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From Track Star To Ninja Warrior
James Wilson, 33, has always been a gifted athlete. Now he is the Nati Ninja.
At LaSalle High School and in college, he was a star running back in football – among the top 100 in the country. In track, his times running the 100-
meter dash, 400-meter relay and 200-meter dash were among the nation’s fastest (10.62 seconds in the 100- meter).After college, he’s run spartan races and mud runs.
Sitting in front of his television with a buddy, eating Papa John’s, watching season five of American Ninja Warrior (ANW), how could he not be thinking, ‘hey, I can do that.’?
But, he has said, “I ate like crap. I was just an athlete thinking, I can do what those people are doing.”
The Road To ANW
To be a Ninja, it takes a lot more than track speed. Those treacherous courses require almost non-human strength, timing, reflexes, coordination. Still, he was determined. He had a body built for elite competitions. He knew how to train.
James built makeshift obstacles in his parents’ backyard. He began taking to athletes who were Ninjas. He sent in a video submission. AND he got selected for ANW season six (2014) in St. Louis.
That first year he cruised through the course – until his long hair touched the water upon landing low on the cargo net from a jump.
Still, he was determined. He has been in six ANWs since then – the most recent was filmed here in Cincinnati. He was selected from a pool of thousands to be among the 101 competitors. Last season he finished among the top 17 of that region. In Cincinnati, he placed 32nd.
Training Future Ninjas
More commonly these days you can find James, who has a master’s degree in exercise science, as fitness specialist/personal trainer at the TriHealth Fitness Pavilion or training at or training others at his very own gym – the only official ANW gym in this area.
The Nati Ninja Gym in Blue Ash is open to everyone of all levels of fitness and all ages. It is a place to play and train and live out your Ninja dreams. It is a place where you can hold birthday parties or celebrate other occasions. There are the same kinds of obstacles you would face in the real competition.
And by the way, eight people from James’ gym have been selected for ANW.
As for James’ future on ANW…
“I am in my prime now and this may be my best year on the course,” James said.
Question to James: What brings out your smile every day?
James: When I go to the gym and the kids want to take their picture with me, I think that is so cool. I take it in and enjoy every moment. At the end of the day though, I am changing lives. I see kids who come to my gym burying their faces in their closes and then transform into these intense athletes. It’s great.
Question: Who is someone who has inspired you?
James: My wife Caitlin, definitely. She, herself, was training for ANW when she had to drop out of contention in 2015 with an Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. She has the progressive kind of MS but she is young and is fighting it every day. She is my biggest support. She helps me run my gym and has been to every Ninja event. There is no quitting in her.
As to James advice on achieving, he had this to say, “Everybody fails. Without failure, there is no growth. You learn from every experience. Keep pushing.”
Kelly Richey – Healing Through Creation
For more than 30 years Kelly Richey was a touring blues artist. She shared the stage with music legends and was compared to icons Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix.
Practicing, promoting, recording, creating and performing required more time and more pressure than many corporate careers.
Still, it wasn’t her only pursuit.
Kelly’s days were also spent teaching guitar, writing and leading writing groups, and coaching others to find their own passions.
Even for someone who has ADHD, that is a heck of a work load!
Actually, she says, it was her struggles, challenges and triumphs over having severe dyslexia that gave her both an insatiable appetite for learning and a passion for inspiring others.
A transformation.
The past eight years have seen Kelly commit to sobriety, earn certification as a true purpose and a dream coach; and certification as a facilitator for Women Writing for (a) Change. She is also a spiritual director trained by Wellstreams Spirituality Network and continues to teach guitar.
But these days Kelly awakes in her downsized home and begins her morning with a cup of coffee on her back porch that is followed by a yoga routine, and reflection. She is committed to walking her 10,000 steps every day.
She gets great satisfaction from leading her newest writing series at Women Writing for (a) Change, Celebrating Our Struggles.
Oh yes, and she still does play her Blues. You can’t take that out of her! The Spearkshakers, her newest music project, includes Sherri McGee who Kelly describes as, “an amazing performer, the most musical drummer I’ve ever had the privilege of playing with. And she is one of the best friends I have ever had.” Learn more about The Spearkshakers here.
Please read my Q and A with Kelly to learn more.
On your writing series, Celebrating Our Struggles, I bet there is a story behind how you chose that theme. Can you explain why, how personal this is to you?
After a decade of healing and personal development, I’ve learned that the gifts I have, come through the struggles I have endured. I believe that you don’t have to be a “writer” to write. For me, writing has been a form of healing, and I learned as a teen, that a piece of paper always listened.
The theme of this program has ended up centered on self-care, “radical self-care,” to be more exact! At the end of my first year of spiritual director training, I received my valuation from Sister Carol Ann. My evaluation read, “Kelly shows great promise and the art of spiritual direction, but if she’s going to succeed, she must practice RADICAL SELF-CARE!” My journey to discover what radical self-care looked like, began to unfold as “Celebrating Our Struggles” was created.
In the class, we learn the art of loving ourselves on a deeper level, and we develop daily self-care practices that work. We reflect on the narrative of our own story, and how the stories that we tell define who we are. We look at the sacred and explore what it takes to view ourselves as sacred– someone worth loving. We dare to look at our dreams, as a journey, rather than a destination. And finally, we look at the gifts we have discovered, those gifts that make us who we are, and how we might carry our gifts, as lights, into the world.
When people ask me about this program, many say, “but I’m not a writer,” and I say, “you don’t have to be a writer, to write.” They also say, “but I don’t have any real struggles currently in my life,” and I asked them, “what is your current level of self-care?” I’ve yet to find anyone who does not struggle with self-care, loving themselves, or pursuing their dreams as a journey, not a destination. For now, I’ve expanded the title to “Celebrating Our Struggles: The Power of Self-Care.” This synthesis project accurately reflected my journey. It takes all that I’ve learned and allows me to work with people and including myself, on the journey of wholeness.
How has writing helped you in your own life?
I had learning disabilities and I struggled in school. I was dyslexic, and when I graduated from high school, I read on a fourth or fifth-grade reading level. Growing up with learning disabilities had an impact on my self-esteem and self-worth. At the time in which I grew up, there was very little support for people with learning disabilities; as a result, I felt like a failure, and I felt misunderstood.
In my early teens, I learned that a piece of paper always listened, and that’s where I turned. Everything I wrote a stuffed in a milk crate and pushed under my bed. Today I have eight boxes filled with things that I’ve written, from my early teens through my mid 30s: spiral notebooks, loose-leaf paper, bar napkins, and brown paper bags. By my mid-30s, I was carrying a journal. Today I have at least 50 journals filled and stacked on my shelves. I also carried a cassette recorder with me wherever I went, capturing song ideas from lyrics to guitar riffs. I have three milk crates filled with old cassette tapes that when I transferred to digital format, they were 72 hours’ worth of material.
Whatever modality we use to capture our thoughts is of little importance. What’s important is that we capture what we feel inspired to express. I’ve read very few physical books in my life. However, thanks to books on tape from the Blind and Dyslexic program, offered by the library, CD’s, Audible, and my Kindle reader, I’ve read hundreds of books. For me, writing is a form of self-expression, and over the years, I’ve developed my skills. Currently, I use a program called Grammarly.com, and this program has changed my life. As someone who struggles with reading, spelling, and grammar, this program has empowered me to be able to write without the assistance of an editor.
When I became a writing facilitator at WWf(a)C, it was my single most significant accomplishment in life. It’s difficult to express in words what it feels like to achieve the dream that you never thought was possible and a dream that took over 40 years to complete. I’m excited by technology; it’s changed my life in many ways. Technology has given me the ability to access books that I would’ve never otherwise been able to read.
My struggle to read did not make me a writer; it made me write. I got my first computer in 1996, and thanks to email, I was forced to write. It’s taken me 20 years of writing to begin feeling confident in my skills as a writer. My struggle to learn made me a teacher— I experienced early in my life, the importance of a teacher that cared, and a teacher that would not give up on a student. I have no greater passion than teaching–it rivals any passion that I’ve ever had for playing guitar, and that’s a big statement.
What would you like to say to people about making change happen in their own lives?
Do not underestimate the power of self-care! Daily self-care practices bring about significant change. There is no magic bullet that changes our lives– it’s what we put into practice each day that makes the difference. When I got a guitar, I had to learn to play. There is no program on YouTube, that would have made me a guitar player– it was my daily practice routine that produced results. Ten years ago, I got sober, and I lost 50 pounds. My journey to help others heal has been part of my healing process, and today, I work with clients by using the 360 Wellness approach. This approach looks at every area of clients’ lives; a determines what is out of balance and what steps it takes to bring balance through daily the application of daily self-care practices.
And self-care is powerful, it’s simple, and it works!
Please visit Kelly’s website to learn more about her and her healing arts.
At 88, John Is Still Giving Back
At 88, John Anderson’s great joy in life comes from bringing sunshine into the life of others.
His lessons of service learned through the Scouts as a child have never been forgotten. “I learned then that whenever you give to someone, you are becoming a part of that person’s life for the time being, making it better or more interesting. You learn from that person different ways of looking at things.”
When John was getting ready for retirement from Procter & Gamble, he was recruited by the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to visit kids in bed rest. He did that for 20 years.
Since marrying his second wife, Helen, 52 years ago, he has spread his time among a variety of volunteer activities from his church choir to his condo 
board to work with a hospice in Florida.
It was in 2010 John and Helen moved into Maple Knoll Village, and he is not about to slow down making his difference in the world. These days, when he isn’t visiting with his wife who has Alzheimer’s (and often singing to her), he can be found participating in the Sharps and Flats singing group, helping residents with computer issues, being a ‘friendly visitor’ in Maple Knoll’s Bodmann Skilled Nursing and Hospice units and volunteering in the Montessori center where he mostly reads to the 3 to 5 year olds.
“My time in the Montessori center is like therapy for me,” he said. “The kids are so open and trusting and accepting in the way they deal with adults. Life is so much simpler for them. They just love.”
John is also a member of Maple Knoll Communities’ Living Legacy Society and has graciously committed a planned gift through a trust.
For all of these reasons, he is one of 20 honorees who were recognized recently by the Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council with Voices of Giving Awards. The Awards recognize philanthropists who contribute with planned gifts – and so much more – to nonprofit organizations that have a special place in their heart. In fact, a benefiting organization nominates each honoree. It has been such a wonderful experience for me to help them each of the past eight years with post event publicity.
All of the2019 Voices of Giving Honorees include: Joseph and Frank Keenan (nominated by CET); Lori and David Zombek (nominated by Children, Inc.); Terry Lemmerman (nominated by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Carol and Carl Huether (nominated by Cincinnati Public Radio); Joe and Mary Brinkmeyer (nominated by Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens); Terrence Lilly (nominated posthumously by the Freestore Foodbank); Donald C. and Laura M. Harrison (nominated by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Laura is honored posthumously); Barbara H. ‘Bobbie’ Ford (nominated by Hospice of Cincinnati); Carol and Larry Neuman (nominated by the Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati); Beth and Louis Guttman (nominated by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati); Pat and Lew French (nominated by Life Enriching Communities – Twin Lakes); Martha Gelwicks Huheey (nominated posthumously by Life Enriching Communities – Twin Towers); Ray and Donna Bowman (nominated by LifeSpan, Inc.); Dianne and Tom Robinson (nominated by Magnified Giving); John Anderson (nominated by Maple Knoll Communities, Inc.); Christa Bauke (nominated by Mt. St. Joseph University); Nancy Perry (nominated by Northern Kentucky University); Jennifer Leonard (nominated by Redwood School and Rehabilitation Center, Inc.); Elaine Rairden (nominated by St. Vincent de Paul – Cincinnati); and Elizabeth and Bradley Younger (nominated by YMCA Camp Ernst).
The 2019 Voices of Giving Committee includes Carol Serrone, chair; Lillian Derkson, Butch Elfers, Melissa Gayer, Misty Griesinger, David Harris, Michelle Mancini, Lisa Roberts-Rosser, Sue Ellen Stuebing, Becky Timberlake, Dan Virzi, and Michelle Zeis.
To see all of the event photos, please see the photo album below. NOTE: When you move your mouse over the image, you will see an arrow. Left click your mouse on the arrow to move to the next photo. Paula Norton took the second half of the photos. If you click on a photo, you will see in the description if it was taken by her. Please credit Paula if you use that image.
The Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council is a professional association for people whose work includes developing, marketing, and administering charitable planned gifts for non-profit institutions and a variety of other legal and financial settings.
People Matter At The Motz Corporation
I have played my share of sports growing up. Still, I honestly never would have imagined myself getting so excited about a company that builds turf for athletic fields.
But I get very excited when I think about The Motz Group (and its sister company– USGreentech, which focuses on turf infills). It is one of the fastest growing and most respected companies in its industry not because of the quality of its product (although the quality of its product is superior), but because of its focus on bringing out the best in people, and inspiring integrity and values in everyone who comes in its path.
The Motz Corporation, parent company of The Motz Group and USGreentech, has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2019 honor by The Cincinnati Enquirer. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey. In 2016, it became a certified Evergreen company. Evergreen companies strive to positively impact their employees, customers, suppliers, communities and families. It was named to Forbes 2018 Small Giants list for valuing greatness over growth – the same year became an employee owned company.
I first came to know The Motz Corporation when I saw a tweet about three initiatives to give back to the community. It pointed to a page that explained them:
The Impact Fund – an annual impact fund that is funded by employees (and matched by the Motz Corporation) to create grants for nonprofit organizations
Make It Grow – a holiday effort where the company gives every employee a dollar amount to spend as they wish with one stipulation, they must use the money to do good.
Personal Time Off for Charitable Volunteering – in addition to the company having a volunteer service day (which is tied to the company’s annual Service Dinner celebrating employees and spouses) they are each given four days of volunteer time off annually to help a cause of their choice.
I had a feeling there was more to this story than what I read, so I set out to learn more.
Ross Vocke, USGreentech operations manager chairing the company’s Culture Committee, told me his story beginning about five years ago. He was young in his career. He was challenged to give back. He began flex time, coming in to the office late on Thursdays so he could tutor at a local school. It has become habitual, every Thursday morning since. “It rejuvenates me,” he told me. “It makes me forget about the issues I may be working on, or gives me a new, positive perspective on them. I am more willing to go out of my way to help others now because I see the impact. Personally, it makes me want to do more whenever I can and others here have done it too.”
The Motz Corporation actually has three main focus platforms – developing community, individual and company – each with its own committee of employees who come up with impact ideas and how to implement those ideas. The Motz University Training Center to develop a passionate, engaged team is one example. A few other examples include providing as much flexibility as possible for employees (focused on deliverables rather than hours worked), open book management that is transitioning into an Employee Stock Ownership program, and the ‘Keep It Real’ program which is about “taking people in leadership and saying that you are never too big to get into the field and work side-by-side with the front line,” described founder and CEO Joe Motz. On the community side, among its projects, the company has an annual Service Day and partners with its suppliers to create even further good.
For its 2019 Service Day, employees of The Motz Corporation spent a day in April volunteering at Holmes High School.
“Our employees are provided with the support and encouragement to give back,” Ross said. “and it has a ripple effect. When you do something nice for someone else, that person will do something nice for others.”
On the day that I visited, it just happened to be Thankful Thursday. That is a monthly event where employees set aside time for some beers or other beverages and celebrate for what they are grateful, and what they accomplished – personally and professionally. What an incredible idea!
Their headquarters are in an inconspicuous little office building just a short drive – and actually within walking distance – from my favorite scenic canoe livery (50 West). In the grassy area that surrounds the parking lot, there is a vegetable garden. That is where employees grow produce for the Newtown Interparish Ministry (with help from pantry volunteers who have been recipients of the generosity). Up the flight of stairs and through the front door, the first thing that struck me was the sign painted on the wall, (actually on two walls) so large it can’t be missed. It reads, “Welcome to where people matter”. And truly, this is the atmosphere I felt with every interaction with every person I met.
A container on the front desk was filled with little accordion folded hand outs that explain the The Motz Corportion’s 34 fundamentals. Every week, company-wide, they focus on one of those values via emails and discussions. Before every meeting of three or more people, the first item of business is sharing thoughts around that week’s focus.
These are just a few of those fundamentals:
Act with integrity. Demonstrate an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing, especially when no one’s looking. Always tell the truth, no matter the consequences. If you make a mistake, own up to it, apologize, and make it right.
Listen to understand. Listening is more than ‘not speaking’. Give others your undivided attention. Minimize distractions. Be present and engaged. Let go of the needs to agree or disagree. Suspend your judgement and be curious to know more before coming to conclusions.
Assume positive intent. Work from the assumption that people are good, fair, and honest, and that the intentions behind their actions are positive. Set aside your own judgements and preconceived notions. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Believe in second chances.
At the helm
So, how does a turf company have such an incredible culture? It really starts with a leader who believes in the potential of people. That believer is Joe Motz, a ‘typical Type A person’ as he describes himself. But typical he is not.
His parents are his biggest inspiration. Joe described his father (who passed away in 2013) as a ‘color blind’ man. “He was that way when it came to people,” Joe said. “We would come home to dinner and there could be a homeless person or the staunchest liberal there with eight kids (noting that his dad was a republican). They all came over the years. There was a senator. There was someone who was down on his luck. My dad treated them all equally and that impressed me. He taught me that no one would ever be below us. You should never see your pecking order as above anyone else.”
As for Joe’s mother, he remembers her saying on partly cloudy days, “What is the other part? Which part do you want to see?” From her he learned that you find what you seek to find. “It feeds into how you present yourself. Seek to find the good and that is what you find,” he told me.
In 1977, Joe started The Motz Group with a pick up truck and a shovel. “I got into it thinking I could build better grass than anyone else,” he said. “Then I quickly realized I needed a team. Then I realized what I was really doing was building people.”
What is he most proud of when it comes to his employees? “The trust that is real,” he said. “The pride in seeing them take ownership and realize what that means. The more you give, the more you receive if done in an honest way. It is really gratifying to see all that my employees are doing. I pinch myself with this team because they are a lot smarter than me.”
Yes, this is definitely a company where people matter!
Stay tuned to learn more about Joe’s upcoming 6500 bike ride across the Unites States to raise money and awareness for Parkinson’s.
Susan Wyder: Putting Community First
written by Sue Schindler
It’s 1980. Susan Wyder is a brand new 6th grade teacher. One of her students continually vomits each morning. Susan realizes that this child is pregnant. Thirty-nine years ago, society was not as supportive to pregnant girls-especially the very young ones. The girl’s parents want nothing to do with her or her baby. Susan eventually becomes this young girl’s home instructor and continues her close attention.
Even as a young teacher, Susan is first and foremost an advocate. She finds maternity clothing and baby items for her student at Valley Interfaith Center. Susan strongly sees the needs for these types of services in the Princeton City School District. She gains approval through Student Services Director, Mari Phillips by talking about the many students’ needs and how it would help them. This is the beginning of the Princeton Closet and Susan’s role as Princeton’s strong community leader and connector.
“The Closet is critical to Princeton. Susan Wyder’s dedication to provide clothes, supplies and other items are essential to those in need. She is simply amazing. I continue to hear stories about the help and support provided by Susan and specifically the Closet. The community is fortunate to have both,” Princeton City School District Superintendent Tom Burton shares with me.
Once housed in a small upstairs room of the now demolished Burton Building on Lippleman Road, the Princeton Closet recently moved from the Board Office and into the Princeton Operations Center, 11786 Highway Drive, in Sharonville to accommodate expanding needs. Susan admits some uncertainty with the most recent move. “It always seemed as if space was too small for Susan because she does a great job promoting the Closet,” says Dr. Phillips.
Still a strong, integral part of the Princeton family in her role as Associate Superintendent, Mari Phillips is instrumental with this move. “Sue has done a wonderful job in supporting students who are in need of clothing and food through her 501-3C nonprofit organization. With her move to her new location at the Princeton Operation Center, I told her that bigger and better things would come to her ministry, and it has. She goes out of her way to help students and families get what they need so that they can access their education.”
Susan is quick to point out, “Kids cannot learn if they are hungry, cold and have no school supplies.” When asked if there are any misconceptions about the Closet, she answered, “I know in my heart it is needed.”
In addition to her Closet responsibilities, Susan has also served on the Princeton Board of Education since 2011 and is a fundraiser for the Princeton Education Fund.
Princeton City School District sprawls through northern Hamilton County. The District serves over 5,600 students within 10 schools. Families reside in Evendale, Glendale, Lincoln Heights, Sharonville, Springdale and Woodlawn. The District also includes parts of Blue Ash, Springfield Township, as well as, parts of Butler County’s West Chester Township, Warren County’s Deerfield Township and the northwest corner of Sycamore Township.
Some 65% of students are on free or reduced lunch. Princeton City School District public schools have a diversity score of 0.72, which is higher than the Ohio average of 0.24. The most diverse district school is Sharonville Elementary School and the second most diverse elementary within Ohio.
Statistics only tell part of the story. Princeton is a story of strength and increasing graduation rates. They are recognized for their distinguished International Baccalaureate program in Princeton High School. Their 2019 graduate, Kevin Simmons, was one of only 300 national students who received the prestigious (Bill & Melinda) Gates Foundation Scholarship for academics and community service. Princeton’s Community Conversations regularly take place at local recreation centers for residents to talk about what is happening within the district- good and bad. Strong teamwork among school staff and community make Princeton a family. Their motto is, “Princeton empowers all students for college, careers and life success.”
Student and family’s needs range from the simple to complex. As with other districts, Princeton has surged in the number of grandparents suddenly and unexpectedly raising their grandchildren. 15 generous donors quickly responded when Susan posted a Facebook request to send 3 sibling grandchildren with disabilities to Camp Stepping Stones day camp, while their grandmother recovered from recent surgery. With Stepping Stones staff providing transportation, the siblings are safely enjoying the outdoors this summer as they participate in activities specifically designed for their abilities and success.
Susan invites me to the Princeton Closet at 8:30 AM. She’s held up by a train after picking up a check from a Princeton school principal. He writes a check for the Closet to pay it forward. Susan does more by 8:30 AM than most of us do throughout our day.
As the Princeton Transportation Department is also housed in the Operations Building, I stop to talk to several of the bus drivers who eagerly comment on the great work that Susan provides.
In turn, Susan shares the pivotal role the bus drivers take in making referrals. The bus and transportation drivers are the ones who see the students daily and are aware of their living situations. Drivers frequently hand out Susan’s business card and ask for parents to call. Referrals are especially high for shoes and coats. “They are amazing advocates for the kids,” she said.
During the recent 2018-19 school year cold snap, drivers ask why students aren’t wearing coats. When a student replies that he already outgrew his coat and his mother doesn’t have money for a new one, the bus driver has a coat ready from the Closet on the student’s drive home.
The walls of the Closet are lined with racks of all types and sizes of shoes. Winter coats hang from the middle of the room. St. Michael students organized and displayed the endless racks and displays of shoes and clothing by sizes and gender. Susan’s husband of 48 years, Walter, is responsible for building many of the shelves and does the heavy lifting.
Susan’s enthusiasm, connectivity, heart for the students and savvy for fundraising have established the Princeton Closet into a welcoming environment where community members eagerly volunteer. Phyllis McKinley is one of those volunteers and can be found at the Closet several days each week. She was a Mt. Zion Church Lady for 30 years. Now retired, Phyllis acknowledges that she initially came to the Closet as a skeptic. She quickly changed her mind after meeting Susan, and the rest is history. “Susan is awesome. She is on the move. I love it,” says Phyllis.
Phyllis eagerly shares stories about students benefitting from the Closet. One father drove his middle school-age daughter to downtown Cincinnati. He left her with nothing, so that she would not testify against him for a crime. When she called home for help, the father replied, “I’m holding your clothes hostage.” Fortunately, she made it to school, and her teacher reached out to the Closet. The girl received clothing and toiletries until moving in with a welcoming family.
The former Closet at the Board Office was the size of several classrooms. However, the new facility is even more expansive. As I’m shown the Food Pantry that was set-up by Phyllis, Susan shares that the canned items have pop tops. Many families, especially those living in hotels, don’t have access to a can opener. Non-perishable food is always needed for the pantry along with items not available through Food Stamps- toiletries, paper products and laundry and household cleaners. “All it takes is a bump in the road for a single mom to go homeless,” says Susan. Loss of a job or medical expenses can leave a family without housing. The closet even assists with temporary motel rooms costs, until the family gets back on their feet.
Community involvement is nothing short of miraculous. As we enter another room, racks are filled with clothing from the Western Hills Dillard’s Outlet Store. Donation value is $220,000! Phyllis, who was involved with unpacking most of the 250 substantial-sized boxes, shares that this Dillard’s donation provided many young women with lingerie that can be expensive and difficult to fit. The donations allowed for Princeton High School girls to wear new prom gowns, while the football team wore new buttoned shirts and ties on game day. Racks are lined with new swimsuits and clothes for all types of weather.
Princeton Closet collaborates and shares with many organizations, Matthew 25: Ministries received many items from the Dillard’s Outlet donations. The Closet benefitted from the First Presbyterian Glendale’s, “Fill the Glendale Square with Food,” Day” along with Valley Interfaith. Dan Regenold, CEO of at Frame USA, Inc., in Springdale, included the Closet as part of their “Fill The Truck and will be their July, “Charity of the Month.” Organized Living is providing volunteers as part of their 100 -year birthday celebration.
Princeton High School students, under the direction of Victoria Valerius, volunteer at the Closet to learn vocational skills. Students learn extensive sequencing skills by putting enrollment packets together for the district’s new families. They also assist in other ways. Susan is looking forward to increasing the Closet size this summer with the addition of tables, chairs and easy access for wheelchair users.
No doubt that all collaborations are special. One non-profit collaboration that especially is meaningful to Susan is the, “Missy 500.” Missy and her sister, Laura Haverland, were former students. Recovering from a knee replacement, Missy wrote Susan a heartfelt letter and sent a $500.00 check for the Closet. She unexpectedly died the next day. Missy’s family & friends started the “Missy 500,” to continue the memory of Missy’s very generous nature. They adopt a Princeton family at Christmas and make other donations. Missy’s cousin, Christian McCord, built Closet shelving in his fulfillment of St. Michael Eagle Scout requirements.
Julie Haverland, Missy’s mother, calls Susan, “an angel.” Julie and friends belong to another group, “Stitching for a Cause.” During the 2018-2019 winter frigid temperatures, water pipes froze at a trailer park near Stewart Elementary. Julie and her friends provided blankets for each family member.
When asked about the Closet and community’s future and needs Susan has several thoughts. Cash is always needed and appreciated. Cash allowed Susan and team to buy winter coats at a nominal cost when Sears Tri-County was closing. Additional plastic hangers are also needed.
Some 500 backpacks will be purchased and filled with school supplies for the 2019-2020 school year. Susan urges community members to make purchases in July. That’s the best month for school supply sales.
Community organizer, fundraiser, motivator, angel, confidant, and friend, Susan does it all. She is essential to the Princeton City School District as an advocate for those in need and someone who is there to share a story or offer a kind word. A favorite former teacher of many, she is someone who continually creates better lives for others.
Dr. Phillips emphasizes, “The Princeton Closet is like a dream come true to hundreds of students and families. When a family contacts Mrs. Wyder and shares with her their plight, she immediately does her ‘Susan Wyder’ thing and before you know it, she has received donations from countless people to help the family. You can see the smile on Susan’s face when she has helped a student and his/her family. It is a blessing to have her as our Board member and the CEO of the Princeton Closet. ‘Susan is the “real deal’. Her humble attitude and big heart help make the #Vikingdiff in the Princeton City School District.”
