Chuck Milton, William’s House, and Chris Foley, Edward Jones (Good2Give Podcast, Episode 10)
On this episode of the Good2Give Podcast, host Maria Walden welcomes guests Chuck Milton, Executive Director of William’s House in Roswell, Georgia, and Chris Foley, a financial advisor with Edward Jones. Chuck discusses the mission of William’s House, which is to empower fathers in recovery to achieve self-sufficiency and housing sustainability. Chris elaborates on his philanthropic journey and how he assists his clients with charitable giving and financial planning. Topics include the innovative housing solutions William’s House provides for single fathers, their long-term support programs, and their efforts in fundraising and grant writing. The discussion also touches upon the benefits of donor-advised funds and strategies for financial literacy.
The article “Can you make charitable giving less ‘taxing’?” mentioned by Chris Foley during the show can be found online, free of charge, by following this link.
The Good2Give Podcast is presented by the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia. The show is produced by John Ray and the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link.
Chuck Milton, William’s House
Chuck Milton serves as the Executive Director and CEO of William’s House, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering fathers in recovery to achieve self-sufficiency and sustainable housing.
Before co-founding William’s House in 2020, Chuck accumulated over 20 years of corporate experience as Vice President at prominent boutique retained executive search firms. He excelled in business development and worked with a diverse clientele, including manufacturers, SMBs, and Fortune companies such as Southern Company and Walt Disney, across both Orlando and Burbank.
His inspiration for this mission stems from his personal journey with alcoholism and prescription drug abuse, which led him to enter a rehabilitation program in 2009. Following his rehabilitation, Chuck found himself in a challenging situation without a stable living environment or the necessary tools to rebuild his life. This experience sparked his curiosity about the support available to men with children facing similar struggles.
Shortly thereafter, Chuck coincidentally joined Mary Hall Freedom House, a facility that assists women and women with children. During his time there, he recognized the need for similar resources tailored to men with children, which inspired the creation of William’s House.
Chuck is a proud alumnus of Florida State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences with a focus on Political Science. He was actively involved in the Greek system and student government during his time at FSU. Despite being a Florida native, Chuck now considers Atlanta his home after residing there for over three decades.
William’s House
William’s House empowers fathers in recovery to achieve self-sufficiency and attain housing sustainability.
At its essence, William’s House is dedicated to motivating men in recovery, guiding them through a transformative journey to reclaim their lives, and facilitating their reintegration with families as valued contributors to their communities. The programming at William’s House places emphasis on personal transformation, moral inventory, and reliance on a Higher Power. The strategy is centered around the transformative power of relationships, including the spiritual dimension, to foster lasting positive change.
Recent research highlights the importance of homeless men having the opportunity to share and process their feelings of judgment, guilt, shame, remorse, and separation from their families, as well as their fears about parenting and re-entering family and home life.
William’s House is dedicated to creating an enriching and supportive environment. The strategic approach is grounded in the belief that enabling individuals at William’s House has a positive ripple effect on the broader community. This approach is encapsulated in the Six Pillars: Housing, Financial Literacy-Wealth Building, Family Counseling, Physical and Mental Well-being, Sobriety Maintenance, and Career Heights. William’s House is committed to delivering comprehensive support through a combination of community-based initiatives and on-site services.
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Chris Foley, Edward Jones, CFP®
Chris Foley guides individuals, families, and small business owners in an increasingly complex and volatile investment environment by offering clear, straightforward financial advice and helping them make sense of their investments.
Since joining Edward Jones, Chris has assisted many families in the community to fund their investment goals and plan for their financial futures. Prior to his career at Edward Jones, he worked in the financial services industry for nearly 13 years. He earned his B.A. from Dartmouth College.
Chris’s finance journey began in his junior year of college at the age of 20. He worked as an intern on the trading desk of a global investment bank and developed an enthusiasm for researching stocks. He saved $1,000 by the end of the summer and picked a blue-chip stock in which to invest. His father opened a brokerage account for them to invest in together. His father purchased the stock Chris had chosen, and Chris was to reimburse him. Instead, Chris used the money to buy an electric guitar (since purchasing that guitar, he has learned to play a whopping nine chords and only one scale). Fortunately, his father held onto the investment, and that initial $1,000 grew and eventually helped to fund his retirement. That experience taught Chris the power of compounding and investing for the long term. While his ability to play the guitar has not grown, his passion for investing, educating his clients, and helping them to create the life they dream of has grown exponentially.
Chris is a relationship builder and cares deeply about his community. He and his wife, Courtney, live in the Crabapple area of Alpharetta, Georgia, with their two curious and very active young boys. Courtney is a classical pianist who still encourages him to play his guitar and master the E minor pentatonic scale. In his spare time, Chris enjoys spending time with his family, watching sports, and traveling.
Edward Jones
Edward Jones, a Fortune 500 firm, provides financial services in the U.S. and through its affiliate in Canada. The firm’s nearly 19,000 financial advisors serve more than 8 million clients, with a total of $1.7 trillion in client assets under care. Edward Jones’ purpose is to partner for positive impact to improve the lives of its clients and colleagues, and together, better our communities and society.
Through the dedication of the firm’s 50,000 associates and our branch presence in 68 percent of U.S. counties, the firm is committed to helping more people achieve financially what is most important to them.
Topics Discussed in This Interview
00:00 Welcome to the Good2Give Podcast
00:41 Introducing the Guests and Their Missions
01:13 Deep Dive into William’s House: Empowering Fathers
05:33 Financial Literacy and Philanthropy with Chris Foley
10:05 Exploring Donor Advised Funds and Charitable Giving
14:13 The Importance of Community and Fundraising Efforts
21:30 Future Plans and How to Get Involved
32:04 Closing Thoughts and Contact Information
The Good2Give Podcast celebrates the work of donors, nonprofits, and the causes they care about. DePriest Waddy and Maria Walden-Sullivan are the show’s hosts, and the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia is the presenting sponsor.
The Good2Give Podcast is produced by John Ray and the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. You can also find the show on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and many others.
At the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia, everything they do centers around one purpose: improving the world through the power of philanthropy.
On a fundamental level, they do that through managing funds held in trust, donated by individuals, organizations, and businesses. Most funds are donor-advised funds, similar to savings accounts. These funds are pooled for investment purposes, and their income is used to make grants for a wide variety of charitable purposes.
But the Foundation’s goals extend far beyond managing funds. They desire to strengthen the communities they serve in Gwinnett, Northeast Georgia, and beyond by providing leadership, addressing community needs, and assisting individuals and organizations with their charitable giving.
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