My grandfather, Jesse W. Couch, was a man of choice words. His conversations included profound moments of silence that led to high stake levels of anticipation. At times, the silence would last days, and it wasn't until he had ample time to reflect that he would respond with a later phone call or meeting. The inevitable replies to questions and shared wisdom always left a resounding impact. His solitude provided moments of clarity and helped guide our family through life's daily challenges. It only makes sense that his best practices have helped the foundation find our areas of focus and provide extraordinary levels of help to various communities around the country.

During our first full inaugural year, we reached a new summit of solitude, which has helped us focus on new causes that speak to our hearts. In the beginning, we supported organizations in our home town of Houston that had a family history and paid tribute to my grandfather. Based on experience and personal passions, we picked three tiers of focus for the foundation: preservation, education, and wellness. Since then we have continued to experiment and learn where we can better concentrate our resources within our three broad spectrums of focus. This process helped complete our foundation brand and launch a website that we think best honors my grandfather's memory while also advocating for those whom we support.