Brandon Weldy carried a heavy burden when he was a kid, but he rarely let it show.
His dad died when he was five, and by the time he was in elementary school, his mom had lost custody of her kids, and Brandon and his younger sisters were being raised by their grandparents.
But at school, Brandon was all smiles.
He brought a lot of laughs and energy wherever he went, from the football field to the basketball court, but it wasn't until he was an adult and started his career as a teacher and a coach that he started to see how that sharing the story behind his troubled childhood might help kids who were in similar situations.
Brandon is now married to his wife, Jacinda, and they live in Republic, Missouri, where they are raising three boys. He recently took a job as an assistant principal at a school in a nearby district, but I'm sure he won't be away from the whistle for long.
Some notes for this week's show:
This episode is sponsored by Pete Young, a graduate from the Aurora High School Class of 1975. Pete is an active member of the Houn' Dawg Alumni Network, which is hosting its annual all-school reunion on Sept. 24 and 25 in Aurora. For more information, go the Houn' Dawg Alumni Network page on Facebook for more information.
Each week, I make a donation to a nonprofit of choice selected by the classmate featured in the show. This week’s donation is going to Honor Flight of the Ozarks, which facilitates trips for veterans to Washington DC. In 2009, Brandon joined his grandfather, Bill Weldy, who was a Purple Heart recipient, on an Honor Flight trip. You can find out more about the organization at honorflightoftheozarks.org.
New this week! A chocolate giveaway sponsored by Askinosie Chocolate. One of the finest bean-to-bar chocolate companies in the U.S. is based in Springfield, Missouri, and the company is offering two tasting kits to listeners of "Class Reunion." To enter to win, become a Patron for as little as $3 per month. On Aug. 31, I'll select two random winners from the Patreon supporter page at patreon.com/classreunionpodcast.
Want to sponsor an upcoming episode? Reach out at info@classreunionpodcast.com.