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Cincinnati Author Writes To Inspire
I just recently learned about one of Cincinnati’s hidden treasures…a very talented writer who brings others strength by sharing openly, vividly and passionately his own journey through deeply rooted personal challenges and experiences.
Keith Maginn was born and raised here. He moved to Knoxville, Tennessee just after college to work for AmeriCorps (a service organization like the Peace Corps, but within the United States) and for Knoxville Habitat for Humanity, but has since returned home and currently works for Kenton County Public Library in the Local History and Genealogy department.
It was in December 2010, when he released Turning This Thing Around, a self-help memoir of overcoming personal struggles. Then, in January 2013, he self-published Goodwill Tour: Paying It Forward, detailing a 3,000-mile philanthropic pay-it-forward road trip through the southeastern United States. His most recent book, (Extra)Ordinary: Inspirational Stories of Everyday People, was just release in August, 2016 by KiCam Projects and tells seven inspirational stories of people he knows personally. (All three books are available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.com or at keithmaginn.com.)
“I feel writing to help and inspire others is my life’s purpose,” he told me.
Please read the rest of Keith’s story below:
I have been writing most of my life, as far back as I can remember. But it was never focused writing, just here and there. However, about seven years ago I 
found myself sitting outside of a psych ward in Atlanta, Georgia. My then-fiancée was struggling terribly with bipolar depression. I had done everything I could, but was powerless to help her. I was also fighting my own battle with chronic pain, depression and anxiety. I had no idea what I could do to turn things around. No matter how hard I fought, how much I prayed, things seemed to get worse and worse.
I soon found myself slipping into a deep depression, though I remained outwardly happy. Few of my family, friends or co-workers had any idea how desperate my predicament had become. My then-fiancée was adamant that no one know what she was going through, but I knew I couldn’t keep everything bottled up inside. I was perilously close to a complete nervous breakdown. Not wanting to betray her trust and talk to anyone, I started writing. It was my therapy, the only way to get some of the anger, sadness and confusion out of me. The story seemed to write itself. I realized that others might benefit from what I was writing. I felt people could relate to at least some of what I went through: heartbreak, depression, chronic pain, frustration…
When I started writing what eventually became Turning This Thing Around, I had no plans of ever publishing it. I wrote for myself, for my own sanity. But what started as a very personal diary evolved into something that I wanted to share with others. If I could overcome what I had, then others could, too. I decided to take a chance and self-published my writing as a “self-help memoir” (changing her name to protect her privacy).
I had no idea how people would react to my book. Would they think I was feeling sorry for myself and looking for pity? I had my doubts, but I am very glad I decided to go ahead with the project. The response was wonderful. I have gotten many replies from people that relate and then share their own stories with me. I am happy that people can learn from what I went through and that we can connect on a deeper level. I now know that people are often going through more than they show, making empathy, kindness and understanding all the more important.
(Extra)Ordinary: Inspirational Stories of Everyday People
After writing my first two books, which were about my life and experiences, I started thinking about all of the people that I know that have amazing stories. These individuals had overcome major obstacles, but they aren’t celebrities, so no one really knew what they had been through, how they had endured in tough circumstances. I wanted to tell their stories and to point out that everyone goes through hardship; these people rose above their challenges and can serve as inspiration to others.
When I was writing my book about inspirational people I know, one theme that appeared several times was the depth of a mother’s love. I guess this was something I took for granted in the past, but seeing so many emotional, awe-inspiring examples in black-and-white really opened up my eyes. I learned that there is nothing like the power of the love mothers have for their children.
I recently signed with KiCam Projects to write the second volume of (Extra)Ordinary. My fourth book is scheduled for release in fall of 2017.
Karen Is A Happiness Officer
It is not often you meet someone with a job title of chief guest happiness officer, so, when you do, you absolutely have to pause and learn more.
That someone is Karen Smith, who, after retiring from a successful career at Procter and Gamble, purchased with her husband a breathtaking villa called Rocca di Benano in a little village of Italy to bring joy and peace to hundreds each year who rent it for their get-a-way vacations. In addition to owning and managing it, Karen’s role is marketing and reservations.
Very ironically, yesterday, after looking through Karen’s photos, I met a friend for lunch who began telling me about her recent European trip with some women friends. Sandy stayed in Rocca diBenano and confirmed it is everything and more that is encapsulated in the photos.
Below is text I got from Karen’s website describing their Villa
With 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, up to 10 friends or family can vacation together in the comfort of a carefully renovated 1,000 year-old house.
The tiny walled village of Benano is about 20 minutes from Orvieto, making it a perfect home base for day trips to some of the best parts of Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. Rocca di Benano sits on a tiny piazza facing a small church. Guests at Rocca di Benano experience Italy as few tourists do. You can meet the neighbors who gather around a table in the piazza on summer evenings, sharing homemade wine and shelling peas. Watch them work the meticulously maintained olive grove on the facing hillside. And join the ladies of the village shopping from the merchant trucks that pull up to the gate of the village. The little village of Benano is in Southern Umbria near the border of Tuscany. Rocca di Benano sits on a tiny piazza inside this walled village.
For Paul and Karen, it started with lots of Italian vacations. Italy has always been their favorite getaway destination. Even during the years
with limited time away from work, they managed at least one Italian vacation a year. Over time, their appetite for la bella vita grew and they made many good friends in Italy. So when they had the opportunity to buy Rocca di Benano, it was an easy decision.
In Karen’s words:
“Never could I have imagined I’d be doing this in my retirement but it is an amazing opportunity to be part of another culture. This also makes me aware of how I want Americans to be thought of and represented.
It is so much fun to talk with people who are in a good mood either because they are planning or coming back from our Villa. Some of our guests have wanted a high resolution photo of it so that they can have a painting created. It is their happy place.
This Cincinnati Pilot Transports Dogs
Derek Hassenpflug (left) and Jack Finke (right)
Derek Hassenpflug, CFP®, ChFC® is a certified financial planner and branch manager for the Kenwood Ameriprise office, but on weekends, you may very likely see him if you look to the sky. Derek earned his private pilot certificate in May of this year and these days thinks of himself as a ‘general aviation weekend warrior’ ….who also happens to have a big heart for dogs and giving of his time.
For those who know him and his volunteer work, it was probably of no surprise that as soon as he got his pilot certification he registered for Pilot N Paws, a nonprofit organization that, through private pilots willing to offer free transportation, connects people and organizations to save the lives of thousands of animals. Derek’s first route first came when he saw a notice of a black lab needing to be taken from a kill shelter in Campbellsville, Kentucky to the Cincinnati Lab Rescue. He brought his friend, Jack Finke along for the ride. Together they had a flight they will never forget. The dog had been abandoned in central Kentucky and ended up in an SPCA for awhile and was on path to being euthanized.
In Derek’s words…
“If I didn’t already have two dogs, he would have gone home with me. He slept the whole way back to Cincinnati. He is such a nice dog.
I don’t understand how people can just abandon dogs. We have a small black lab mix that we found wondering around Newport Aquarium eight years ago. She was chipped so we called the shelter and found her adoptive parents who told us she had run away. They said they had two dogs and asked if we wanted her. We love her so much.
Doing this is not inexpensive. I reserve and rent the airplane and pay all of my own expenses but it is great to be doing two of my passions. That trip to Campbellsville was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.”
Their Passion Is Helping Kids In Peru
Now I know where my intern, Walnut Hills High School student Isabella Noe gets her generosity and her drive. Her father, Bill Noe, is sharing his story below of a cause that is dear to his heart.
In Bill’s words…
“The Paul Lammermeier Foundation helps children-in-need reach their full potential by providing houses in Peru, centered on family and the Jesuit values of education and service to others.
Gaston, a Lima board member, Paul Lammermeier, and Bill Noe
This is their mission statement. The Foundation supports two boys’ homes and one girls’ home in Lima Peru. There are currently 17 boys and 4 girls in the houses. The children are either orphans or children who have difficult family situations that would make it otherwise difficult or impossible for them to get a good education.
I have known Paul Lammermeier since my freshman year in high school (1979). He was a teacher of mine and he ran the community service program at St. Xavier High School. He began taking mission trips down to Peru, and after several years, felt God was calling him to move there. He sold almost all of his possessions and moved to Peru in 1988 to teach at an inner-city Jesuit high school. He was drawn to the larger needs of the community and the children living on the streets. In 1993, he informally adopted two homeless boys, providing them with shelter, food, education, and moral guidance. He decided to formalize his work by establishing a home for boys. The foundation came into being in 1995 in support of Paul Lammermeier’s work with homeless children in Peru.
Paul inspires me in many ways. He lives the motto of “being a man for ot
hers” through his life’s work of improving the lives of the children in Lima. His work permanently changes the lives of these children for the better, and like a ripple in the water, this in turn changes the lives of many others. Many of his former house residents are successful professionals and are involved in the foundation in Lima. In fact, one former resident, Juver, has started a house in the jungle country in Peru emulating Paul’s work.
The Paul Lammermeier Foundation’s motto is “be a small part of little miracles”. I joined the board over 10 years ago as treasurer and have made several trips down to Peru to visit Paul and the children in the houses. I am always moved by the sense of family in these homes and the way the children call Paul “Pablo” and view him as a father. The PLF board realizes that by helping support Paul’s work we can be one of those small parts of little miracles. Paul has changed my life by showing me how acts of kindness and care for others can make positive, lasting changes.
- Bill Noe
Two Kroger Managers Begin Disability Support Group
Rachel Lawson, fresh meat and seafood planogram manager for Kroger, and Traci Stewart, deli category manager for Kroger, have more in common than simply their busy careers. They both happen to also be mothers to children who do things differently.
I met them both the other day when I visited them at the Kroger headquarters to take photos on behalf of my client, Cincinnati nonprofit LADD, Inc. (Living Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled). Susan Brownknight, LADD’s executive director is chairing chairing the Advisory Committee of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber national pilot program to further disability inclusion in small businesses. Part of that program was Connect|Ability Week, a career shadowing experience for students with disabilities. On the day that I visited, college student Seth was spending his afternoon with the Kroger team.
That Kroger was a participant in Connect|Ability Week was of no surprise. The company has been a strong leader and advocate when it comes to many issues…including integrating people with disabilities into our Greater Cincinnati community. For that, Kroger was recognized by LADD with its 2016 Legacy Award. “Kroger’s leadership has shifted the conversation relative to hiring people with disabilities. In many ways, this is not just about giving the Legacy Award, but also about moving the conversation forward on setting policies, protocols and procedures that facilitate inclusive workplace environments,” LADD Executive Director Susan Brownknight said of the company.
However, I learned last week that Kroger was doing even more than hiring a diverse workforce. Rachel and Traci have been spearheading a volunteer effort to support others in the company with life circumstances similar to their own.
It was over a year ago Traci approached her colleague about an idea she had, and Rachel didn’t think twice about jumping on board. That idea has grown into the Kroger Disabilities Resource Care Group that just officially launched in September, 2016. Its mission is to empower Kroger associates with disabilities and associates with dependents who have disabilities with an opportunity to network, address common issues and concerns, and receive support from those who share similar backgrounds, experiences or interests. The Resource Group is committed to providing resources and guidance when it comes to removing the greatest barriers for associates with disabilities, recognizes that all associates’ differences are valued, and wants to build an external awareness of Kroger as the employer of choice for people who experience disabilities.
On launch day in the downtown Cincinnati headquarters, Rachel told me they gave out gift bags and had 100 people register to be members. Then they went to the Kroger Grooms Road IT Department and had an additional 125 people register. Everyone who registered was sent a questionnaire about their greatest needs, and Rachel said they are just beginning to go through that data.
They have in place a plan to roll this out next to the Kroger divisions, beginning with Seattle, and ultimately will include all 2800 neighborhood stores.
Rachel shared some of her story with me. Her inspiration, she told me, comes from her experience raising her daughter with a learning disability who, in the fifth grade, was not reading or writing. Years of determination and support from professionals ultimately led Rachel to figuring out that her daughter saw things as if looking through a mirror. Finally diagnosed and prescribed appropriate medicine to slow her brain down so that she could begin to learn those basic skills, Rachel’s daughter is now a straight A student preparing to attend Morehead University and wants to be a chiropractor.
“Traci was so passionate about being there for me when I was struggling to help my daughter succeed. When she came to me with this idea, it was a no brainer. I knew this is what we needed to do to help others.
We thought it was going to be big but we didn’t anticipate it to be as big as it is turning out to be. Now we are finding there are a lot of associates like us.
I feel really good being a part of this. Now I feel like I am part of a whole community, that I am not the only one who has gone through this. That is the most important part.
