Beautiful and relaxing Summer is waning. Stunning and invigorating Autumn is approaching. It's a good time to use this energy to spotlight another Achilles volunteer: Ms. Barb W.Barb is a familiar face at our weekly run/walk and post-run/walk festivities. Always calm, positive, supportive, and kind, Barb makes the weekly run/walk an event to savor.
Thank you Barb, for being such a great and constant companion to the Achilles family.
Now for some history and facts about Barb.
Captain Kimmers meet Barb in the fall of 2005 and Barb started volunteering in the spring of 2006.
Barb comments on why she volunteers at Achilles:
"I volunteer because of meeting Kimmers , hearing her story and how she decided to help others have a place to come and be welcomed, included and valued. It is her courage, wisdom and strength that I have admired these past years. Meeting all the other Achilles Members has taken my level of volunteering to a new level. They have taught me there are MANY kinds of physical disabilities and that with each one that a person has we can gather as a family to support them in their quest to live with it. Everyone feels included and identified and no one leaves without being touched in a new way each week."
Captain Kimmers shares with us why Barb is such an invaluable friend and volunteer:
"It's pretty awesome having a friend with so much passion and energy to help out with the Achilles Team. I'm so very appreciative of all her time, love, patience and determination she gives to our Achilles Track Club every week. She is a back bone that I lean on for help constantly. We've had a lot of fun races, trips and activities together - the New York H&P 2006 stands out as one of the great ones!! I know we'll have many more fun races in years to come and lots more NY H&P DVD's to make as well.
Thanks for being there for me - and for all you give. "
Now some Fun Info about Barb:
- Favorite movie: in Barb's case, movies: Man without a Face, Finding Forrester, Rudy, On Golden Pond, Iron Will, Pay it Forward, White Squall ... all the movies have a theme illustrating how one negotiates one's way through life.
- Concert, past, present, or future I would like to attend: Handal or Morzart
- Favorite Summertime sport: Golf Rules!
- What did you do before teaching? I thought about being a gym teacher and not a classroom teacher; but alas, no available jobs )-:
- Favorite autumn sport: Hunting whitetail deer with bow or gun and fishing in Canada
- Shocking fact about Barb: I am a Certified Jump Master in Skydiving. I have over 400 jumps
- Favorite vacation spot: Fjords of Norway and Edinburgh, Scotland (golf!)
- College degrees: University of Florida, Central (Orlando) Elementary Ed. with a PE minor; Gallaudet University for the Deaf
- States you've lived in: Illinois for childhood, Severna Park, Maryland for young to mid-teens, Kenosha, Wisconsin for late teens, North Carolina for early 20s, back to Kenosha again until early 30s and since then Madison, Wisconsin.
- If you won 100 million $s in the Lottery, how would you spend the first 10 million? I am taking every close, dear friend I know with me, we will all win. I want desperately to help others and would love to surprise them with a new car, groceries, anything they would be in need of. Anyone anywhere who just needs a financial boost!
