WHAT? EMMETT IS A WORLD HEADQUARTERS? WHEN?
As humans, we like stories with happy endings. The story of Renova Worldwide has happy endings. Nevertheless, the “in-between” of their story is full of tragedy, heartache and failure. It’s the kind of stuff good novels and good movies are made of. It encompasses the “North American Spirit” coupled with “Yankee Entrepreneurship”, and it’s a humdinger of a story!
Full disclosure, my wife and I have used and will continue to use one of their products, the Lightening Sticks. Yet, this memorandum is not about a product, it’s about very bright, industrious individuals who have a significant vision in the mental healthcare field and who have felt led specifically to Emmett, Idaho, to fulfill that vision. Emmett is the beneficiary of that very vision.
While the drama personae of this tale are extensive, focusing on the main characters, that is, those on the ground floor, helps to narrow the story’s genesis. Anthony (Tony) Stephan, Scott and Tammy Malone and Autumn and Dana Stringham are remarkable individuals in their own rights; however, how they got together is made for the Hallmark Channel.
Joseph Scott Malone—just call him Scott—came into this world in 1951 in Mesa, Arizona. It was a sleepier town of several thousand then, which since, has grown to half-a-million. After graduating from Westwood High School, Scott obtained a business degree from Mesa Community College, married, and started his family of 6 children (which has further blossomed to 18 grandchildren). In between graduation and moving to the Gem Community, Scott built houses until the housing collapse of 1989. Ultimately losing a house (for a while, at least) and having to suffer the slings and arrows of bankruptcy, Scott needed to figure out how to provide for his larger-than-average family. He settled on multi-level marketing. His talent in this area would change the lives of his family and at least two other families. Indeed, his talent has changed the lives of hundreds of individuals along with their families; but first, we need to meet another family, that of Tony Stephan’s.
An engineer by trade, Tony and his late wife lived in Canada with a large family. Sadly, mental illness plagued Tony’s clan, so much so his wife ultimately committed suicide. As sad is that event was, Tony still had to cope with other members of his family suffering the debilitating effects of mental illness. The Canadian medical community told Tony there was nothing that could be done about their conditions. His only option was to embrace it. Being a good engineer, he instinctively knew if something is out of balance or broken, there is always a way to repair it. One simply had to find the way—and find it he did, in a most unlikely place.
Tony’s daughter, Autumn Stringham, tells of that journey in her book, A Promise of Hope, published in Canada by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. (2007). The subtitle is an apt description of what we will cover more fully in Part 2, “The Astonishing True Story of a Woman Afflicted with Bipolar Disorder and the Miraculous Treatment that Cured Her.” Without question, the medical industry scoffs over such claims, particularly when micronutrients and not pharmaceuticals are involved. Yet, research, including multiple blind-studies, is beginning to demonstrate that vitamins and minerals known for years to have cured pigs of aberrant behavior, apparently has a beneficial effect on several disorders of the human brain, as well.
Until next time, you might consider picking up Autumn Stringham’s book at 128 E. Main, the World Headquarters for Renova Worldwide, or go to Renovaworldwide.com and study this fascinating business and its story for yourself. These remarkable folks are helping to transform our downtown as they help people all over the world suffering from debilitating mental illnesses. Until next Memo, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
(source: December 2019 Issue Gem County Gazette, “A Memo from the Mayor” by: Gordon W. Petrie)
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