When a Community Cares
The Suttons are a prime example of what a strong community can do for its members. Meet this lively family of four and how Rivercut has impacted their lives!
Introducing the Sutton family!
We’re the Suttons - a family of four that loves Rivercut! Michael is the proud husband and father of the family, and he’s also a business owner, coach, and St. Jude Fundraiser. Erin is the loving mother, and she volunteers at the school through PTA and the math buddies program. She also volunteers for St. Jude. We met while both selling real estate for Carol Jones Realtors.
We have two children: Maxwell and Graham. Maxwell is 14 years old and is a freshman at Kickapoo. He loves golf! His little brother Graham is 12 years old. He’s in 6th grade and goes to Wilson's Creek. Our family loves to travel together and go on as many adventures as we can!
What brought you to Rivercut?
Erin grew up in Nixa and Michael grew up in Macon, MO. He came to Springfield for college and decided to stay here. We moved into the neighborhood in September of 2019 and have loved it ever since! Before that, we were just down the road in Stone Meadow. We needed more space, and when we viewed this house in Rivercut, we fell in love with the views and now call it our home. We really enjoy Rivercut - especially all of our neighbors.
What colleges did you attend and what do you do for a living?
Michael attended MSU and has a BS in finance and a minor in insurance. Erin attended MSSU in Joplin and has a BA in English literature. She went on to have a career in real estate before staying home to raise their kids.
We both sold real estate for a while, but Michael went on to sell mortgages and then into insurance. He now owns a commercial insurance brokerage called Roark and Sutton, LLC, which specializes in the commercial trucking industry. The Sutton's also have some rental property that they own and manage with a partner. Erin helps with the rental properties, but she spends most of her time volunteering at the schools and St. Jude Children's Hospital.
What do Maxwell and Graham like to do?
Maxwell spends as much time as possible on the golf course. During the summers, he is busy playing in golf tournaments, golfing with friends, or golfing with his dad and brother. Golf is non-stop! He is really looking forward to joining some of neighbors and his friends on the Kickapoo golf team in the spring.
Graham enjoys many different sports. In the summer, he is usually at the golf course, the pool, or fishing in our neighborhood pond. Sometimes he does all three in the same day! This school year, he joined the Wilson's Creek cross country team and will join the track team in the spring. He also likes to play basketball and then flag football with his dad as his coach.
Do you have any pets?
We currently do not have any pets but enjoy playing with our neighbor's dogs Bailey, Bella and Beau. We are very busy and love to travel, so this works best for us right now. Although, we would eventually like to get another dog...or two! Maybe when we aren’t so busy!
Can you share any challenges your family has faced?
Right after we moved to the neighborhood, our youngest son Graham was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. So, we moved into Rivercut in September of 2019 and then moved to Memphis in December of 2019 for his treatment. We spent the next four months there, and we weren't even allowed to leave on the weekends due to his treatment plan.
Graham was cancer free and released to come home in April of 2020. When we came home, our friends and family had lined our neighborhood streets to welcome us back. We also got to meet many of our neighbors that day. Graham is a healthy kid today and we owe it all to St. Jude Children's Hospital.
What kinds of things do you like to do in Springfield?
Some of our favorite spots are Retro Metro, Casa Bella, and Avanzare. Michael also loves a coffee from Roots coffee bar! Erin enjoys walking around the neighborhood when the weather is nice, and Maxwell and Graham often ride their bikes or scooters around. Rivercut is a great place for scooters!
How do you like to get involved in the community?
As for neighborhood events, we are very busy with sports and activities so we don't do as many of those as we would like. Erin has participated in the ornament exchange at Christmas time and always has a great time with the neighborhood ladies… Some of them are very fun!
For the greater area, we started a golf tournament in Graham's honor to help raise awareness and money for St. Jude so they can continue their mission of saving children's lives. Our G-Strong golf tournament is held the first Monday of October on the Rivercut Golf Course. This was our fifth year, and we surpassed $500,000 raised in total. We are forever grateful to St. Jude and will continue to do what we can to show our gratitude.
What's your favorite part of living in the neighborhood?
Our favorite family memory in the neighborhood was when we came home from St. Jude to see our friends, family, and neighbors welcoming us back. This was the first time that we met many of our neighbors, and want to thank everyone for welcoming us back like they did - we were really touched!
We also enjoyed COVID in the neighborhood because everyone was home and out walking. It was a great time to get to know people. Michael has never met a stranger and talked to everyone! We made friends with many of our neighbors during that time. Some have turned into lifetime friendships that we cherish. This is a special community, and we are grateful to call it our home!