Tag: Susan Spencer

I Had an Awesome Tennessee Mountain Birthday!

I was so excited when I woke up.  Mommy and daddy sang happy birthday to me before they started working on their project.  After they were done for the day, daddy said that we were going to go on a short walk for my birthday.  It was a nice day, a little cool, but very sunny, a great day for a walk for sure.  I mean, not that there is ever a bad day for a walk.

As it turned out, we didn’t take a short walk at all.  We started out by going down to the campground and walked to the amphitheater.  Then we started on a trail that was supposed to take us back to the campground, but part of it was closed.  So, then we had to take a detour on the Fred Behrand Trail.  Well that trail took us all the way up the mountain.  I loved it!  It was the best unexpected birthday present ever.  Daddy didn’t have his hiking books on, but he still did ok.  I was so happy.  There were some steep hills and narrow parts of the trail, but I conquered it like a champ!  13 years old or not, I have no plans on slowing down any time soon!

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To Give is to Live

My mom was a giver, so was my dad.  They each gave in their own unique ways.  My mom never had a ton of money, so she gave her time in any way that she could.  My dad was an over-the-road truckdriver, so he, on the other hand never had much time, but was certainly able to donate financially to a cause that he believed in.

Some of my first memories as a child are going along with my mom to deliver Meals on Wheels.  My mom wasn’t one to just deliver a meal and move on to the next stop though.  She delivered a meal and visited with the people that she was delivering them to.  She literally became their friend.  She would sit and talk with them, ask them how they were doing, and most importantly, listened to their answers.  She was ever present with them.

If there was something that she could help with, she was there, without hesitation.  Between her and my dad, I think that is the main reason why as soon as I became an adult, I became heavily involved in volunteerism.  It’s also one of the main reasons why the nonprofit organization that I founded, the BIG Vision Foundation was so committed to getting our young players involved and understanding the importance of giving back.  I was a product of what being involved in volunteerism at a young age could result in.  It was second nature for me to give back.  It was the only thing that I knew.  By instilling that same value into our young players, we would be creating a ripple-effect that could be passed on for generations to come.

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Jeff and Susan Spencer – From NASA to Full-time RVing with a Purpose

Sandy and I met Jeff and Susan while working on our second project for A Year to Volunteer in Picacho Peak State Park in Picacho, Arizona. It was the second project that Sandy and I had volunteered on with Y2V and it was Jeff and Susan’s eleventh project with the organization.
During the conversation, we talk about the importance of giving back and the freedom of living full-time in an RV.

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