Camp was truly a second home for Joanne: she first started visiting Nyoda in 1967 to visit her older sister, Christine Reich Politi (Tiamalia 1974). Joanne was a camper from 1974-1981 and then she enjoyed being a counselor from 1982-1987.
Joanne feels very fortunate to have had so many happy summers at Nyoda. Even during the winter, if she was having a difficult time, she would find a way to get up to the hills of Nyoda (either in her spirit or in body!) to spend an hour on Gypsy Trail or to sit in the Chapel.
Joanne formed lifelong friendships of all ages and it became a formative factor for her in becoming a United Methodist Deaconess. This entails life-long service in the denomination committed to love, justice, and service. At Camp, she learned to be proud of her uniqueness, to be caring and compassionate in all endeavors, to be a public speaker, to appreciate nature, to try new things, and to be committed to learning.
Her life today is full of work, family, and fun commitments. Her family recently relocated to Florida to be closer to her aging parents. After work, you will find them eating meals together, playing dominoes, attending a community play, or just relaxing having a glass of wine on the deck, watching the birds. In addition, Joanne volunteers each week in the community as a Spiritual Care Volunteer at the local hospital, and with the Community Theatre reviewing one-act plays for their annual festival.
Joanne has worn many of hats over the years. She is currently the Faith-Based Community Coordinator for the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County Florida. The Juvenile Welfare Board is a government agency which provides funding and technical assistance to support children’s and family programs throughout the county. She helps to relate to the over 700 various faith communities and partners for the county, regardless of funding sponsorship. In her past professional work, she was the Child Protection and Community Assistance Officer for the United Methodist Denomination, and also the Executive for Women, Children, and Families programs for the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries. She had the opportunity to chair the Justice for Women Working Group of the National Council of Churches, chair the Board of Directors of FaithTrust Institute, and worked with women leaders in philanthropy. Joanne served as the manager for a residential AIDS Hospice in the early HIV years and later as a Pediatric Hospice Social Worker. For several years she served in the Office of Institutional Advancement for Scarritt Bennett Center in Nashville, TN.
Over her entire working career, Joanne always tried to connect with Nyoda Alumnae where she lived or visited. If ever she was afraid of making a large presentation, she would think back to various Team Shows or Cabarets. She recalls one time Kathy Cooney sent her a care package when she was working in the Middle East. She also remembers one night when she was truly lonely and fearful while on a work trip to a rural part of Liberia, she texted with a camp friend, Noelle Stollmack, and found it very comforting! She also has memories of connecting with Erin Kenny as she worked in tough assignments. It was always a joy to feel her Nyoda pals with her every day even if they weren’t physically together.
Joanne is very aware of how Health at all levels plays into daily life. With so much going on in the world she says it is important to listen to your body, to rest, to renew, to surround yourself with as much joy, love, and healthy environments that you possibly can. She recognizes that every day is a gift. She has lost many loved ones who have left this earth too soon but she wakes up with a smile and sense of thankfulness in her heart. She tries to spread that joy a little bit each day with those she meets. She takes time for Sabbath – both in the Institutional Church and God’s wider creation of Nature.
Joanne loves to take walks and spend time on benches just watching the ducks, birds, or lizards. She especially loves to look at Great Blue herons. She remembers she saw her first Great Blue heron on the path to the second lake at Nyoda and she thought it was a dinosaur at first. Joanne makes time for play, taking vacations, going to see live music, and eating great food. Her circle of love includes her partner/spouse, parents, pets, and her amazing friends, both near and far.
If she had all the time in the world, Joanne would volunteer even more and spend time in the community letting people know they are loved just as they are. In all their uniqueness, in all their challenges, in all their struggles, God thinks they are incredibly special and she rejoices that her path has crossed with them. She would also spend more time in the prison system to let more people know they are not forgotten. She would spend more time with animals and would write more personal letters, make more phone calls to friends and of course, she says she would visit NYODA friends all the time!