John Barker

John Barker, Customer Service Rep (Job Placement), Jenkins, Kentucky:

“Growing up in Eastern Kentucky we dream of leaving and going to the big city and being successful but, as we get older, we learn to see the beauty in every mountain and hollow every season. I moved away time and time again and made a life, but found myself dying inside missing my home. I finally realized that, even though we don't have the hustle and bustle of the big city, we have something they never will. A natural beauty that could only ever be found in the Appalachian Mountains.”

“Being successful in life doesn't always mean working for a Fortune 500 company. Around here, being successful is appreciating what you have, having a job loving what you do cause it keeps you in the mountains you love, having unbreakable friendships that last a life time.”

”I feel sorry for the people who don't live here cause they can't experience the beauty of our mountains on a daily basis like we do. It's all about appreciating what we do have in life instead of worrying about what we don’t.”