The kids at the Easter Seals Capper Foundation Kidlink preschool were a great audience. (Photo courtesy of the Topeka Capital-Journal)
A story in the Capital Journal does a beautiful job describing our visit to Topeka last week.
Jim Leiker, president and chief executive officer of Easter Seals Capper Foundation, explained the purpose of Finke’s visit to Kidlink, which is an inclusive
preschool and child care program for children with or without disabilities.“She has a disability and has lots of challenges,” Leiker said, “and she has lots of goals and dreams, and she’s been able to achieve those. I think that’s a really positive message for the kids.”
The Capital Journal also took a lot of terrific pictures of me, Hanni, and the kids — here’s the gallery.
In addition to visiting the preschool, we were given a tour of the other facilities and did a talk at Capper’s all-staff meeting that day. We had lunch with folks who’d helped sponsor our trip, then gave a keynote at their advisory board dinner that night. It was a lot to pack into one day, but we enjoyed every minute of it. Hanni and I were treated like gold. This was our first trip ever to Kansas, and trust me, it won’t be our last!
One of our many stops during our Topeka visit was speaking to the Easter Seals Capper Foundation Advisory Board. I signed books after the event.
The next morning, Hanni and I climbed way in the back of a shuttle van for a two-hour ride to the Kansas City International airport. Hanni snuggled in so close to my feet that anyone who got on after us had no idea she was there. In Lawrence, we picked up a passenger who seemed, hmm, how to say it. Sketchy? Down on his luck? He’d come to Lawrence in a Greyhound bus from Colorado, needed the ride to KCI to catch another Greyhound bus to some other town.
The shuttle van was pretty full. Reluctant to let this guy sit alongside any of us in back, the driver ushered him to the passenger seat right in front.
Ours was the first stop at the airport. We let the passengers seated in front of us get out first, and then finally I asked Hanni to get up and lead us off the shuttle van. As we exited, the Greyhound rider looked back and said, “Hey! I saw you on TV last night!”
I’d almost forgotten. A couple of TV cameramen had been there the day before, taking video images of our visit with the preschoolers.
I laughed and told him I’d missed the news. “How’d I look?”
“You looked beautiful!”
That made my day. What a snob I’d been, thinking this guy was sketchy. Obviously, He was quite sharp! And hey, he had a good eye, too.
I like that word “sketchy”. No I don’t think you’re a snob….just observant and if you had gotten a chance to talk with your mystery man on your trip to the airport you would have found out a little earlier how sharp he really was. Congratulations on your visit to “Totoland”. I know Easter Seals is proud of you.
Aw, shucks. Thanks, Cheryl! You *do* know what I said to my dog the minute we touched down at Midway, don’t you? “Hanni, I have a feeling we aren’t in Kansas anymore…!”
Great story, and I linked to the photos –they’re great, too!
Glad you liked Kansas, but remember: there’s no place like home!
I did not see the ending coming. You are a great writer. Nice story.
I was surprised by the ending, too. Happily surprised! Thanks for the compliments on my writing, that makes me feel good —
It’s not like you to be a snob- I think you were influenced by your peers! The video is great! The kids are so cute and seemed so polite. btw- love the longer hair!
Thanks for the compliment on my hair — after six years here in Chicago I *finally* got a haircut that people are commenting on. The only way we blind folks can know if we look good is by what we hear from others, and I’ve been hearing good things about this new haircut. I’ll be going back to my new hair stylist Steven soon!
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