For the Hendersons, a fast internet connection turned into a winning moment. The Ohatchee family was recently named the winner of Coosa Valley Technologies’ Family Feature Contest, which was a search for a local family to highlight in a new marketing campaign focused on family, community and how reliable connectivity powers everyday life.
As the chosen family, the Hendersons will appear in TV commercials, online videos, postcards, print ads, billboards and other marketing collateral. They also receive one year of free 1 Gig residential internet service.
For Joel and Monica Henderson and their three children, the spotlight is a little outside their comfort zone, but strong family ties as well as a strong fiber network, made it worth it.
“I entered the contest thinking we’ll never win,” Monica said. “I just thought it would be fun to enter. I never really thought much about it because we never win.”
Turns out, they did.
A Surprise Win
Monica entered the Family Feature Contest without telling Joel and their 14-year-old son, Jace. While they were deer hunting, she was home with their daughters, Millie, 11, and Evie, 6. She was cleaning out her email inbox when she saw the announcement about the contest.
“On a whim, I just decided to enter it,” she said.
When the call came announcing they had won, Monica was stunned. She was also a little anxious about breaking the news to her husband and son.
“They both are so shy,” she said. “They don’t talk very much, and they don’t like pictures.”
She knew they weren’t going to be thrilled.
“When Jace found out, he said he was leaving the family,” she said, laughing. “I told him it was too late. We’re doing it.”
Millie had other concerns.
“I was worried about what I was going to wear and how I was going to fix my hair,” she said.
Trading Satellite Limits for Fast Fiber
Living in rural Alabama once meant limited options for connectivity.
“We had nothing,” Monica said. “We couldn’t even get cable. We only had satellite TV.”
That changed when Coosa Valley Technologies announced fiber internet was coming to their neighborhood. The Hendersons were connected in January 2025. They quickly cancelled satellite TV and made the switch to streaming.
Joel doesn’t say much, but when it comes to fiber internet, he’s clear.
“It has been a game-changer,” he said. “When you work all day, you want things at home to just work. Our internet works.”
Monica appreciates reliability even more when work follows her home.
“It’s so great having CVT internet,” she said. “Before we had the fiber internet, I had to use a hot spot from my cell phone to get my work done. It really was a hassle.”
Now, the entire family can be online at once without buffering or frustration. Jace enjoys gaming while Millie and Evie like streaming shows, especially Netflix’s popular “Is It Cake?” baking series.
“Fiber internet has brought our home into the 21st century,” Joel said. “It’s not just faster. It works every time for everyone in our family.”
Rooted in Ohatchee
Joel has lived in Ohatchee his entire life, and Monica moved there in the fifth grade. The two attended Ohatchee High School together but didn’t really know each other. It wasn’t until May 2006 that sparks flew after they ran into each other at a party.
“We exchanged phone numbers that night, and we’ve been together ever since,” Monica said.
Today, Joel works as a tank mechanic at the Anniston Army Depot, where he has been employed for 15 years. Monica has worked for 16 years as the office manager at Children and Teen Dental of Alabama in Oxford. Together, they chose to build their life in Ohatchee.
“Joel wouldn’t have it any other way because he loves Ohatchee,” Monica said. “I do, too. Everybody knows everybody, and we are there for each other. It’s a great community.”
Busy Days, Big Dreams
The Henderson children keep a packed schedule, sometimes spending 12 hours or more away from home due to school and extracurricular activities.
Jace, an eighth-grader, plays football, baseball and basketball. He also enjoys fishing and deer hunting and proudly points out that he’s harvested a bigger deer than his dad. When asked about his future, he has a couple of goals in mind: professional baseball player or sports trainer.
“I just want to have fun playing sports and see how far I can go,” he said. “Maybe one day I’ll be playing in the pros, or I may be helping others get there.”
Millie, a fifth-grader, is a cheerleader and softball player who also takes tumbling. She loves riding her electric scooter and spending time with her siblings. One day, after cheering in college, she hopes to become a pastry chef with her own bakery. A fun fact about Millie is that she can put her feet over her head and roll both forward and backward.
“I love tumbling,” she said. “I really like being active and trying new things.”
Evie, the youngest and a first-grader, is also a cheerleader and softball player. When asked about her hobbies, she simply said, “I like to eat.” Her favorite food is shrimp.
“I want to turn pink like a flamingo,” she said, referencing the way flamingos get their rosy hue from the shrimp they eat.
Like her sister, Evie wants to be a college cheerleader before eventually becoming a hairstylist. She also loves all holidays, especially Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“I love the holidays because they’re so much fun with my family,” she said. “They make me happy and excited all year long.”
The Perfect Fit
Jackie Edmondson, manager of Marketing and Member Services, said the Henderson family stood out to the selection committee for more than just their smiles.
“They are beautiful people, who are deeply committed to their community,” she said. “They were so genuinely excited about our fiber service and what it means for their family. That enthusiasm really showed through in the application Monica completed.”
For a family that once struggled to get a signal, the Hendersons are now helping showcase what reliable high-speed internet from CVT can mean for rural communities.
“I’m excited to share our story,” Monica said. “Having reliable fiber internet has made such a difference for our family. I know it can help other families like ours.”
For information about Coosa Valley Technologies’ residential services, visit www.CoosaValleyTech.com/residential or call 256-649-4669.