Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8466 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2016 Giving Back Can BEE So Sweet Story Compiled by AliciaWanek and Candace Brock Life is certainly very sweet these days for Nathan Sheets, founder of McKinney-based Nature Nate’s Honey – for obvious reasons – and others that become apparent as you get to know this faith-driven entrepreneur. What sets Nature Nate’s apart is that their honey is 100% pure, raw, and real – just like Nate himself. A hobby has become his life work. It started with just one hive in Nathan’s backyard nineteen years ago, and this year he expects to bottle over six million pounds of honey to be sold coast to coast in stores like Kroger, Costco, and Whole Foods, and as far away as Saudi Arabia. Nathan feels truly blessed to be able to live out his Christian faith doing something he feels passionate about, helping families live healthy and abundant lives, and building a business rooted in its commitment to provide the highest quality product possible while living out their calling “to serve God while serving you.” He is dedicated and passionate about growing his company because the bigger it gets, the more they can GIVE. Nature Nate’s prides itself on a commitment to philanthropy. “We are always looking to partner with organizations that can do the best possible work with each of our dollars,” Nathan says. They are honored to be able to donate to the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF), among others. The NBCF mission hits close to home for Nathan and his family. His own mother Sylvia was diagnosed with breast cancer when Nathan was a teenager; he knows first-hand what it’s like to watchalovedonebattlethisdisease. Heexplains,“Iwanttomake things better for them (patients), because I know what it is like to watch a loved one go through breast cancer. One way for me to express my gratitude for my mother’s medical care and survival is by partnering with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to help other breast cancer patients get good care too.” Douglas Feil, NBCF’s Vice President of Programs says, “Partnerships like ours with Nature Nate’s make a huge impact.” He believes NBCF can serve as the “bridge” between a sponsor and those in need. “The reality is that there are tens of millions of women who are uninsured or underinsured” and don’t have access to even basic screening services like mammograms. With 80 hospital partnerships in all 50 states NBCF can help women access the services they need. One of NBCF’s programs Nathan is especially fond of is their patient navigator program which funds the salaries for patient navigators; their role, Douglas explains, is “to serve as a ‘concierge’ to guide a patient through any barrier or obstacle to getting treatment.” Camilla Payne, Vice President of Marketing points out that at Parkland Hospital in Dallas before the patient navigator program was in place, the average wait time between a suspicious finding and follow-up was 180 days; now it is just 15. “It’s really made a difference,” she says. Nature Nate’s is proud to be a part of that. Nathan’s experience with his mother made him realize you can’t take anything for granted, and that has translated into a commitment to live out his faith in everything he does. That commitment is apparent in the way he approaches his relationships with family, how he treats his employees, how he reaches out to those in need, and in how he runs his business. Those close to Nathan tell how he would stop everything to help anyone in need. In the long run, those are the things he wants people to know him for. The fact that his delicious products are growing into an international business, acclaimed for being as close as possible to what comes out the hive, is just icing – or honey – on the cake. Inspired by his mother Sylvia’s grace and courage during her battle with breast cancer, while still raising her four children, Nathan Sheets of Nature Nate’s Honey feels strongly about helping other women, and families, facing the disease. Sylvia has been cancer-free for nearly 30 years. PhotographedatNatureNate’sFarmbyElleParks|ElleParksPhotography.com goodDEEDS SeeNatureNate’sHoneyRecipesonPage31