Michele Van Allen
Michele graduated from high school in the top 1/4 of her class with the desire to continue her education to become an elementary school teacher. This was actually a dream of hers ever since she started kindergarten. Her personality was such that she really wanted to help others. She's always had an innate ability to teach. Her dream of attending college, unfortunately, did not come to fruition. Her family situation was not indicative of a support system. College was out of the question so she worked at a local factory to keep the bill collectors at bay. Yet she knew that she wanted to do more with her life, and the dream of being an educator never left her mind.
Life for Michele was filled with twists and turns. That dream of being a teacher seemed to be moving further away from ever being a possibility. She thought that raising her kids and working 60 hours a week was going to be her destiny, but fate had something different in store for her. She met someone who changed her life. This man became her leap into education that set the stage for where she is today.
For the last 14 years, she has been working within the tri-state (NJ, PA, NY) school systems performing educational assembly programs. The opportunity to work with children has been her lifelong dream, and her programs both educate and entertain. Her background as a standup comic really came in handy to not only have the chutzpah to get on stage, but also to amuse the children while she was sharing a valuable lesson.
Michele is currently working toward getting a degree in education. Even though she is already basically a teacher her career is physically demanding because she is a one-woman show, and sometimes she travels 350 miles in one day to do a performance. She wants to be able to retire from the road in the near future and go right into the classroom. As she puts it, "I could teach well into my 80's, and to me an education is never wasted."
Her involvement in the world along the way is something of which she is proud, too. When her kids were younger, she started an environmental club at their school. She is passionate about the environment, and her latest assembly reflects that. She teaches kids how to be green on their level and what they can do to help our planet - her theme is "small things add up to big change." She started a recycling program in her townhouse community and even takes responsibility for collection of the recycling at their clubhouse. She participates in Ocean Conservancy's Coastal Cleanup Day every September and drags as many friends along with her as she can. She is the secretary for Sussex County Habitat for Humanity. They are working on three projects right now in the county, and she is in the process of trying to start a chapter at her college. She has done fundraising for Women for Women, Heifer International, and the Pajama Program - all worthy causes that she gives freely of her time and monetary efforts to help further their causes.
Michele is changing the world, one mind at a time. Through her shows/assemblies, she teaches kids to be aware and conscious of their environment...in a way that's fun and entertaining. She also brings that awareness to the adults in her life. She makes them aware that by taking care of the environment, they are giving the gift of a better world to their kids and grandkids.
She also practices what she preaches. For one small example, she hosts a "girlfriend" party a few times a year. Her girlfriends know that it's "against the rules" to bring a plastic bag into her house. If they bring something to her party, they know to bring it in the reusable bag that she's provided to them at prior parties. She gives away recycled and/or reusable gifts at her party. And there's always a charitable theme where each guest will bring an item to be donated to a local charity or organization in need. I think that last one was "pajamas", for example.
There are a ton of other examples of things she has weaved into her daily life that help to save our environment...too many to mention.
So, if the woman behind you in the grocery store line tells the cashier to use a resuable grocery bag to bag YOUR groceries, and that she will pay for it,, that's probably Michele behind you in line. Turn around and introduce yourself. :)
Michele is a wonderful, loving, giving person. I feel priviledged to have met her and even more honored to call her my girlfriend.
Love you, honey. xoxoxo
posted by tkates1ode on 10/18/2009 9:09 pm