About Heart of a Helper

When I started Heart of a Helper, there were two things that were really important to me: Honoring my husband Daniel, his life, faith, and legacy of being a helper, and using the deep loss I experienced to bring hope to others going through hardship. Throughout his years, Daniel became deeply connected to the people and communities within the transport and dumpster service industries. He built meaningful relationships, genuinely cared about people, and was always willing to help. Helping others wasn’t just something he did; it was a part of who he was. After losing Daniel, I wanted to find a way to carry that part of his legacy forward. I also wanted others to experience the kind of support we received during some of the hardest moments of our lives. I know firsthand what it feels like to walk through unimaginable loss and hardship, but I also know the difference it can make when people choose to care and show up for you. Looking back, I truly believe God strategically placed people in our lives at exactly the right moments to encourage us, pray for us, and help carry us through. 

I believe that years from now, there will be families who were carried through some of the toughest seasons of their lives because somebody showed up for them. I want to help make sure Daniel's legacy continues to make that kind of difference. 

To me, the mission means recognizing that sometimes life throws things at us that we didn’t ask for, don’t want, and aren’t prepared for—taking us to places where we simply cannot carry the weight on our own. In those moments, we have an opportunity to step into someone else’s hardship, meet them where they are, and help carry some of that weight with them. I believe Christ calls us to do this—to be His hands and feet by caring for others, meeting practical needs, offering encouragement, and praying with them. (Galatians 6:2) Providing hope through hardship isn’t about fixing someone’s circumstances or promising that everything will be okay. It’s about showing up in the middle of the hard, loving people where they are, and allowing Christ to work through us to bring hope when it is needed most. 

Professionally, I bring a mix of practical and people skills. God has gifted me administratively, and through my work and life experiences, I’ve learned how to multitask, manage a lot of moving pieces, and find creative solutions when things don’t go as planned. But because this organization is about serving people, I also value strong communication skills, being sensitive to people’s circumstances, and using discernment when navigating difficult situations. I’ve also learned the importance of recognizing when I need help and being willing to lean on others. Watching Daniel build his business from the ground up also taught me a lot about hard work and perseverance. I watched him work through challenges, keep moving forward, and build something that had meaning and purpose. I hope to bring that same willingness to work hard, keep learning, find solutions, and rely on the strengths of others as we build Heart of a Helper together. 

What I’m most excited about is helping the first person or family Heart of a Helper has the opportunity to serve and seeing the impact that support can have in their lives. I look forward to meeting someone in a difficult moment with genuine compassion, knowing firsthand what it feels like to walk through hardship and loss. There is something incredibly meaningful about turning the pain I’ve experienced into an opportunity to encourage and support someone else. I’m also excited about seeing the bigger vision of Heart of a Helper come to life—to inspire and cultivate a community of helpers within the transport and dumpster service industries who are willing to come alongside others in different ways. It’s not just about what I can do; it’s about what can happen when people come together to help one another. I’m excited to see what God can do through that. 

My connection to these industries is deeply personal. Through my life with Daniel, I got to experience both transporting and running a dumpster business alongside him. I saw firsthand the hard work, creativity, patience, and perseverance it took to build something from the ground up and navigate all of the challenges that came with it. Because of that, I have a much greater respect, understanding, and appreciation for the hardworking people in both of these industries. There is so much that happens behind the scenes that people don’t see—the roadblocks, sacrifices, long hours, and determination it takes to build a business and serve people at the same time. Having walked through that with Daniel, I have a genuine appreciation for the people who choose to pursue these paths and the character it takes to keep going when things get hard. 

Daniel was one of my closest friends. When he passed away, I didn't want his story to end there. I wanted his legacy to continue and to keep encouraging people to be a helper in the same way he was. Serving on the Heart of a Helper board is my way of honoring Daniel's life and carrying forward the example he left behind. 

I believe that years from now, there will be families who were carried through some of the toughest seasons of their lives because somebody showed up for them. I want to help make sure Daniel's legacy continues to make that kind of difference. 

The mission means more to me than I can put into a paragraph. I had the opportunity to see a glimpse of what Daniel and Kara walked through, and before Daniel became sick, he would share his travel stories with me—the good ones and the difficult ones. 

The mission also reflects much of my own life. I grew up in Eastern Kentucky in a home marked by addiction, poverty, and eventually homelessness. The only reason I made it through those circumstances is because people stepped in when they didn't have to—a grandmother, teachers, a youth service center coordinator, and a church. 

That's the heart of Heart of a Helper: somebody shows up. I've experienced firsthand what it means when someone chooses to step in during a difficult season, and I know how deeply that kind of support can impact a person and their family. 

Professionally, I've spent my career where hardship and help meet. I've worked in child crisis intervention, 

served as a child therapist, worked in drug recovery, and held leadership roles in higher education, helping many first-generation students stay enrolled and create new opportunities for their families. 

I hold a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's degree in business administration. Today, I'm the founder of Joe Little Inspires, where I speak and lead youth mentorship programming across the country. 

I'm also the author of Me and Poverty: A Journey of Inspiration and Escape and the founder and president of New Futures Initiative, a youth development nonprofit. 

These experiences give me hands-on knowledge of governance, fundraising, program design, mentorship, 

and building something that lasts. But the perspective I bring that matters most is personal: I know what it feels like to be the family on the other end of the phone call. I don't approach the people we serve as cases. I approach them as neighbors. 

I'm most excited about the testimonials—the day when we have a collection of names and stories from families who were about to go under but didn't because somebody showed up with help, encouragement, and prayer at exactly the right moment. 

All of us experience hard times, and all of us need a helper sometimes. I want Heart of a Helper to become the reason that many people can look back on one of their hardest seasons and say, somebody was there for me. 

My grandfather broke his back working in the coal mines of Eastern Kentucky, and I was raised in a community where people got up before daylight, did hard physical work, and rarely complained about it. I see that same spirit in the transportation and waste service communities—hardworking men and women who keep the country moving and don't ask for much recognition. 

I also understand that when something goes wrong for a family like that—an illness, an accident, or a death—there is often very little cushion underneath them. I've lived that.  

Daniel understood it too, and he spent his life doing something about it. 

That's why I'm on this board. 

Daniel was an incredible friend to me. When we first connected Daniel acted like he’d known me his whole life. He never once treated me like a stranger. Over the years of knowing him, working with him, and building our friendship, it became very apparent that he not only meant what he said, he truly loved others and had a heart to help them.  

He inspired me to want to love and treat others well and I think he was put on this earth for that reason.  

When Kara presented the vision of Heart of A Helper, I knew that it would be an incredible way to honor my friend’s legacy of helping people with no expectations or strings attached and to glorify Christ through serving them. 

I wanted to be a part of this for two simple reasons. To honor my friend and to serve the Kingdom. Matthew 22:37–40. 

Over the years I have built a marketing agency that primarily serves the dumpster rental industry. I have spoken with many hundreds of business owners during that time, in fact, Daniel introduced me to many of them. 

What I have seen over the years is that there comes a time in many of our lives where we need help. I have seem great triumph and tragedy in speaking with and serving so many people in this industry.  

What I haven’t seen is an organization that exists to fill the gap. An organization that is there to assist others who are in need through financial assistance, encouragement, prayer, and practical support. Heart of A Helper fills that gap and does so while leaning on Christ’s guidance.  1 Corinthians 13:13 

In my professional career I’ve worked primarily in the service industry. I started my professional journey in the U.S. Marine Corps where I served with 5th Battalion 11th Marines and deployed twice to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  

Following my time in the Marine Corps, I took my leadership experience and combined it with education by receiving a vocational diploma in automotive technology and a Bachelors in Business.  

Serving others has always been a calling on my life and through that calling I eventually started a junk removal service company in Louisville, Ky. Through that company we were able to partner with veteran non-profits and send our crews to provide disaster relief in areas struck by natural distasters. In 2020 we sent 12 crew members to Louisiana following Hurricane Laura. We did the same in 2021 and 2022 following the Western Kentucky Tornado outbreak and Appalachian Flooding.  

During that time I served on the board of a non-profit that served veterans throughout the U.S. and eventually served as the COO for that organization before taking the leap to running my current business full-time in 2023.  

Today I am the President of Spear Crest Digital. We are a digital marketing agency that primarily serves the dumpster rental industry. It was through this agency that I met Daniel and Kara, and have been able to build many great friendships over the years of serving this industry.  

I am excited to see what God has in store for this organization.  

Over the years of serving I have seen many people who are at their lowest. I have seen families who have lost their homes, their health, and their loved ones all in the same day.  

I have seen those who have a hope and trust in Jesus through those hardships because of the community of people He has placed around them. I have seen those who didn’t have that same hope or support.  

I have seen the strength of communities when people come together to serve each other and I have seen the power and goodness of God through it all.  

My hope and excitement with Heart of A Helper is that it is an opportunity to deliver that same hope, help, and love to people who are at their lowest and who need a helping hand and the love of a neighbor. Philippians 2:4 

The dumpster rental industry has been so good to me. It is because of Daniel and people like him that we’ve been able to serve so many dumpster rental companies around the country.  

This is an opportunity to give back to the same community that has trusted us over the years and been so good to not only me individually, but our entire staff.  

Let’s work together to honor Daniel and what he did for so many and make this industry like non-other. Let’s build something to support those in our industry who are in their hour of need and show them the hope, love, and peace that only Jesus can provide! John 16:33