Posts Tagged ‘Kim Valentini’
A Whole Lotta Smilin’ Going On
11/29/16 It began with a pebble toss, so to speak. And the ripple effect was wholly unpredictable. Kim Hammes and Judy Sunderman have been friends since they attended high school in the town of Le Sueur, Minnesota, population 4,000. Kim, an extrovert, is a realtor with RE/MAX. Judy, an introvert, farms with her husband. Their personalities complement each perfectly. Several years ago…
Read MoreMaking the Choice: Bitter or Better
As seen in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on 6/21/15 Eight summers ago I crafted my first column for these pages. With no plan, but a calling, I set my life on a new course, despite my editor’s observation that I’d picked a bad time to get into the newspaper business. Life changed dramatically after…
Read MoreMedical Mission: Adapt, Persist, Give a Kid a Chance
December 19, 2014 While it offers an opportunity to visit another country, a Smile Network medical mission is no vacation. In fact, volunteers spend a week in an exotic location and often return home more tired than when they left. Though they work long days they inevitably leave with a different perspective on life and…
Read MoreSolidarity and Smiles
December 12, 2014 I left a bit of my heart in Cusco, Peru, last month while on a Smile Network International medical mission trip. It was parceled out — to the children who arrived at the hospital with cleft lips and palates; to the family members who accompanied them, but especially to the mothers who…
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