It has been said, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” That applies equally to those in leadership in the printing industry. Are you using your position of leadership and influence for good? Not just for the people in your company, but for those around you?

If you are thinking about it but haven’t yet taken that step, we invite you to find inspiration in Bill Prettyman, CEO of Wise, a vendor of business forms and labels to the resale trade (Alpharetta, Ga.). He and his wife, Joy, started Thrive Community in 2021 to provide a supportive, nurturing, and entrepreneurial environment for adults with special needs. At Thrive, “Citizens” as they are called, enjoy friendship, community, and life-skills training that allow them to engage in meaningful work.

Bill and Joy Prettyman, co-founders of Thrive Community. Bill Prettyman is also CEO of Wise, an Alpharetta, GA-based manufacturer of business forms and labels to the trade. Screenshot from Wise’s Thrive Community Promo hosted on its YouTube page.

Lest you think that this work is “less than” because Citizens have special needs, check out what they created for the Thrive Community Art Auction. These pieces, conceptualized by Thrive staff members, are nothing short of incredible.

“Most People Can Do Something”

Thrive Community Citizens at the first annual Thrive Community Art Auction May 30, 2025.

“Not everyone can create a piece of art from start to finish, but most people can do something,” notes Bill Prettyman, who, himself, was inspired by the work done by a similar organization, Brookwood Community, in Brookshire, Tex. “I watched them train their members. One of the women was blind, yet she was glazing the ceramic pieces with a paintbrush. It shows you that if you take the time to break tasks down into their finest steps, everyone can do something. That is true of our Citizens, as well.”

Some of the artwork created by Thrive Community Citizens sold at Thrive Community’s first annual Art Auction May 30, 2025.

Thrive’s staff conceptualized the art projects and worked to determine how to break projects into steps that its Citizens could accomplish. It took time, but eventually, the artwork was beautifully completed. Sales from the auction will now provide scholarships that open the benefits of Thrive Community to more families.

The Mission Is Personal

In starting Thrive Community, the Prettymans had two goals: to provide Citizens with friendship and community, and to allow them to experience the meaning and purpose of work. “Eighty percent of adults with special needs struggle to find or keep a job, so our first goal was to provide Citizens with friends, a community, and an entrepreneurial environment in which they could find the value and purpose,” says Joy Prettyman. “Our long-term goal is to build a 100-acre residential community where Citizens can live, work, and play.”

For the Prettymans, the mission is personal. They, too, have a special needs son, Jack, who participates in the program. “Parents worry, ‘What will happen to my child in the future?’” says Bill Prettyman. “Our planned residential campus is part of doing that. But in the process, we have a lot of people who would like their adult children to attend our day programs but cannot afford to. That’s why it’s so important to put on scholarship fundraisers like this one.”

Thanks to the success of this year’s auction, many more families will be able to afford to send their adult children to Thrive Community full-time or part-time. Thrive is planning another art auction for next year and is in the process of identifying guest artists to help design the pieces.

We Can All Do Something

Not everyone has it in them to start a nonprofit as the Prettymans did, but just like the Citizens of Thrive Community, all of us can do something: organize a food drive, set up an after-school tutoring center in an unused room in the building, or empower employees with extra PTO to volunteer with local charities. As leaders in our businesses and communities, each of us has the power to use our influence for good. How will you use yours?

Click here to learn more about Thrive Community.