Back in December I wrote a blog post about a bulletin board in my office that I was pinning thank you cards, newspaper articles & mementos reminding me how thankful I am to have my incredible job…
….fast forward a couple months and my “thankful” board is turning into a WALL in my office!
What stories have I covered, people have I met and lives have I learned from?
Well, here are just a few examples…
The artwork I’m standing next to is my first attempt at painting. (See pictures from the event on my Facebook page!) While it wouldn’t give van Gogh or Picasso a run for their money, it did raise money for a special night to benefit Christina’s House— a faith based, non-profit home for women and their children who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. They’ve been on Connecting Point twice- once when they first started on the road of getting the house…and the second time for a follow-up to give us an update and introduce us to the first family they were helping- a single mom and her newborn daughter.
To the left of the painting is a stack of poems pinned to the wall that form the basis of a poetry book by an author who just happens to be quadriplegic. Don’t call her disabled though! She loves to rightly proclaim, “I’m an accomplished poet!” Laura Chagnon recently published a book, Never Touched a Pen, and came into the WGBY studios to talk about how a senseless, anonymous attack in Boston over 20 years ago left her unable to even care for herself. While most of us would have been angry or resentful or even wallowed in self-pity, she did the opposite. Watch her incredible story.
Do you see the white t-shirt hanging to the left and below Laura’s poems? That was given to me by the Connecticut Department of Correction’s K9 Unit after I met them a few months ago and learned about a generous donation from Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. for their canines….well, I won’t give away the surprise. You’ll have to see the story for yourself!
Going further left, you’ll see a flyer from Herrell’s Ice Cream…that reminds me of the segment where I taste tested the local legend’s ice cream on TV. Seriously, how much better can life get?! (The best part of the interview is around the 6 minute mark when I try the Jalepeno flavored ice cream…WOW was the only word I could think of!)
Last, but not least, do you see the green bag peeking out of the side of the picture all the way to the left? That’s from the recent Women in Philanthropy Conference held downtown where featured speaker, Amy Herman, talked about The Art of Perception. It’s a program she designed, developed and currently teaches using works of art to increase perception for every profession imaginable– from law enforcement to physicians to…philanthropists. Most memorable about this interview? Within minutes of meeting me before we went into the studio, she pointed out my mismatched earrings. That’s the FIRST time anyone had done that and I’ve been wearing them purposefully mismatched for a long time. (She explains my surprise at the 3:30 mark- hope you’ll watch!)
These are just a FEW of the many diverse topics we’ve covered– going from serious topics like talking about gun permits and violence in Springfield with the new police commissioner and learning how net neutrality can impact every internet user to less serious interviews like the story behind where Valentine’s Day cards came from and the fun interview I held with boys from Greenwood School in Putney, VT who memorized The Gettysburg Address and got to be part of Ken Burns’ PBS documentary The Address where he filmed these boys who struggle in a traditional school setting because of emotional or behavioral issues yet every year they attempt to memorize Lincoln’s famous speech.
I hope you enjoyed this fun walk down memory lane with me…I know I did!
And to see new memories being made, I’ll see you on-air every Monday, Thursday and Friday night at 7:30 on Connecting Point, the show that connects YOU with the people, places and ideas that matter most to Western New England!
