{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Thumbcoast.tv | ebw.tv - Serving Port Huron and the Thumbcoast","provider_url":"https:\/\/thumbcoast.tv","title":"The Rise of Young Talent in the Thumbcoast: The Non-Profit Sector","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"ri1yeOt9O6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thumbcoast.tv\/features-the-rise-of-young-talent-thumbcoast-non-profit\/\">The Rise of Young Talent in the Thumbcoast: The Non-Profit Sector<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/thumbcoast.tv\/features-the-rise-of-young-talent-thumbcoast-non-profit\/embed\/#?secret=ri1yeOt9O6\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;The Rise of Young Talent in the Thumbcoast: The Non-Profit Sector&#8221; &#8212; Thumbcoast.tv | ebw.tv - Serving Port Huron and the Thumbcoast\" data-secret=\"ri1yeOt9O6\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/thumbcoast.tv\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/thumbcoast.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-16-at-4.03.12-PM.png","thumbnail_width":950,"thumbnail_height":529,"description":"This is the second of a 12-part series featuring young professionals in the Blue Water Area. Each month two to three individuals from different industries will be spotlighted. Written by Audrey Sochor Starting a career can be difficult, but having the support of the people around you makes it easier. The three young professionals featured this month \u2013 all having moved back after experiencing the hustle and bustle of a bigger city - agree the sense of community in the Blue Water Area is unparalleled, especially when it comes to their work in the nonprofit sector. \u201cWhat I like about the community here is that it\u2019s very personable, where in a big city it\u2019s you\u2019re working through email, you\u2019re working through different avenues,\u201d said Kelly Klemmer, development coordinator at Lelito\u2019s Legacy Foundation. \u201cIn this community it\u2019s very one-on- one, and you go to different events and meet people.\u201d Kelly Klemmer:\u00a0 After film school, the St. Clair native moved to the booming mountain metropolis of Denver, where she stayed for six years. Her love of sports and friendship with former NFL player and schoolmate Tim Lelito, founder of Lelito\u2019s Legacy Foundation, brought her home two years ago. \u201cIt was great out there, but I also knew that I always wanted to come back home because the mountains are beautiful but the water is where I belong,\u201d she said. \u201cI knew that this would always be home for me.\u201d Lelito\u2019s Legacy Foundation betters the lives of children through sports by promoting skill development, sportsmanship and positive self-growth. Playing sports also creates healthy lifestyle habits and can lead higher learning, Klemmer said. Nowadays it can also come with a huffy price tag not everyone can afford, so the organization helps students with things like pay- to-play fees and equipment. \u201cWe\u2019re not creating the next NFL player, but we think it\u2019s important to have something that you\u2019re proud of and can push you forward,\u201d Klemmer said. As development coordinator, she works closely with her board members and Lelito to build relationships with local schools, teachers and coaches. As a new nonprofit building relationships is key, and Klemmer said it wouldn\u2019t be possible without the receptiveness of the Blue Water Area\u2019s communities and the residents\u2019 willingness to create personal connections. Often she will go to a game, and it\u2019s the welcoming and supportive interacts with the other spectators that lead to future donors and partners. \u201cTo me sports create a community,\u201d Klemmer said. \u201cPeople will always come together for sporting events \u2013 small town, college or professional level. You can be anywhere in the world and find people that support the same teams as you. It\u2019s an amazing thing.\u201d Her path to nonprofit work wasn\u2019t a traditional route. Out in Denver she was still immersed in the film world and also worked as a nanny while she returned to school at Colorado Technical University. She took on an internship at Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado Foundation and decided to stick with nonprofits after graduation. It was the different experiences she had throughout high school, college and her jobs, and the skills she gained from all, that lead her to where she is today. \u201cIt kind of just all worked out, you know what I mean?\u201d Klemmer said. \u201cEverything I\u2019ve learned I\u2019ve always taken it with me to do something bigger, and I\u2019m glad it\u2019s led me here. I think I\u2019ve always had a nonprofit heart.\u201d Lindsay Chopp: Like Klemmer, Lindsay Chopp, prevention coordinator at Child Abuse and Neglect Council, also fell into nonprofit work instead of seeking it out. She went off to Michigan State University to study criminal justice and thought she would end up in that field, although she hoped to work with children in some way. \u201cI\u2019m so, so thankful to be working somewhere that I love and doing what I truly love,\u201d she said. \u201cWorking with kids and being with kids has always been a passion of mine.\u201d The guiding principal of CAN Council is it shouldn\u2019t hurt to be a child, and for 10 years Chopp has tirelessly worked alongside her coworkers to prevent children from having to experience pain and neglect. There\u2019s the old adage it takes a village to raise a child, and in Chopp\u2019s career it takes a village to keep one safe. Community is important and she draws on her criminal justice and employment background for her current role. She previously worked at a daycare, the Council on Aging and the county jail. \u201cIn my job I\u2019m very fortunate to work with a lot of people,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m going into every school in the county and I\u2019m meeting teachers, the administrative staff, working with them on a day-to-day basis, but also fortunate to have a close working relationship with the prosecuting attorney\u2019s office, sheriff\u2019s department, all the police stations.\u201d As a nonprofit, CAN Council also relies on the general public. The same sense of community and the openness of the people to support a great cause that Klemmer experienced since her return has also been witnessed by Chopp. \u201cWithout a doubt we have amazing support in this community for nonprofits,\u201d Chopp said. \u201cWe are so blessed at the Child Abuse and Neglect Council to be able to provide the services we do at no cost and that is because of our community.\u201d One of seven siblings, Chopp always knew she wanted to return home, especially when she started having kids of her own. \u201cI think family is number one and really important to have, especially once you start growing a family,\u201d she said. \u201cYou look at this beautiful river and the area, and how can you not want to come back and raise your kids here, and have them grow up in these warm communities that are family orientated? \u201cAnd also they\u2019re growing,\u201d she added. \u201cSo it\u2019s really exciting to see that and the growth that\u2019s going on in each of the towns.\u201d Chopp and her family live close to Marine City, so have gotten to see the town\u2019s redevelopment first hand \u2013 she and her husband often go down there for dinner and enjoy the shops. They also like seeing the revitalization of the St. Clair Inn, which was a cornerstone in their childhood town and will soon be again. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to see that people are coming to our communities, seeing the value of the community, the growth and the young talent,\u201d she said. Ken Steele: Unlike Klemmer and Chopp, Ken Steele always knew he wanted to work in the nonprofit sector as a church pastor. After graduating from Marysville High School he took off for the windy city to attend Moody Bible Institute. \u201cI enjoyed Chicago,\u201d Steele said. \u201cIt\u2019s an awesome city. It\u2019s a great place to be, but I wanted to have a place where I could have an impact. And somewhere like Chicago you kind of get lost among the so many churches and all the different places and things. In Port Huron it\u2019s coming back, it\u2019s growing and I really wanted to be a part of that.\u201d So after graduating from Moody he took a position as pastor at Northgate Bible Church. Nonprofits are here to help people, Steele said, and that\u2019s the goal at Northgate. Many people who attend their services need someone to walk beside them as they face life\u2019s challenges. And Northgate doesn\u2019t do it alone, he added. There are plenty of collaboration opportunities between churches and other nonprofits with the help of groups like Operation Transformation and Blue Water Area Churches. \u201cI love the nonprofit community here,\u201d he said. \u201cSo many of us are able to connect and do good work together, which is awesome, and it gives us the opportunity to do more than our small circles that we have. We can have an impact on the entire city because we have this one big team.\u201d Many people have been supportive of Steele\u2019s return home and his new role as pastor, but it\u2019s not without its challenges. As a 23 year old, the biggest is people questioning his age and experience. Some dismiss him as the young guy trying to prove himself, others doubt he has enough life experience to provide the answers they seek. \u201cI feel like no matter what profession that can be an issue,\u201d he said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have the experience, so you may not know what you need to know to get there. But when it comes to getting the job done and actually fulfilling the role that you have been given it\u2019s not about knowing, it\u2019s about learning what you need to be able to accomplish what the goal is. \u201cI have had the incredible opportunity of having a church that is supportive of me, and is willing to give me room to make mistakes and come alongside me as I work those things out,\u201d he added. Not only do the Blue Water communities gather around nonprofits, Steele, Chopp and Klemmer all said there is room for growth here, as well as support systems for younger professionals with groups like Blue Water Young Professionals and older professionals willing to act as mentors. All three felt young talent just has to be willing to embrace change and the opportunities found in the area, as well as be open to constructive criticism. \u201cYour community is what you make it,\u201d Steele said. \u201cYou are a huge part of your community, and so when you come back you shouldn\u2019t come back thinking of what it was. Instead come back thinking, \u2018what can I make this place?\u2019\u201d"}