For Burt and Carolyn Rosen, there is a fine line between hope and “unrelenting disappointment.” It’s a line they walk every day the phone doesn’t ring with a call from their long-lost son, a relatable reality for families all around the country who now have a support system in Hold on to Hope , a new nonprofit from the prominent Knoxville couple.
Most people know Burt from his time as CEO of Knox Area Rescue Ministries. What many don’t know is that for 24 years, he and Carolyn have been trying to find their son, Matthew, while balancing thoughts of optimism with the possibility they might never see him again.
While friends, neighbors and pastors all said the same thing − that one day, Matthew would come home − nobody dared to ask, “What if he doesn’t?”…