My name is Mary Beth (Carter) Pelt, and I am a proud second-generation lifelong resident of LaGrange. I attend Shoal Creek Baptist Church in LaGrange, where I serve as part of our Worship Team and adult choir, and on the Children’s/Youth Committee. I love to volunteer with causes near and dear to my heart, especially when those causes involve our special needs community. I have a very clear calling from the Lord to serve our community, which is a calling I take very seriously. I absolutely love LaGrange and can’t imagine life anywhere else! I am grateful for the opportunity to shine a light on the work being done in America’s Greatest Little City!
About Mary Beth Pelt
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
June 2024 will mark 20 years of marriage for my husband, Garrett, and me. I love LaGrange so much I wooed Garrett here from Clayton County! We have two children. Saralynn, a senior at Callaway High School, who aspires to be an Athletic Trainer in the future, and is the first-ever paid Student Athletic Training Aide at CHS, through the Expeditions program at THINC College and Career Academy. Carter, an eight grader at Callaway Middle School, plays baseball both for Callaway Middle and Callaway High School’s Junior Varsity teams. Garrett is employed with Milliken. My parents are Ken and Becky Carter, also lifelong residents of LaGrange. We all love calling LaGrange home, and can be found either enjoying a competitive board game night or enjoying a local sporting event.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
I am the Director of Miracle League of LaGrange, an inclusive baseball league that removes the barriers of traditional baseball and allows anyone, age 4 and up, with a mental or physical disability the chance the play baseball. As the only paid staff member of Miracle League of LaGrange, it is my job to shine as bright a light as I can on the amazing athletes that play with us, and on their families. I’m grateful for opportunities such as this one to spotlight my amazing friends! I also am the Program Facilitator for The Exceptional Way, a day activities center for adults with disabilities. I joined the staff in March of 2021, and in May of that year, we opened our doors for the first time. We spend our days seeking to enhance the lives of our participants through social and life skills, recreation, and fellowship, while also providing respite for their families. Both of my jobs are truly a calling and a passion, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve our community in a meaningful way!
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Love big. Every one of us are made in the image of God, and as such, we all have value. Regardless of the diversity of our abilities, we all have something to offer the world, and if we only spend time with those who look like us or act like us, we will never grow and expand our view of the world. Seek to love everyone as you yourself wish to be loved. Step outside of yourself and find ways to love and serve others. We all have an abundance of love to give- let’s swim in the ocean of giving and acceptance!
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
Five years from now, I will be the parent of two young adult children. I look forward to what that season of life will be, while also being so thankful for the season of life we’re enjoying now. Professionally, I hope The Exceptional Way has blossomed into the vision set forth by our founding board members, offering round-the-clock live-in care to our participants. I hope Miracle League of LaGrange is bursting at the seams with athletes and teams and leagues, which would necessitate a full-time staffer. More than anything, I hope to find myself drowning in that ocean of acceptance and inclusion, because that means that many people have caught the vision and are joining our efforts!
Mary Beth Pelt & Our Community
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
My family loves Pizza Villa, and especially love it being on our side of town! I personally love Jin’s- that yum yum sauce is divine! For a yummy hamburger, I love Cart Barn. Our very favorite LaGrange restaurant is Charlie Joseph’s!
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
I was born, raised in, and have never left LaGrange. 43 years and counting, I don’t ever plan on living anywhere else!
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
I love this question, but can’t fully answer it. There are so many amazing people in LaGrange! Some of my very favorites are our Miracle League of LaGrange athletes. I taught some of them in elementary school, have spent summer weeks with them at Camp Viola and WinShape, and now get to spend my Saturday mornings watching them have the time of their lives running bases with the wind in their hair and megawatt smiles on their faces!
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
My first job was as a gift wrapper in the Courtesy Center at Mansour’s. My dad worked their for almost 30 years, until they closed their doors for the last time. He helped make sure I could enjoy the opportunity to work there, too. My first ever day on the job was Black Friday, when I was 14 years old. Daddy and I opened the store that day at 4:00 AM. Talk about diving in head first! I spent my high school and college years serving our community at Mansour’s, and learned so many lessons. I worked in Children’s and Ladies’ Shoes with Mr. Nasor, in Accessories with Mr. Alfred, and in Junior’s and Children’s clothing. Some of my favorite memories were riding the elevator to retrieve furs purchased by husbands for their wives for special occasions. I also remember a special project Mr. Alfred gave me of changing the MSRP stickers on every pair of hosiery in the store. I wrapped millions of gifts, though I always had to remember to only use three pieces of tape when Mr. Nasor would appear over my shoulder! When the store closed, my dad brought home a roll of iconic green and gold paper from the Courtesy Center, and I still wrap one gift each year in that paper to help us all relive the amazing memories Mansour’s gave us!
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
My favorite thing about our community is the people. I absolutely love being from LaGrange and being recognized by and recognizing people almost every where I go. I love the relationships I have with so many people. I love having raised my children here, and I look forward to watching them have the same experiences as they continue to grow. Often times, when we are out and about, one of my kids will say, “Is there anyone you don’t know, Mom?” That is such a comforting feeling, because those relationships mean that our community values each other.
Q: If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative; with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y’all meet for this lunch?
I would love to have lunch one day with Tim Tebow. Tim is a tireless advocate for the special needs community. He oversees a foundation that bears his name that, among other causes, puts on Night to Shine each year. Night to Shine is a prom-like event that happens globally on the Friday before Valentine’s Day each year. I would also love to have lunch with Dr. Temple Grandin, another tireless advocate for the special needs community. As a member of that community herself, she has great insight into what it’s like to navigate life with a disability. I’ve heard Dr. Grandin speak, and had a quick conversation with her as she autographed a book for me. I think lunch with both of these individuals would be life-giving and energizing! I would take them both to Charlie Joseph’s for an iconic hot dog and a lemon sour!
For Fun
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
I love inspirational movies. My current favorites are The Rookie, Running the Bases, Overcomer, and Safety. I also have loved The Lion King since the day it came out in theaters! I really don’t watch much TV at all, but if I do, it’s either a game show or SportsCenter.
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
When I was in high school and looking ahead to my career aspirations, I wanted to either be a Music Therapist working with the autism community, or a sportscaster. LaGrange College (where my mom worked, so I went tuition-free) offered neither of those degrees. Though I didn’t see those dreams come to life in a traditional sense, I like to think that I’m still doing them both to some degree. I oversee the music activities at The Exceptional Way, and as Director of Miracle League of LaGrange, I get to spend my Saturdays with some of the most amazing athletes I’ve ever known!
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
Cheering for a Miracle League of LaGrange is absolutely a 10 out of 10 experience! Need something to do on a beautiful spring or fall Saturday morning? Come sit in the grandstands and cheer as our athletes have the time of their lives! Watch as parents take photos and cheer for their children. But, be prepared to shed a tear or two- of gratitude and joy, as our athletes’ laughter is contagious and makes us all smile until our hearts leak down our cheeks!
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
My children are my inspiration to be the best version of myself. If I love God and love people to the best of my abilities, and if I do so out loud and in front of my kids, I’m doing my job. “My kids” includes my biological children, my TEW participants (even those who are older than me), and my Miracle League of LaGrange athletes.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Home for me is safety in the nail-scarred hands of Jesus and my family.
