Parker Bounds Johnson Foundation

The inspiration behind the Parker Bounds Johnson Foundation

Parker's imagination was always out of the box and outside of the lines. He was a deep thinker and a dreamer-- a lot like his Grandpapa. He dreamed universally beyond the stratosphere far into space. He led his life with his heart and everyone who truly knows him will vouch for this fact. He believed in loyalty and honesty and being real. He believed in family and belonging and love. He believed in his country and he loved the principles for which it stands--especially freedom and honor. He believed in his teammates and brotherhood. He believed in being humble and helping others without drawing attention to himself. He loved trees and children and animals. He believed in helping the underdog even at his own inconvenience or peril. He did this since the time when he was very young standing up to the school yard bully. He gave the shirt off his back and the last change in his pocket to a homeless man. He cared so much that it hurt. Parker's experience in Wilderness Therapy in the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina in the Fall of 2009 was an experience that changed the course of his life and gave him some of his very brightest years as a young adult. He said in Wilderness the fog lifted and he found himself again. He felt at peace and a sense of self-reliance he had forgotten and most importantly he felt hope for his future. We are certain that this time in Wilderness Therapy gave him and us 5 more priceless years together on earth. As a family, Parker, Dan, Liz and sister, Breanna, actively talked and dreamed about doing something to help get more young people to Wilderness. A place, a movement, a community...we even talked about how we would build it and what roles each of us would play. Parker even laughed out loud when we asked him, "what role are you going to play?" and he replied, "I will be at the top. I will be overseeing everything. I will be like the head counselor." He then said, "let's do this!" Well the irony is that it now seems that he is taking the lead role in making this happen. He feels very much alive in our hearts as he inspires us to forge ahead and make his dream a reality to help other young people just like him find their way through Wilderness Therapy and beyond. The world needs more dreamers. The dreamers are those who can see beyond what is and imagine something better. Thank you Parker for your vision and for inspiring us to "just do this!"