In Barefoot to Benefactor, Lenny tells the uplifting story of how the youngest son from Kerala, India, worked his way into medical school, propelled himself to London, and settled in North Carolina as an accomplished physician. Not satisfied with providing standard medical care, Lenny became a world-class researcher and founded the Bethany Medical Centers, a revolutionary network that treats anyone who walks through its doors with the best that medicine can offer.
Wonders followed Lenny as faith determined his path. He turned a community college course in personal finance into a vast real estate empire and thriving medical practice. His fascination with business led him not only to establish much-needed health and research facilities, but to establish a bank for underserved communities that now operates in four states. Through it all, he battled the prejudice he encountered as a professional man of color with a “funny accent,” turning every hardship into opportunity and learning that forgiveness and acceptance bestow grace.
Most importantly, Lenny has never forgotten his roots. The Lenny Peters Foundation shares his abundance with the less fortunate, both here and in India. His story of trailblazing in medicine, finance, and philanthropy is proof that miracles come to those who have faith—in God and in themselves.
After obtaining his M.D. and practicing medicine in the United Kingdom and Africa, Lenny Peters came to the U.S. and founded the Bethany Medical Center in High Point, which has grown from a single clinic in 1987 to the largest independent medical group in North Carolina.
Peters served as the founding director of Bank of North Carolina, later part of Pinnacle Bank, and as co-chairman of the board of directors for Carolina State Bank. He has served on the boards of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, Forward High Point, and Business High Point Chamber of Commerce. The Lenny Peters Foundation provides charitable grants and donations to needy individuals in the Piedmont Triad, and to many other charity organizations in the U.S. and around the world.