords, and friendship can be made with no words at all, nature brings a new type of imagination to a young mind. Darana Campbell, executive director of Forest Families of Chattanooga, founded the organization as a branch between families and their connection to the outdoors.
Four years ago, in the midst of Covid confinement and a heartbreaking divorce, Campbell found herself overwhelmed with stress. To clear her mind and give her son a new way to channel his energy, the two began to adventure out together on frequent walks.
“I had so much stress that I just felt so much better when we went for a walk,” Campbell said.
Continue reading “Nature vs Nurture”Written by Lexi Foley
It was an average Chattanooga afternoon for six-month-old Turbo as he scurried across the walking bridge, chasing each new scent. Rays of sunlight fought to peak out of the clouds as a hawk flew through the sky. Turbo flicked his black and white head forward and backward as he followed the hawk’s flight pattern. A group of bicycles came rolling across the bridge, stealing the young ferret’s attention for just long enough before a collection of teenagers strolled past him.
His noodle-like body winded like a river as he explored one of Chattanooga’s most popular attractions: the Walnut Street Bridge. The bridge is one of many spots Turbo will visit throughout the year, along with pop-up markets, Rock City, the Commons, etc. Since he was adopted in October of 2023, Turbo has become a beacon of light for anyone willing to stop and say “hi”. Although Turbo was adopted by owners Jonah and Kat Aberle to be a public service to the greater Chattanooga community, the Aberles originally got a ferret from their local PetSmart for their college home in Cookeville.
Continue reading “Ferret Ambassador”Rising Rock is excited to showcase some of our best audio stories in a continued partnership with Scenic Roots. To listen to Scenic Roots, visit https://www.wutc.org/scenic-roots.
Tiny Bailarinas
Ava Nessell spoke with Wendy Reynoso, the student success and services coordinator at La Paz Chattanooga, about her experience finding a community in Chattanooga after immigrating from Guatemala.
Continue reading “Rising Rock Radio Showcase”Written by Bethany Cothran
(Photo by Bethany Cothran)
In a cold hospital room, Scarlen Valderaz gave birth to her first child in a room full of strangers, enduring the pain of childbirth while tackling every question thrown her way.
Finally seeing her baby boy, she was ecstatic, but she knew that she did not want to have another baby in a hospital.
“We actually didn’t know until my husband and I talked about our first born again that they kept offering me an epidural, and I had to say no because I didn’t want that,” Valderaz said. “…the last thing that you want to do when you’re pushing an entire baby out is having to make good decisions that are going to affect you.”
A couple years went by and Valderaz discovered she was pregnant once again, and this time, things would be different.
Valderaz and her husband researched and interviewed midwife after midwife, not stopping until they found the one they trusted best to deliver their baby.
Trading the cold hospital full of strangers and illnesses for the warmth and comfort of her own home, Valderaz could relax and give herself the space she needed to do what she felt would be best for her and the baby.
“We go with homebirth because now there’s so much that happens in the medical system, especially when it comes to the lady through it,” Valderaz said. “There is a lot of autonomy that gets stripped away from the woman when she’s birthing.”
For Valderaz, there would be no race to the hospital for an on-call OB to deliver the child, she would instead be in the safety of her bedroom surrounded by her husband and trusted midwife. Rather than staring at the foreign furniture of a delivery room for hours with her baby wheeled away to the nursery soon after, she would look to her familiar bedroom walls and know that her baby would always be close to her.
Continue reading “Homegrown Miracles”Written by Maddie Charnes
On the grassy mountain side located 20 miles from Chattanooga, the land of Walden Peak Farm has continued to be a place of family connections and community since 1841.
“Something I think about is the people that used to be here,” said Lucy Bowick, former owner and resident of Walden Peak Farm. “I never come out here and I don’t think about them. They’re my ancestors.”
In November of 1841, a land grant was deeded to Edwin Pickett and his brother. As the brothers married and settled, a flourishing community began. Although the family thrived from generation to generation, life was not always easy living on the mountain
“Times were not always easy,” said Jay Welch, Bowick’s sister and former resident of the farm. “We had a coal stove when I was growing up, and it was often very cold. We learned how to be self-sufficient living on the mountain.”
Living further from the city, the sisters said they often farmed for their food and had to make their own way.
“There’s a saying in our family that if you’re not willing to fight for the land then you’re not worth having it,” Bowick said.
Continue reading “Generational Gardens”Written by Trevor Jolley
Drawn onto the arms of Jessica and Adam Moore is a dark anchor tattoo, keeping them together no matter what. The tattoo is a result of the couple’s appreciation of tattoos, meaning much more than what is on the skin. It is not only a symbol of love, but of commitment and dedication to their relationship and their family; a reminder of what is truly important when hard times may come. They are each other’s home plate and with each other, they are safe.
“We are each other’s anchor, you know? It means multiple things,” Adam Moore said. “We keep each other tied down, we keep each other stable.”
Adam and Jessica met on an online dating service in 2009. Adam messaged Jessica after coming across her profile and the two made plans for a first date.
“I went to his house and we just watched a movie,” Jessica Moore said. “I didn’t get off work until two hours after I was supposed to, and I felt really bad because he had to be up for work in [like] six hours.”
After a late albeit successful movie night, the pair knew they wanted to see each other again. Being around Halloween, the pair decided to get in the holiday spirit, so they made a visit to see Jessica’s father at Ruby Falls’ Haunted Cavern, an annual Chattanooga Halloween favorite that converts the beautiful Ruby Falls cave into a spooky haunted tour.
“After that, I remember he took the drive to me. Then I took him with me and brought him to go meet my dad. We met on the side of the mountain, and it was good,” Jessica Moore said. “You know, it’s your dad. You always want to make a good first impression.”
Continue reading “Anchored to Home”Written by Olivia Smith
McKamey Animal Center is ten miles from Alton Park, one of the poorest zip codes in Tennessee. The Center is a thirty-minute drive but without other means of transportation, a three-and-a-half-hour walk, one way.
During MAC C.A.R.E.S grand opening, Heather Hensley, the Community Solutions Manager at McKamey said, “Being at MetMin [Metropolitan Ministries] is such a big relief, we are closer to Alton Park and other populations that are looking for this assistance… We can spread the love so much better by being here with MetMin.”
In late January McKamey Animal Center and Metropolitan Ministries Impact Hub partnered to open MAC C.A.R.E.S Center. Located at 4001 Rossville Blvd., less than two miles from Alton Park.
The grand opening being at noon, staff spent their morning giving pet supplies to people in need.
“More than half of MetMins clients have pets, they were already talking about this,” Hensley said. “As we were unloading food this morning people were coming to us, so we were giving it out.”
Continue reading “Protecting Pets”Written by Sammy Mckenzie
In Wildwood, Georgia, 20 minutes from downtown Chattanooga, sits Rosie Mae’s Alpacas Farm, boutique, and coffee shop all wrapped up into one.
The unique business is owned and operated solely by the Lewis family who embarked on this journey one year ago as of November 4th. The entire property was built by hand by Max Lewis with support from his wife Meagan and daughter Rosie Mae.
“He started on the shop in January of 2021. He did it all himself, so it took a little while to get it done. So we actually didn’t open until November of 2022. Plus, processes were outrageous because of COVID,” Meagan Lewis said.
While it was a slow start to open, as soon as the Lewis family welcomed the public on their property, the business took off and hasn’t slowed down since.
“So we opened the store on November 4th of 2022 and then our daughter Sparrow was born November 29th. So that has been crazy. Then we went viral in April of 2023 and then from there on out we have been just absolutely slammed,” said Lewis.
Continue reading “Beyond Alpacas: Wildwood’s Hidden Gem”