Ralfiel Petway is a young man who believes in giving back and loving people.
As a high school student, Ralfiel looked forward to being picked up by Wayne Howell, the founder of Franktown, to participate in weekly programming. Most of the time, he took part in the tutoring class or basketball at Poplar Grove, and he especially enjoyed fishing at the Gentry’s farm. “Doing stuff at Franktown was good,” says Ralfiel. “It kept me out of trouble. And the church they took us to (4th Avenue Church of Christ) even helped me with my mom’s funeral back in January 2017. That was good of them and I’m really thankful.”
Now as a young adult, Ralfiel finishes up his work at Goodman Manufacturing in Fayetteville, TN, spends time with his own children, and finishes his day by investing in the students in his community. He coaches baseball and football and tries to find ways to encourage and help students where he can. Ralfiel is giving back and investing in young people, because he knows it made a big difference in his life when Franktown volunteers cared about and invested in him. Should he ever move back to the area, Ralfiel voiced that he would love to give back to Franktown by volunteering.
After hearing about everything Franktown students are doing now, Ralfiel thinks the expanded programming is a good thing, especially the cooking classes. “Um…cooking. Yes. I would have liked that.” And you can hear the smile in his voice.
Ralfiel is one of Franktown’s oldest alumni. Because he had the opportunity to have a safe place to go and godly men to direct him and teach him necessary life skills, Ralfiel has made a good life and hopes he can be an inspiration to younger Franktown generations. “Giving back..that’s the most important thing now.”