Good Works, Inc.

I grew up in Nelsonville, the child of divorced parents. I have no memory of my parents ever being together, but I also cannot remember a time that they fought in front of me. They were intentional to put me above their own problems. However, they were limited by their own experiences and their bodies. By the time I was in middle school, both of my parents were unemployed due to disability.

My mom always had a keen mind, even when depression, anxiety, fatigue, and a host of other mental and physical health issues interfered with her, and so she actually managed to not only keep us housed, fed, and clothed when I was living with her, she further took on the task of helping my dad navigate the complex systems of the bureaucratic red tape that it takes to get SNAP, TANF, and to apply for SSDI.

Despite my mom’s advanced administrative acuity, we ended up losing our housing after I graduated from high school because we moved away from southeast Ohio, seeking change, and the cost of living was a steeper change than we had calculated. She ended up staying at the Good Works Good Timothy House when we moved back to the area, while I alternated between staying with my dad and a friend, both of whom were receiving HUD assistance, so I couldn’t be added to either of their leases.

I got connected with Good Works through my mom’s time here. We started coming to Friday Night Life and then volunteered at the Timothy House once we got an apartment again. I went to Ohio University for Math Education and continued to get progressively more involved at Good Works even when my mom had to stop volunteering due to her declining health. I then joined the staff in 2018 after graduating from OU.

In November 2020, my dad passed away. That same year, through Good Works, I met the woman who would become my wife (Sophie Mather-Smith). We got married in 2023 and welcomed our daughter in March 2026. My mom passed away in August 2026. We held her memorial on the Good Works Property with many people she met here attending. Indeed, I’ve experienced a lot of grief and healing and growth in this community.

I have been serving as the Director of Caregiving at the Timothy House for about 4 years now. This is not what I thought I would be doing with my life 10 years ago, but God has been faithful. I am so grateful to get to be a part of what God is doing here in Athens County. I am grateful to be part of a community where I feel valued and seen. Where I can have real pain and share it with people who care about me. Where I can help those around me to carry their pain and to heal from their wounds.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:14-17)