There is more to Tatum Marshall than just playing Volleyball. As Libero for the conference winning Fayetteville Lady Bulldogs, Marshall helped Fayetteville achieve a national ranking of 66^th. But Marshall knows that she can have a greater impact off of the court than on it.

Tatum’s parents Alex and Angela Hedgepeth, operate The Hope of Christmas, which is a store in Fayetteville that sells Christmas decorations, supplies, and gifts. The Hope of Christmas is a for profit business, but all of the profit goes to a non-profit organization, Potter’s House.

Potter’s House is a community development organization that provides jobs to individuals who find it difficult to find work. This includes people who have little education, or people who have had trouble with the law.

Employees of Potter’s House learn life skills, take personal finance classes and are taught how to manage money and time. This type of life coaching is made possible by the volunteers and employees who work and spend time at The Hope of Christmas. Tatum Marshall spends time at the store because she wants to make a difference.

Marshall spends her time off of the court investing her life into the employees of Potter’s House.  “I enjoy being able to influence people’s lives for the better. It’s fun to be at the store,” said Marshall.

During Volleyball season, Marshall said that she couldn’t spend as much time at the store as she would have liked—which is understandable considering the rigorous schedules that high school student athletes face. However, Marshall did find a break in her schedule over Thanksgiving and spent most of her

days off of school volunteering at The Hope of Christmas.

The Hope of Christmas has changed the lives of numerous employees.  Not only does it provide jobs to people who can’t find work, but Potter’s house also helps the families of the employees in ways that other companies don’t.

When families of Potter’s house are in need, it is common for the organization to pitch in and help with day-to-day necessities such as helping financially with weekly groceries.

As for Tatum, club volleyball is starting and she won’t be able to spend as much time at The Hope of Christmas as she has in recent weeks, but says “anytime I can be around the store and help out, it’s a good day”.