Melodic Connections
Music Unites Students At Princeton
If you found a place where everyone welcomed and included you for who you are, would you want to go there?
These are the first words my dear friend Sue Schindler had written for a group of Princeton High School students on the day that I visited – this past Tuesday. It was part of a very special Melodic Connections program called Common Time where people of all kinds of diversity and abilities are brought together to play music, but more importantly, through the process, laughing, sharing, appreciating one another.
Sue (and her husband Bob) worked with Melodic Connections to bring Common Time to Princeton this week as a celebration of what would have been their daughter Katy’s 26th birthday. Katy was a Princeton Viking too. It was a place where she was welcomed and included. Her communication device could have made learning a challenge, but she had the will and persistence (and support from her family, friends and school) to succeed.
She also happened to have been a Melodic Connections’ musician. No matter the song, Katy loved making music. And she loved life.
Sue wrote a personal message that was given to each of the students on Tuesday:
“When remembering Katy, people talk about her infectious smile and laughter, her radiant blue eyes, her persistence, and how she lived life to the fullest. Others talk about her grinning ear-to- ear when hitting a single in baseball, laughing hysterically while trotting on her horse, Poncho, or when stopping in the middle of a rambunctious soccer game to take in the moment. Katy made life exciting and fun.
Today, through Common Time, take joy in the moments, cherish what strengths you bring and connect with others who are new to you. Today is a day to celebrate the best in you! As you leave today . . .
What will you do to challenge yourself and make your life more exciting and fun?”
They Hope To Inspire Others To Give
Today I want to introduce you to a couple I got to know through my work on the ReelAbilities Film Festival. Jenny McCloy co-chaired the 2017 ReelAbilities, and the more I get to know about her and her husband, Bill, the more impressed I become. Jenny and Bill were recently honored by the Community Foundation West Chester/Liberty with its Patricia F. Alderson Philanthropist of the Year Award. It is a befitting award for two people whose passion is making a difference for so many.
Quietly, without need or want of recognition they give generously with their time and their resources to causes close to their hearts. Jenny is president of the board of Melodic Connections, a Cincinnati nonprofit organization that brings out creative expression in people with disabilities. It is a place where their 22 year old son, Sam, who has Down syndrome and is mostly nonverbal has found a voice. Bill has been very involved with the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati, having served on its Board and as chairman of its golf outing for many years, a role he continues. He is also vice president of the Board of the Ken Anderson Alliance, a nonprofit organization committed to building live, work, and play options for adults with disabilities.
The McCloys have four children. Sam is their second. “One of the things Sam does for us is that he brings to the forefront the importance of supporting those in need. We both have come from very humble beginnings and lived paycheck to paycheck until 1998. We have been very fortunate to be able to do all that we do for others,” Bill told me.
When it comes to giving, Bill was very clear, they do what they do not for any kind of recognition, in fact, they would prefer to keep everything they do between themselves and the organizations and lives they touch. While they are very appreciative, accepting this award was not something that came easy for them or something they took lightly but they realized that their example may impact the decisions of others.
“We have never used the word philanthropist (to define themselves) but we knew we had a responsibility to give back and to influence our children and others. If our giving encourages one other person to give then it is worth putting our name out there,” Bill said.
Bill’s advice to others? “Give in any way, shape and form you can and it will come back many fold.”
