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Charles Betterton Joins the Ranks of Greenville Authors Greenville native Charles Betterton has taken an entrepreneurial approach to the world of non-fiction publishing and he has joined the ranks of Mississippi authors. After studying publishing and Internet marketing for a few years, Charles established his own publishing, marketing and distributing company, Ultimate Destiny Network. He also founded two affiliated non-profit organizations, Ultimate Destiny University for Successful Living and CENTER SPACE, (the Center for Spiritual, Personal And Community Empowerment). Betterton conceived, created and coauthored 14 individual titles that are now available in the Ultimate Destiny Success System Library as digital E-books, print books and also as webinars, seminars and workshops. Each title in the initial series covers a major facet of helping readers discover and fulfill their “ultimate destiny”, (whatever that means to each individual). They include: the main title Solving Your Ultimate Destiny Success Puzzle, and stand-alone books on Manifesting Your Ultimate Destiny; Enjoying Loving Relationships; Achieving Ultimate Success in Business or Career; Realizing Your Ultimate Potential; Fulfilling Your Life Purpose; Enjoying Ultimate Health and Well-Being: Harnessing Your Creative Mind Power; Enjoying Financial Freedom and Prosperity; Raising Your Consciousness Level; Attaining Spiritual Enlightenment; Enjoying Peace and Balance; Making a Difference and Leaving a Legacy; and Fostering Personal and Planetary Sustainability. Each of the 14 titles also serves as an online “University for Successful Living” with its own web site, blog site, quizzes, self-discovery exercises, featured resources, Hall of Fame Awards, access to coaching, newsletters, bonus materials, etc. Charles was born and raised in Greenville with 4 siblings, Anne, Nancy, Drew and Judy, his younger sister who writes fiction as Kate Betterton and has published her first novel, Where the Lake Becomes the River. When he was just 20, Betterton founded the first of several Community Development Centers. The Center, housed in a building on Walnut Street in Greenville, was funded by a grant he received from the Quaker American Friends Service Committee to help support desegregation of the public schools. When tornadoes struck several Mississippi Counties in 1971, Charles volunteered to serve at the Disaster Field Office set up at the Greenville Base. Instead, he was hired as a HUD Representative and continued to work for HUD for about 15 years serving 6 years in disaster relief and 9 years in community and economic development. He held management positions with HUD in St. Louis, Missouri, Xenia, Ohio, Richmond, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Michigan, and Chicago and Kankakee Illinois. While he was employed at the Detroit HUD Office in 1976, Betterton received the highest cash award ever paid a HUD employee for a modification he made to a computerized property management system that saved an estimated 300 million dollars. Betterton, whose siblings were all National Honor Society students, dropped out of GHS in the 9th grade, completed his GED while in the Army where he also took several college courses. He received a Master’s in Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University in 1992. “I thank God for the opportunity of growing up in the Mississippi Delta” Betterton said. “The rich legacy I enjoy as a Mississippian has served me well in every position I have served in. I am deeply grateful for my loving parents, Major Drew Walton Betterton (who is still a “major” influence in my life even though he “graduated” from this plane of existence when I was only 8 years old) and my Mother Fannie Belle Betterton Neal, who passed away a few years ago.” “Mother gave me The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale when I was just 16 and had left school, praying that something would get through to help me make better choices in life. It was ironic that the first major development training event I produced in 1990 for over 1,100 participants featured Dr. Peale.” (http://normanvincentpeale.wordpress.com) For the past 10 years, Betterton has lived in San Diego, California and Sedona, Arizona, two communities where his company and non-profits are based. His latest project is an Expanding the Circle of Success Campaign he launched to establish a national network of CAN DO! Community Resource Centers. The Centers that will provide training on successful living skills for the 21st Century, incorporate the results of award-winning Centers Betterton developed first in Greenville and later for Community Development Corporations and Public Housing Authorities in Illinois, Indiana and New York. Charles was married for 14 years to Lyndal Vernon of Leland, MS and they have two children. Their daughter Sarah lives in Chicago and their son Christopher lives in Bourbonnais, Illinois with his wife Jessica and their two children, Zander and Abby. “In addition to my heartfelt appreciation for growing up in Greenville and the loving support of my parents, I will forever be grateful for the wisdom, guidance and mentoring Burrell O. McGee offered me in my teens. I am also thankful for the growth-enriching experiences I enjoyed working as a teenager with The Little Theater and the support of Jane Abraham and the late Leon Koury, who was a great friend and teacher who helped us deliver arts and crafts classes for children at the first Community Development Center in Greenville.” Betterton added. More information on his programs, publication and organizations is available at www.ultimatesuccesspuzzle.com and www.charlesbetterton.com
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