Danette Smith
Danette is a retired nurse living in Courtland, MS. She has been a survivor of liver transplant surgery for three years. In 2024, she participated in the Transplant Games of America held in Birmingham, Alabama. Even in retirement, she remains active! Danette serves as a mentor for the Methodist University Transplant Center in Memphis and volunteers for both the Mid-south Liver Foundation and the Global Liver Institute. She has been happily married to James Smith for 14 years and has two children, Merideth and Logan, along with two grandchildren, Graden and M.K. In her free time, she enjoys singing, reading, worshipping the Lord, and playing with her grandchildren.
Charlie Hawkins
Charlie is a tenth-grade student at South Panola High School in Batesville, Mississippi. He has been recognized as Most Likely to Succeed and earned the title of Salutatorian for his junior high class. Charlie has a passion for storytelling, having completed eight books and twenty-four short stories so far. Outside of writing, he enjoys gaming, swimming, riding his SXS, and assisting with lighting at The Panola Playhouse. Charlie resides in Batesville with his parents and brother. His father, Josh, is the owner of Boren & Hawkins Insurance Co. and serves as the Mississippi State House Representative for District 10. His mother, Jessica, works as the school nurse at Batesville Junior High, and his brother, Tuck, is a senior at South Panola High School.