Name: Jenifer Grace
Where were you born and raised?
“I was born and raised in Bay City, Michigan.”
What is your occupation?
“I am the Executive Director of The Council on Aging of Etowah County.”
What made you decide to work in your field?
“I love working with people it doesn’t matter the age. I worked with children for 20 years and with senior citizens for the past four years.”
Tell us about your family and pets.
“I have a wonderful husband that I have been married to for 33 years. I have four wonderful adult children, three boys and one girl. I also have three dogs, and one cat, two grand dogs and one grand kitten, no grandchildren.”
Describe an average day in your life.
“I get up in the morning, let the animals out, get ready for work, go to work, have my morning cup of coffee, work all day making a difference in the lives of our senior citizens, come home, make dinner, work out in the yard, or craft project, watch TV, read before bed, then go to bed and start all over the next day. I’m kind of boring.”
What school or schools have you attended?
“I attended Bangor Lincoln as my Elementary School, Bangor Junior High School, John Glenn High School, Bay Arenac Skill Center and Delta College.”
What do you like to do in your free time?
“I love to be outside either swimming or boating. I love to restore old furniture, make crafts, paint and create something new from something old. I love to travel, especially to the beaches of Florida, to shell or collect sharks teeth, or to see the Manatees.”
What would you say is your greatest accomplishment?
“My greatest accomplishment is my marriage and my family. It is a lot of work, and my marriage and my kids turned out all great! I survived and they survived growing up.”
To what do you credit your success?
“The support of my family. When you work in the non-profit world, you have to devote a lot of your family time to the cause. Not only do you accept the challenge, your family does also. They become the volunteers you do not have, or the extra help you always need. My family has always supported me, and I could not be successful without them.”
Are you involved in any service organizations?
“I belong to VOAD, RSVP Advisory, EFS Advisory and I am a CERT member for the EMA.”
What is your favorite thing about this community?
“My favorite thing about our community is that we all network and come together during crisis, disaster and everyday situations. Our community is an example of unity.”
What would you like to see change in the community?
“I would like to see a decrease in financial hardships among our aging population.”
What are three words that describe you?
“Passionate, dependable and competitive.”
What is something surprising that many do not know about you?
“I play the piano. I only play for myself, as audiences make me nervous.”
What is your favorite quote?
“Be the change you wish to see in the world, by Gandhi.”
What is on your bucket list?
“One of the things on my bucket list is to drive a combine someday. My dream has always been to drive a large piece of farming equipment.”
If a movie were made about your life, who would you want to play you?
“Sandra Bullock, she is my favorite actress.”
What advice would you give yourself as a child?
“When I was a child, I wanted to be the Enjoli woman that was on a commercial. She was glamourous, she brought home the bacon, and fried it up in a pan, and she never forgot romance to sum it up. She did everything and at the end of the day looked elegant and beautiful. My advice to me as a child now is, the Enjoli woman doesn’t exist in the real world. As I learned the other day, a woman does not have to wear a superwoman cape to be an empowered woman.”
If you would like to nominate someone for the People of Etowah column, email speters@gadsdenmessenger.com or call 256-547-1049.