Love Was Nikki’s Destiny
Imagine having a job where you are organizing opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together to play, learn and grow. That is exactly what Nikki Earhart is charged with in her job with the City of Blue Ash where she is responsible for youth and family programming, and for managing the Farmer’s Market.
“I am providing fun for people,” she told me was her greatest reard.
For the past several years I have been partnering with the City of Blue Ash through my dog training business, offering the community educational programs on dog behavior. Nikki became my main point of contact this year. Always so organized and positive, she has been a joy to work with. I thought I’d take a few minutes to learn something new about her.
Below are her own words.
Nikki’s love story
Jon (her husband) and I had known each other nine or ten years by the time we started actually dating. Growing up, I was good friends with him and three other guys. We all went our own ways after high school. I went to Bowling Green University. Jon stayed in Cincinnati to work and then began training in the army. He started writing me letters, almost every day. There were days when his mail was not picked up, which meant I sometimes I got six or seven letters at a time. It was through his writing that I saw in him for the first time something really special, something beyond just friends, and I began to realize I need him in my life. Jon has told me he knew from the first time he saw me that he was going to marry me one day.
We got married really young. I was 22, recently out of college, and Jon was 21. We moved across the country shortly after. Jon was deployed to Iraq for the first time just four or five months after our wedding. He ended up being deployed twice. Those were difficult days and challenges to overcome.
Nikki’s return to Cincinnati
With Jon being in the army, we had lived from coast to coast, moving about every year since we were married. We stopped that when our son, Eli, was born and we knew we wanted to settle down. Cincinnati is where we grew up and we wanted to return. We were living in Indiana just prior to moving back here last fall. Eli was ten months old.
Speaking about family
I grew up in Evendale, and we used to travel once a month to Indiana to spend time with my dad’s family. Being close was so much a part of us. Now we use FaceTime to talk with my parents at least two times a week. It is very important to me that we raise our son to know and appreciate the value of family too.
Nikki’s legacy
When I think about life, I always think about Eli and how my actions and his environment will impact him. I try to be the light in his world and show him there is good.
Isabella Noe Is New Intern
Among the gifts this blog has given me has been the opportunity to get to know, inspire and explore with young minds who want to grow. I have loved seeing the ways in which they have grown from the experience.
One of the greatest compliments came several weeks back when Isabella Noe, a senior at Walnut Hills High School, reached out to me at the suggestion of my former intern Andrea Francisco. They are working together this summer and Andrea recommended Isabella get in touch with me. I am so very proud of Andrea and her personal growth, and I am so grateful to have been part of her journey.
It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you my newest high school intern…Isabella.
Isabella has a great interest in photography and theatre. When she isn’t out photographing the world, she inhabits the Walnut Theatre Department, acting, directing, stage managing, set designing, and set building. She is an omnivore but thoroughly enjoys spending time in the kitchen making vegan snacks. Most nights she can be found working at a local healthy cafe or at the gym.
These are Isabella’s own words…
I started with a film photography my sophomore year of high school and my love for it has continued throughout the years. I love both film and digital manipulation and spend quite a bit of time in the dark room at my school. I intend on continuing my photography journey throughout my life. Long term, I want to go to school for directing. I hope to pursue acting and directing as a career because I have never seen another future for myself since playing God in my first grade Christmas play.
Someone who really inspired me while he was alive was my grandfather. He found value in every single human being he interacted with. This belief has shaped who I am as a person and made me want to pursue that goal of seeing value. I love and miss him dearly but I remember him every time I follow my dreams, as he always supported me in everything I did.
My goal each day is to make one person’s day just a little bright, and I hope my articles for Good Things Going Around do just that!
April Kerley Shares Paralympic Lessons
For two weeks every four years, I sit in front of the television in awe at the athleticism, grace, unrelenting determination, courage, fear, and triumph of the human spirit. I am inspired and touched by their stories of all that they overcame on the journey, of their sacrifices, and their passion. For some, they will leave with medals. For all of them, it will be an experience they will carry with them the rest of their life.
photo credit: Chris Glass, People’s Liberty Fellow
April Kerley, marketing director for Simply Money – a registered investment advisor and media company, knows this very well. When she is not talking finances, or speaking before large audiences, a likely place you will find her is in a pool. April learned how to swim when she was six, and quickly excelled from local clubs, to the high school team, and as an NCAA Division I swimmer while at Xavier University. That path ultimately led her to becoming a member of the World Champion team and to Beijing, China in 2008 where she competed in the 2008 Paralympic Games. April has held a total of nine Para American, two Para Pan-American, and one Para World Record in her long swimming career.
The sport will always be a part of who she is, but so too will the life lessons it has given her. She shares those lessons through talks and volunteer work with organizations such as the ReelAbilities Film Festival and LADD – Living Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled. (we met during my work for them).
Leading up to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games the U.S. Department of State and Paralympic Games are featuring Paralympians #WithoutLimits. The Human Rights Campaign is an effort to bring awareness to equal opportunity employment for disabled professionals. April is among those featured.
What better time to learn more about her? Please continue reading.
Lisa: You have talked about working through your own misperceptions of paralympics, and that impact on you. Can you talk to us about that?
April: When I first heard about the Paralympics in 2005, I thought it was geared toward people who use wheelchairs. I didn’t think I would be able to relate. Now Paralympics is my platform to remind me to recognize potential for greatness in everyone. Adaptive sports are not about disability. They are about showcasing abilities. No matter what you have going on in your life, you can excel at something. A lot of times, it is seeing people who have disabilities playing sports that is a transformative moment when spectators say, ‘If they can do it, I can too.’
Lisa: Where did your interest for swimming come from?
April: I began swimming when I was six years old because my mom just wanted my brother and me to learn how to swim and be safe around water. For whatever reason, we just gravitated to water. Both my brother and I went into competitive swimming.
Lisa: What role did your parents play in your success?
April: My parents were very insightful about they chose to raise us. They made the conscious choice to allow me to struggle a little to learn how to do things for myself because they knew I needed to learn how to adapt. I had my typical struggles and tantrums but they taught me to be the best of myself. As a result, I have learned that I can do things, just sometimes differently. Those adaptations are seamless to me today, they are not an obstacle. Rarely do I say something is difficult.
Lisa: What do you say to others about trying and learning in life?
April: Doing that is really just part of who I am. I am of the mentality that you just do it, and learn from the process. There may be a misconception that I have not failed. Of course I have. I did not make the 2012 or 2016 paralympics teams. Often athletes who have gone on to the Olympics or Super Bowls have quit at their peak. I challenged myself. I asked myself, ‘How do I know if that was my peak unless I push past it?’ If you quit at the top, you will never know if you could have gone further. I experimented in a way that most do not dare to do. In hindsight, 2008 was my best year but I would not have known if I had not continued.
No one wants to lose but you learn more from losing than you do from winning. You gain something in a different way.
Lisa: How much do you swim these days?
April: I spent a whole decade at the Paralympic level and I will be a lifelong competitor. It will always be a part of me. I swim six or seven days a week still, twice a day.
Make The Most Of TODAY
For Jeff Stone, It Is More Than A Job
I’d like to introduce you to Jeff Stone, a direct care professional for Stepping Stones, a Cincinnati nonprofit whose mission is mission is to increase independence, improve lives and promote inclusion for children and adults with disabilities. Jeff began working at Stepping Stones as a summer camp counselor in 2012, and quickly added more responsibilities before joining their team as a full-time direct care professional at in 2014.
Each year the organization honors one of its employees who exemplifies its mission, and Jeff was this year’s recipient.
These are some of things his co-workers had to say about him.
“One only has to work with him for one day and you’ll see the care he puts into his second family at Stepping Stones.”
“This job is so much more than a job to him. His passion is inspiring and I love working with him.”
“He is one of the most selfless, compassionate and dedicated staff I’ve ever had the privilege to work with.”
Let’s get to know more about him.
Lisa: Please tell us about your job, what you do as a direct care professional, how long you have been at Stepping Stones, and what you enjoy most about your job?
Jeff: I have been with Stepping Stones for about four years. I started as a unit counselor at Camp Given in 2012 and have worked several Saturday Kids Clubs and Young Adult Clubs throughout the Fall and Winter. This is my third year at our UCP Campus as a direct care professional. One of the best things about being a DCP is understanding how rewarding it is to be in this field. At Stepping Stones we help individuals find pathways to independence. We offer several activities here for the participants such as, Art, Recreation, Continuing Knowledge, Technology (Computer Lab), Sensory, Life Skills, and Employment Exploration for those who are interested in finding a job some day. I also offer assistance with personal care (feeding, toileting).
I love my job because every day is different and I learn something new. There are many amazing people here, staff and participants and I have made some great friends. I love seeing the participants every day and having fun. I love making them laugh and making their day better. And I especially love making a difference in people’s lives.
Lisa: Tell us about Fred (pictured with you) and your relationship with him.
Jeff: I would have to say that Fred is one of my best friends. He is such a funny person and is loved by so many. We always have a great time together every day because we make each other laugh. Fred is extremely smart and always cares about the other participants. He is always wanting to help me throughout the day and even letting me know if I miss something. He is very observant. Another thing I admire about Fred is his patience. Even when I am having a rough day, he understands and is always trying to make me feel better. If I need him to wait for a little bit, he will and not complain about it. Being with Fred for quite some time, I’ve noticed that he loves art. He will sit and paint if I give him a canvas using several different colors. Fred also loves nature, especially birds. I can relate that to him because my mom was a birdwatcher and has shared with me her experiences and knowledge of birding. I can show him a picture of a Cardinal and he will know what that is. Fred even just finished painting his very own birdhouse not too long ago. I know for a fact though that one of Fred’s favorite things to do is laugh because you can always hear it no matter where you are in the building.
Lisa: How have you grown as a person as a result of the people whom you work with?
Jeff: The people I work with bring a whole new view on those with disabilities. A long time ago where I didn’t understand someone having a disability, I would try and avoid them because I had no idea how to approach them. My parents had to tell me that they were “special” because they also did not know how else to explain it to me when I was that young. Today, I can tell anybody that individuals with disabilities are people just like us. Maybe some of them might need our assistance in doing some things but they have rights too and should never be denied doing something they enjoy. I honestly feel like a whole new person due to my job and also feel like a better person too. I have a lot more patience, I understand situations and views better, and respect those other people who work with individuals with disabilities.
Lisa: What is a piece of advice or words of wisdom that you have received that has stuck with you?
Jeff: One of the most important things that has stuck with me is “CCF” or Campers Come First. In this case now it is “PCF” or Participants Come First. We should always try to help them first and not think about ourselves, even when we are doing something we don’t want to do. If we are watching a movie, a staff member should not pick something that they want to see only because they like it. The staff and participants should communicate and agree on what movie to watch. If a staff member has a rough day and they just do not feel like being there one day, they can do several things to calm them down (take deep breaths, take a 5 minute break, exercise after work). Staff should always remember that they should make sure the participants have a good day because it’s for them. We assist them, make friends, and should work to know them better every day.
Lisa: Who is someone who has been an influence in your life and how?
Jeff: I have met so many people and have made so many friends here at Stepping Stones. There have been several people who been an influence in my life but someone who has always stood by me no matter what is Amanda Kay. She was my boss back when I was a part of summer camp and is my boss now here at Stepping Stones/UCP. Amanda has a love for the people she works with and has helped me get to where I am today. She messaged me out of the blue asking if I wanted to interview for a job at the adult program in Norwood because I was recommended by several people. I’m really glad I did and got a job here. I can definitely call her a fantastic boss, a role model for others, and a friend.
Lisa: Outside of work, what are some of your simple pleasures?
Jeff: I love the city of Cincinnati even though my heart will always be in Cleveland (GO CAVS!!). I love going out with friends downtown and Newport, going to concerts, bowling, going Reds, Bengals, Cavs, Indians, and Browns games, kayaking, hiking seeing movies, checking out new breweries, playing basketball and football, and just being with my family. I just enjoy living life and having fun with those who I am close to.
