Passion Projects
When you love what you do, you do what you love... thus the ripple effect continues. I am blessed to be in a position to use my talents throughout the community, in both business and personal projects. Whether it is helping a colleague, a community, or a cause, I am passionate about putting my creative and strategic talents to work for others. I am just a "fixer" at heart and love to see others succeed!
Jeeps for Georgie
In 2019, I experienced one of the most humbling experiences of my life when a simple act of kindness went viral and turned into a pivotal event for one child and a massive community of Jeep enthusiasts. I had an opportunity to share a post, with permission, to bring awareness to a local boy’s Make-A-Wish plea who wanted to have a Jeep parade for his holiday homecoming. On the evening of the original post, I leveraged my sphere and shared throughout my network. By the next morning, our outreach had grown to over 500+ attendees!
We quickly had to pivot to adapt to an event that was going viral, including cooperation and planning with local law enforcement, highway departments, parking resources, safety plans, and more. What started out as a plan for 50 Jeeps, turned into a Jeep Parade of over 5,000 Jeeps that was covered around the globe. Georgie had the moment of a lifetime before his life was cut short, leaving his light and impact to have a ripple effect on so many other initiatives that dove-tailed off of the complete strangers who gathered that night.
We continued to honor his life and purpose forward this energy to remodel his home, rebuild a playground for a local daycare, and more. We were also invited to host an event during one of NASCAR’s semifinal weekends at Martinsville Speedway, where we raised over $8,000 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, in honor of Georgie.
Heaven Sent Haven
My family and I are lucky enough to have our own little slice of “Almost Heaven, WV” where we maintain a small, rescue farm of various critters such as emu, goats, horses and a pack of mutts. We love our location as we all enjoy being close to the activities, resources and happenings of the Metro/DC area. However, returning to the starry skies and quiet roads is where our heart is. We founded our farm in 2013 and continue to find projects to tinker with, from our current 1986 Ford F150 renovation to our school bus condo for rescue cats. Never a dull moment in this little life at Heaven Sent Haven.
Loudoun 100
As a nominee of the Loudoun100, I was extremely honored to not only be a part of this once in a lifetime mission but also to give a voice to the victims of the 2016 WV Floods and their long term recovery. The Loudoun100 is the dream-child of Aliyah Dastour of the esteemed Alimond Photography. Her mission to create a voice of positivity and purpose to rise above the negative noise in the world has truly created an inspirational ripple effect. CLICK HERE to watch the feature video regarding the flood recovery efforts in Southern WV.
Purcellville Wine and Food Festival
The Purcellville Wine & Food Festival is nestled ‘In the Heart of DC’s Wine Country’ in the charming town of Purcellville, Virginia. This annual July event has drawn thousands of attendees and won several awards over the years. Leading this event was an amazing opportunity to have been the lead event manager which blended into business support for SBOs within the town, building a broader audience into the Metro/DC region, and collaborating with the agritourism industry. To this day, Purcellville is still one of my favorite towns!
WV Flood Recovery - Sheep Dog Impact Assistance
Unless you have been through a life changing moment where you have lost everything, you can't truly and deeply understand the communities and families that were victims of the 2016 floods in southern West Virginia. For better or worse, I have lived through that loss. In 2008, I lost my home, career and marriage as our family was detrimentally impacted by the housing market crisis.
I went from being a significant income earner in my family, to practically homeless and jobless while supporting my children. I was never a victim, as I can certainly claim a portion of ownership in this decline, however, it was devastating nonetheless. Unfortunately, it was not the only life-changing loss I would experience. In October of 2014, my son, Gabe, was tragically killed by a vehicle/driver while coming home from school just a day after his 15th Birthday. While these events have deeply impacted the fabric of my life, they have also made me that more empathetic to those who have loved and lost.
Because of that emotional thread, I find myself called to serve when I see others suffering through such loss. This was the case when several regions in southern WV were hit by severe and devastating floods that literally wiped towns and roads off the map. Because of its remote location, many of the regions did not receive immediate aide, media support or volunteer support. Many are still struggling over a year later.
Upon hearing the news, I immediately requested a week off work (graciously donated as PTO from my company, Kestler Financial Group) to travel to Clay County/Clendenin to volunteer. I could never prepare myself for what I found and that full story will be for my blog. I spent a week consoling heartbreak, cleaning filth beyond imagine, helping salvage memories, learning at town halls and posting as much as possible to keep my network current on the needs.
I integrated myself in their communities and with their leaders so I could stay informed about urgent and immediate needs once I returned home. I addressed those needs on Social Media so I could cut through the red tape that littered this disaster so I could get much needed support directly to those who needed it. I continue to maintain that routine to this day and will do so until my WV neighbors have healed their hearts and rebuilt their homes.