Just because Pumpkin Spiced Everything is inescapable (and mostly gross – Pumpkin Spiced Frosted Flakes? Sick.) and we’d all like a break from the 90+ degree temperatures of the last few weeks doesn’t mean that fall is here. That’s not official until September 22, so you can all put away your chunky sweaters for the [...]
I’m pretty sure I’ve packed more travel into my life in the last two months than in the last several years. BK (before kids), I was a traveling fool, and my passport got a workout. Once the first boy arrived and the second one followed, I was fully tethered to them and our local environs. [...]
My niece and I made another pilgrimage to the homeland, Peoria, IL, to visit my dad this week. Not unexpectedly, but still, very sadly, nothing has really changed since he went into the nursing home last October. Our stay allowed me to look around my dad and stepmom’s house with fresh eyes, thinking about the [...]
This was a big week for the Center for a Vital Community. On Tuesday, we graduated our seventh class of community leaders through the CiViC Leadership Project, the CVC’s flagship program. We also celebrated one of our trainers who has been with this program since its inception eighteen years ago. Incredibly, over 170 women and [...]
The term ‘legacy’ is intimidating. Defined as the long-lasting impact of a person’s life, it’s usually used to describe political figures, sports legends, and millionaires. The average Joe and Josephine probably don’t walk around wondering what their legacy will be. Maybe they should. In the last few months, Sheridan has lost several people who embodied [...]
Welcome back to my column, dear reader! You know that I’ve been covering end of life if you've read my latest submissions. It’s been a tough time. I have good news – this column is happier! This will be a complete send-up of my thought processes and subsequent actions (or lack thereof). If you’ve ever [...]
Brace yourself, readers! For a change, I will utilize this column for its original purpose – to promote the Center for a Vital Community’s work in our community. Crazy, eh? No personal blog post today, folks. Instead, I’m here to explain why the CVC has been called the Chamber of Commerce for Nonprofits. When you [...]
I was just in Peoria, IL, right after my niece’s extraordinary wedding because my dad had another major stroke in mid-September. He’s currently in a fantastic rehab/skilled nursing facility and doing a lot of physical, occupational, and speech therapy. I don’t know if he will ever leave, but at least they’re doing everything they can [...]
As a practice, I try to craft my Community Perspectives columns focusing on the CVC's work. After all, we are the Center for a Vital COMMUNITY, and this is our (my) perspective. Often, my personal stories, insights, and experiences enhance this focus. Once in a while, I go completely off community topic, and the Press' [...]
My first involvement of being involved with a nonprofit was somewhat unconventional. About a year after I moved to Sheridan, my brother was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Scared and wanting to do something proactive, I met another Sheridanite who had fought and was beating the same disease. His family and a few other passionate friends [...]
