Passion & Purpose: Winter 2024/2025
Building a legacy with the Wolf Pack Foundation
Josh Cherry: “When I’m gone, people aren’t going to talk about how I served on the (Wolf) Pack Foundation board. They’re going to talk about my character, how I made people feel and what I was willing to do for other people. That’s what’s important.”
Josh Cherry lives continuing legacies. The Reeds Spring alum represents the fourth generation of his family to graduate from the Stone County district. Today, he pays that history forward through his own time as a board member of the Wolf Pack Foundation, formerly known as the Reeds Spring School Foundation.
“When I’m gone, people aren’t going to talk about how I served on the Pack Foundation board,” Josh says. “They’re going to talk about my character, how I made people feel and what I was willing to do for other people. That’s what’s important.”
In high school, Josh was involved in a lot. He was captain of the baseball and football teams, was in drama club, and found an interest in video production. He was also an inaugural scholarship recipient from the Wolf Pack Foundation when he graduated in 2011. Back then, the foundation raised about $25,000 to distribute.
That number jumped to $110,000 in 2024. In addition to scholarships, the foundation distributes grants to teachers and staff within the district whose projects need a financial boost.
“It’s anything that will enhance the educational experience for the kids,” he says. “I think last year we had 80 students who applied (for scholarships), and I think all of them got something.”
The dollars — raised through Pack Night, a fundraiser at Dolly Parton’s Stampede, as well as other fundraisers — are administered through the Wolf Pack Foundation’s funds with the CFO’s Table Rock Lake Community Foundation.
“We keep pushing the envelope every year,” he says. “$110,000 — why stop? Why not send every kid out of here who wants to go to college or trade school with something in their pocket?”
Who inspires you? Send your suggestions of individuals moving the needle in your community to Kaitlyn McConnell, the CFO’s writer in residence, at kmcconnell@cfozarks.org.
