Avon Magazine February 2024

History and Heritage Brownsburg Resident Billie King Joins Cast of Swedish Reality Show and Explores Her Roots

Supporting Role Jayda Sommers Is Relishing Her Time as Avon Education Foundation Executive Director

GIFT OF GUIDANCE LOCAL SPEAKER, MENTOR AND AUTHOR JIMMELYNN GARLAND RICE HELPS THOSE WHO ARE STRUGGLING

FEBRUARY 2024

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PUBLISHER DARREN BOSTON darren@townepost.com (317) 716-8812 KEY CONTRIBUTORS AMY PAYNE CHRISTY HEITGER-EWING JEREMY KIMBLEY MELISSA GIBSON

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HISTORY AND HERITAGE

Brownsburg Resident Billie King Joins Cast of Swedish Reality Show and Explores Her Roots

14

GIFT OF GUIDANCE

FEBRUARY 2024

Local Speaker, Mentor and Author Jimmelynn Garland Rice Helps Those Who Are Struggling

20

SHOWING HEART

How Cardiac Rehab Can Help Strengthen the Heart Through Exercise

/AVONMAGAZINEINDIANA

4 | February 2024 | TownePost.com

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SUPPORTING ROLE Jayda Sommers Is Relishing Her Time as Avon Education Foundation Executive Director

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HISTORY AND HERITAGE

BROWNSBURG RESIDENT BILLIE KING JOINS CAST OF SWEDISH REALITY SHOW AND EXPLORES HER ROOTS Writer / Melissa Gibson Photographer / Amy Payne & Provided

Billie King of Brownsburg describes her grandmother’s stories of Sweden as “magical” - a distant land she would perhaps never see but has heard so much about.

In fact, many Americans have heard stories but are curious about their ancestry in the small country.

One hundred and fifty years ago, a quarter of the Swedish population immigrated to the United States amid famine, loss of jobs and extreme hardship. When a young Swedish man or woman

boarded a boat in search of a different life, it wasn’t uncommon to never hear from them again.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, generations of families in the U.S. were raised with rich Swedish culture - knowing their grandparents and great-grandparents, hearing the stories of their homeland and perhaps even learning some of the Swedish language.

Already fascinated by her heritage, King has been a longtime member of Scandinavians in Indianapolis group and decided to TownePost.com | February 2024 | 7

take things a step further.

“During the pandemic, my mom, Carrie, and I started taking Swedish language classes online,” King says. “My grandma had eight sisters and they all spoke some Swedish. We thought we’d take these classes and then plan a trip to Sweden.”

The class instructor suggested students watch an award-winning Swedish reality television show, “Allt för Sverige” (“Everything for Sweden”) to hear and practice the language. After watching several seasons, King saw a casting call on Facebook and decided to apply.

In an incredible surprise, she was selected to join nine other Americans on a journey to Sweden for a challenging and educational experience.

Contestants are voted off each week, so King boarded the airplane, albeit with some slight guilt for leaving mom and daughter, Zoe, behind, and not knowing if she’d be back in nine days or six weeks.

Each episode is packed with cultural trips and information.

The group traveled to different towns across Sweden learning about country celebrations such as National Day of Sweden and the annual Midsummer events. They milked cows and churned butter on a farm, baked traditional Swedish treats and learned traditional Swedish dances.

“One of the biggest experiences was toward the end when they flew us 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle,” King says. “We stayed with an indigenous Sami family. They have been persecuted over the years, but this mom was cooking reindeer over an open fire and lassoing reindeer on their property. She’s easily one of the most stunning people I’ve met in my life.”

At the end of each episode, the group competes in challenges similar to those in the TV show “Survivor,” from puzzle and memory games to races and games of chance.

“We had a challenge where you went into a castle with 74 pictures of kings on the walls in five different rooms,” King says. “Two of them were duplicates and you had to find those two pictures in a deck of

Billie’s great-grandfather, Kunnig Karlsson, at 9 yrs old with his parents, Johanna & Adolf.

The Arosto ship that Kunnig boarded in Sweden to begin his journey to America.

8 | February 2024 | TownePost.com

Show contestants with Billie in black shirt next to host, Anders Lundin in black jacket

cards after running back outside. I was almost the last one in that one.”

The loser from each challenge is sent home, but not before participating in perhaps the most unique factor of the reality show.

Early on, each person receives a letter from a family member in Sweden, creating a longing to meet them in person - a reason to keep fighting to stay. The winner receives a family reunion, meeting those members of the family who stayed or moved back to Sweden over the decades.

“It was my reminder of why I was there,” King says. “I think for the first three episodes I’m crying the whole time, and it just shows how overwhelming and emotional the process was.”

Participants experience a special day to read about their personal Swedish heritage, provided by genealogist Fredrik Mejster, and walk in the same footsteps as their ancestors.

For King, it was the highlight of her trip.

“They were able to go as far back as 1819 and it was crazy to see some of these family cycles repeat themselves,” King says. “My grandmother and I were really close and we followed her father’s line on the tree. I was able to visit my grandmother’s father’s childhood home.”

King says each member of the group had a different quest on the adventure. As they were learning about their ancestors, they were learning about themselves too.

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a place of gratitude and makes me feel like if they can put two feet on a boat at 17 and survive, we can tackle anything.”

Learning more about the Swedish people also helped educate and create understanding for many participants. Why was grandma so quiet, or why didn’t a great-grandfather ever speak about Sweden?

Throughout the season, competitors learn of the Swedish way of life.

For example, in one episode, the popular host Anders Lundin explains that in their culture, they prefer to take a quiet, unassuming approach.

They are raised to behave as if they are ordinary, and it’s not a good thing to draw attention to yourself.

“It’s amazing to be able to say I’ve seen a record of my great-great-greatgrandmothers’ character and work ethic,” she says. “Out of all of this, I think I learned that I come from a line of really strong women with strong families that support them.”

She also came back to the U.S. with a feeling of empowerment. As a single mother, it’s something King hopes pass on to her daughter - both the knowledge of their ancestry and a feeling of pride.

“I think it’s important to remember your roots, and I don’t know that I would say the experience changed me, but it reminded me of who I am and where I came from,” King says. “It’s kind of rooting yourself in

“At first the Swedish people seemed standoffish, but there’s a history behind that,” King says. “Once you get to know them, they are some of the kindest, warmest people I’ve ever met. If you’re younger than 57 in Sweden you were taught English in school, so they all know how to speak English, which allowed us to get to know each other, particularly on the days off from filming.”

While meeting and learning more about Sweden, the cast was learning more about each other too.

“We really all got along,” King says. “I think we all had our moments because filming 12 hours a day can cause some drama, but in typical Swedish fashion, none of that is shown. They wouldn’t like it. It would make them uncomfortable.”

Selling Solutions, Not Promises Despite the ups and downs, they still communicate and have formed some lifelong friendships through the experience.

Did King win the family reunion? Watch to find out on dailymotion. com and search for “Allt för Sverige 2023.”

Though all of the contestants would have liked to stay for the reunion with their family, only one had the opportunity. Regardless of winning or losing, everyone received a family tree and all of the information discovered in the search for their ancestors, giving them the tools to make those connections in the future.

Besides, Carrie still needs to travel to Sweden for her own experience.

Kim Morgan kim@kimmorgan.net 317-698-9927 www.kimmorgan.net (! S

“We’re all going back next summer,” King says. “My mom, me and my daughter, Zoe - three generations to visit with family and see the history.”

On the Svinesund Bridge crossing into Sweden for the first time 10 | February 2024 | TownePost.com

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GIFT OF GUIDANCE LOCAL SPEAKER, MENTOR AND AUTHOR JIMMELYNN GARLAND RICE HELPS THOSE WHO ARE STRUGGLING Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photographer / Amy Payne

Let’s face it. We all long to be loved and accepted. If we’re not careful, however, we can surround ourselves with the wrong crowd.

“If you don’t learn to think for yourself, you’ll follow the path of least resistance and find yourself associating with people who will lead you to a dark place,” says Jimmelynn Garland Rice, a former public high school music teacher who grew weary of watching so many of her students spiral and self-destruct.

A wife, mother, teacher, worship leader and public speaker, Rice founded Girls Nite In International (GNI) 15 years ago to mentor and empower teen girls and young women to make wise choices, and become bold, confident, courageous, compassionate, strong leaders.

Being female in today’s society can be challenging because so often many women don’t feel as if their voices are heard or validated.

“I believe that God has created females with wisdom and the ability to see things that perhaps are missed by others,” Rice says.

“They then address those things by developing a strategy and following through with it.

Women often want to inspire an army of women to accept the challenge of making change in the world.”

Rice closes out every GNI event by delivering a “Letter from Jimme” to her audience, in which she shares personal stories that weave in practical tips and guidance that she feels nobody is sharing, particularly with the current young generation. She then sends the girls home with a copy of the letter so that they can refer back to it any time they’re struggling.

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Many girls have created a notebook with Rice’s TownePost.com | February 2024

letters that they take with them to college.

They have also shared the letters with friends, creating a ripple effect of love. Through the years, hundreds of women and men have requested copies of her letters. In addition, she’s had parents approach her with tears in their eyes, saying that they wish they had such life lessons to refer to when they were growing up.

“It became clear that the time had come for me to write a book that compiled the letters,” says Rice, who wrote “Letters from Jimme: Life Lessons I Wish I Could Tell My Younger Self.”

The book, which will be released on April 9, tackles a number of difficult but important subjects including anxiety, depression, body image, sex and self-respect, addiction, bullying, toxic relationships, suicidal thoughts, jealousy, self-worth and dignity, and eating disorders. She also covers divorce and blended families, dating violence and self-protection, loss and grief, social media influence, courage and perseverance, confidence, and life purpose. She’s humbled that people trust her to speak truth into their lives.

“My goal is to bring value, wisdom, strategies, coping skills and tools to navigate difficult challenges, and to provide hope, healing and life guidance,” says Rice, who believes that she’s been given a voice to articulate the pain and conflict churning inside generations. She does a lot of work with middle school, high school, and college-aged females who ask themselves, “Who do I want to become? Who do I allow

February 2024 | TownePost.com

From the Cre

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She’s found that females in particular often focus on the negative voices in their heads that tear them down, beat them up and insist that they are not enough. She implores women to stop listening to that voice and instead redirect their thoughts toward positivity. Anxiety is also sky-high for many these days, and that can have a crippling effect on mental, emotional, physical and psychological well-being.

This is why she tackles anxiety in chapter one of her book.

“If we keep saying to ourselves, ‘I feel so scared,’ we create a rut in our brain that we default to,” Rice says. “That fear can paralyze us so we can’t move into the future. Therefore, we need to change the words we speak to ourselves. By counteracting that voice of anxiety, we replace it with trust and with hope.”

Rice also wants to deliver the message that we are not alone.

“We need one another,” she says. “We aren’t meant to do life alone. When we allow someone to come alongside us to encourage us as we choose personal,

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spiritual, emotional, mental and relational growth, we get out of the negative rut.”

or at work. And when it comes to cyberspace, the online universe can be nothing short of vicious.

Rice’s goal is to infuse hope in someone who is feeling worthless, to bring clarity to someone who is feeling confused, to create joy in someone who is feeling despair, and to provide guidance to someone who has lost their way.

“Words are so important,” Rice says. “They can be weapons of destruction, or they can inspire and empower.”

Some people don’t feel welcome or wanted in their own home. Others struggle at school

“Letters from Jimme” is for everyone - male, female, young, old, at any stage in life. The book is already being translated to Spanish.

Other languages may follow.

Jimme with Husband, Rodney & dog, Blu

February 2024 | TownePost.com

“I’m waiting with anticipation to watch what God is going to do to reach people in despair who need help and hope,” Rice says. “We can’t change yesterday, and we can’t fear the future.

We can only live for today in this moment.”

“Letters from Jimme: Life Lessons I Wish I Could Tell My Younger Self” is available for preorder ($19.99). The book will also be available for purchase through jimmelynngarlandrice.com, and will be sold through Amazon and in bookstores.

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SHOWING HEART

HOW CARDIAC REHAB CAN HELP STRENGTHEN THE HEART THROUGH EXERCISE Writer / Jeremy Kimbley, Exercise Physiologist at IU Health West Hospital Photography Provided

After you suffer a cardiac event, there are certain steps you can follow to help strengthen your heart. One of those options is cardiac rehabilitation. Through this program, a trained team of experts can help you reach goals tailored to your specific needs.

WHAT IS CARDIAC REHABILITATION? Cardiac rehab is an exercise and education program designed to help someone after they have a cardiovascular event. For someone who has a cardiac event such as a heart attack, stent placement, coronary artery bypass, valve replacement or repair, or even heart failure, our goal is to try to strengthen your heart as much as possible through exercise, to increase your functional capacity to return to normal activities.

Cardiac rehab is also dedicated to helping with lifestyle education. From a cardiac standpoint, we look at the patient as a whole and try to figure out what may have led to their cardiovascular issues. If lifestyle changes can help, we will help educate those patients on how to make those changes.

WHAT DOES THE PROCESS LOOK LIKE FOR GETTING INTO THE PROGRAM? An order from the patient’s physician is usually all that is necessary to enter the program. The patient can request this from their physician or we can request it for them. After we receive that order, we will contact the patient directly to get them on our schedule. Often, that phone call involves educating the patient on exactly what cardiac rehab is, and explaining what February 2024 | TownePost.com

to expect on the first visit.

WHAT DOES THE PROGRAM LOOK LIKE? Everything we do from an exercise standpoint is individualized to each patient. We start off with a six-minute walk test to give us a baseline of their functional capacity. Typically, with their individual goals in mind, we will start with 30 minutes of continuous

cardiovascular exercise and then work them up to an hour of exercise as their heart gets stronger and their functional capacity increases. We will monitor heart rhythm and vital signs, and provide close team-to-patient interaction.

While the length of the program is tailored to each person, typically the minimum we recommend is four weeks, or 12 sessions. We can go up to three months, or 36 sessions.

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SUPPORTING ROLE JAYDA SOMMERS IS RELISHING HER TIME AS AVON EDUCATION FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Writer / Melissa Gibson Photography Provided

Jayda Sommers has been working in the school system for decades, first as a teacher in Wayne Township, then as a stay-at-home mom turned classroom volunteer, parent-teacher organization member and more.

“We moved to Avon in 1999 and Avon High School had just opened up,” Sommers said. “It was a growing community and we wanted to be a part of it. Once we started our family, I stayed at home with our kids but still wanted to use my skills for good. I continued volunteering in the reading and math groups, but once the kids hit middle school and high school, there were less opportunities there.”

22 | February 2024 | TownePost.com

That’s when Sommers joined the Avon Education Foundation (AEF) board and began helping to raise funds for the school system and advocating for teachers.

“I’ve been an educator and fully understand what they need and where the barriers are, so I interviewed for the executive director position, and shared my vision and where I could benefit the organization,” Sommers said.

She got the job and started in her new position in early August.

Perhaps what makes Sommers unique is her experience in a teacher’s shoes.

“I don’t have a business background,” she said. “I’m an educator, so when I go out to talk to our partners, I’m really wearing that teacher’s hat and educating them about what we’re doing and where we’re going and how they can help us get there.”

The AEF exists to support teachers in their effort to offer creativity, innovation and excellence in the classroom. The nonprofit hosts fundraisers and partners with local businesses, putting those funds back into the school through grants and other community activities.

One of her goals in 2024 is to continue funding and improving AEF’s three largest programs throughout the year.

AEF Executive Director, Jayda Sommers

Supply It Forward is a school supply shopping experience for the nearly 50% of students on the free and reduced lunch program. Volunteers purchase and donate school supplies for students to “shop” for what they need.

“I love that they get the experience of shopping,” Sommers said. “In 2023 we had 842 students come through and shop for backpacks and school supplies, down to the color of folders they select and the pencils they like. Each backpack is worth $60 to $75. They also have access to community resources like our Mary Lee Maier food pantry information and the multilingual program. This year we had Vaccinate Indiana come out and

administer vaccines to students and parents who needed them.”

Registration is expected to start just after spring break this year.

The Supply Our Schools program is a second initiative supported by the AEF. Think of it as a store for teachers, filled with notebooks, highlighters, pencils and pens.

In addition to providing donated supplies to teachers’ classrooms, dozens of specialeducation students in the work-study class use the program to gain valuable job skills for potential future employment.

“It’s estimated teachers spend $600 out of their pockets on supplies for their classrooms each year,” Sommers said. “We stock school supplies in the store and our work-study interns fill those orders and deliver them to the school.”

Finally, the Helping Hands grants allow educators to apply for additional funds to go toward opportunities in the classroom that wouldn’t normally be covered by the school budget.

Many of the Helping Hands grant applications feature STEM, intervention and extension qualities, and include items like sensory stations, science magazine subscriptions, and special tours and opportunities for field trips.

TownePost.com | February 2024 | 23

Kelly Schonhoff receiving a grant for her high school journalism students from Jayda & AEF Board President, Crystal Bolden

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“In 2024 we as a board decided we wanted to add additional grant cycles,” Sommers said. “We’ve done two in the past and hope to do three this school year. Who knows? With more opportunity and funding, we might be WE Accept most all able to add a fourth one in the future.”

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year, Monte Carlo Night will be held on April 27.

respiratory viruses, and FemaleTheChiropractic Female Chiropractic The Only Another fundraiser through AEF is Only allergies illness when taken at the first sign.

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Honor an Educator. Each year, parents *Always consult your PCP before taking have the opportunity to donate $10 herbs with your current medication. Dr. Danis & Dr. Van Matre or more for a special sign featuring Dr. Danis & Dr. Van Matre Dr. Vicki Danis Dr. Vicki Danis their teacher’s name and a note of 1 E. US Hwy 36 • Avon, 7651 IN 46123 | CommunityChiroAvon.com | (317) 272-7988 36 • Avon, IN 46123 | CommunityChiroAvon.com (317) 272-7988 36 • Avon, 7651 IN 46123 CommunityChiroAvon.com | (317) |272-7988 E. E.USUS| Hwy Hwy 36 • Avon, IN 46123 | CommunityChiroAvon.com | (317) 272-7988 thankfulness and encouragement.

24 | February 2024 | TownePost.com

“We have such fabulous teachers here and our board and volunteers write the parents’ message on the back of a yard sign to post in front of the school,” Sommers said. “The project is a big undertaking, but it’s visual and shows just how thankful we are for our teachers. In addition, those funds go back into the Helping Hands grant pool.”

While Sommers and the AEF board continue to think of new ideas and ways to connect to the community, they’re grateful for the partnerships they have today.

strong communities are built through our schools. Education is a vehicle for a better future, not just for the kids, but for all of us. I’m just so glad to be a part of this.”

“I’d love to see an event where we thank our sponsors,” Sommers said. “We’ve had those over the years and they’ve come and gone. I’ve said it a million times;

For more information, visit avoneducationfoundation.org, and ‘like’ the AEF Facebook page for current and upcoming events.

SIF volunteers at annual back-to-school Supply It Forward event.

Work Study students working at the school supply store TownePost.com | February 2024 | 25

WISE WORDS MEN IN ACTION READ PROGRAM CONNECTS MALE VOLUNTEERS WITH LOCAL ELEMENTARY STUDENTS Writer / Melissa Gibson Photography Provided

One book, 484 men, and every elementary school in Hendricks County make for one of the most exciting community experiences of the year.

If you’ve already participated in the event, chances are you’ll return, but if you haven’t yet signed up, the couple of hours it takes to participate is well worth the time.

Men IN Action READ is once again returning for a morning of inspiration on March 14. Sheltering Wings, a nonprofit organization offering shelter to domestic abuse survivors along with many initiatives to educate and encourage the public, hosts the Men IN Action program, and the READ initiative was created under the men’s group.

Since 2019, men across the county have registered to read a previously selected book to an elementary classroom in their area on one special day, and the results are encouraging.

“We meet at a designated spot for each school district, receive a book, a T-shirt and breakfast,” says Melissa Echerd, prevention and education officer for Sheltering Wings.

“Everyone checks in through the background check system for the school, and then typically one of our Men IN Action committee members addresses the group. They share a little about the book and how it connects to the 40 developmental assets.”

In 2024 the selected book is “Sophia Valdez, Future Prez” by Andrea Beaty, and those developmental assets are simply goals Sheltering Wings uses to identify positive life experiences and qualities needed in the lives of successful young people. They include goals like support, empowerment, boundaries, positive values and a commitment to learning. Beaty’s book contains 25 of the 40 assets.

The men then disperse to their assigned school and administrators lead them to a specific classroom. From there, they read to the class and ask three or four age-appropriate 26 | February 2024 | TownePost.com

AHS Principal, Matt Shockley reading to a group of students.

questions to help engage with the students.

Every teacher will receive the book for their classroom library, and a resource packet with a variety of ways they can apply the story to other subjects in the classroom throughout the day.

volunteer it always feels great, but when you volunteer in this mass quantity together, it stays with you. You can feel it.”

One common question the Sheltering Wings team hears is, “What is the connection between Men IN Action READ and the prevention of domestic violence?”

The entire morning takes under two hours to complete, and each time Men IN Action READ concludes, the feedback is exciting.

Echerd says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has made a clear correlation between the engagement of positive male role models and the prevention of violence.

Echerd says teachers have commented about the students’ positive reactions and men have said they enjoyed reading to the kids as much as the kids enjoyed it. Most importantly, the students are experiencing a positive connection with men in the community.

“This starts at a young age,” Echerd says. “When kids see a positive male role model showing behaviors like respect, integrity, trust and consent, they’re more likely to make better choices.”

Why men? Why reading?

“We want to achieve a couple of things,” Echerd says. “First, we’re showing the students that this man chose to take time out of his day to support your education, your success, and he’s here for you and wants to see you thrive in the classroom and the community.”

Secondly, bringing men in the community together benefits them as well.

“When these men come together, they are able to see the impact they’re making in a young person’s life,” Echerd says. “When you

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With this goal in mind, Men IN Action is a program meant to encourage men in the community to lead as mentors and to positively impact those around them.

“At Sheltering Wings we are working on violence prevention and that can go beyond domestic violence,” Echerd says. “Our Men IN Action group exists simply to share with men what their role is in the prevention of violence. We want them to know they have an influence in whatever that circle is, whether it be family, work, coaching, troop leaders or volunteers.”

Some men volunteer at Sheltering Wings, but the committee also connects men with other nonprofits in the area and new opportunities are constantly surfacing.

After several READ events, several school corporations have reached out, asking if they can make Men IN Action READ an event that continues throughout the year - one more way for men to get involved.

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The organization is tapping into a younger generation too, encouraging high school men to join in the leadership program.

“Last year we engaged with high school principals to see if there were male students who wanted to get involved,” Echerd says. “We had juniors and seniors from various sports teams and clubs join in, and it was so cool to see that multigenerational impact.”

The connections can even extend out

28 | February 2024 | TownePost.com

into the community.

READ volunteers have reported seeing a student out on a field trip while they are at work, and you might catch a proud Men IN Action READ volunteer in their T-shirt, walking through the supermarket or attending a community event.

“They know they were a part of something big and it made such an impact in our schools,” Echerd says. “In turn, we have opportunities to make the connection between Men IN Action READ and Sheltering Wings and the prevention of violence, and that is super important.”

Register to be a part of the event at shelteringwings.org/men-inaction-read.

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