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Member Profiles
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I was born in Denver, the second of four children and the oldest
daughter. I have one brother who is older, and two younger sisters. We
moved to Pueblo when I was 6, and my dad became the Director of Goodwill
Industries there. As a child and young adult, I was truly very shy and
introverted, and found it very difficult to interact with others unless it
was on a one to one basis. So anyway - I've been exposed to service to
others from a very young age - I remember working with my parents and
siblings to help improve the lives of the disabled we came into contact
with.
After high school, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. My
best friend Kim, and her sister Pam were Army brats. Pam was going to see
an Army Reserve recruiter. I didn't want her to join, so I went with her
to help balance what the recruiter was saying - and he signed both of us up
in one session! Kim couldn't stand the thought of a summer without us, so
she joined too. The three of us were off to boot camp at Ft. Jackson,
South Carolina. My friends chose different jobs than I did - so we
separated after basic training - they stayed at Ft. Jackson, and I went on
to Indianapolis.
Greetings! I first joined Zonta in September 2004, and have felt so
welcomed! It has been a truly exciting experience for me and my plan is to
get more and more involved! My good friend Kate Brewster has been talking
to me about it for a couple of years, and then invited me to the ice cream
social in August where I got my first glimpse at what it meant to be part
of such a wonderful organization. I met with Betty Edwards shortly after
that and have been hooked ever since. Now that my children have almost
grown, I've been looking for something to do to give service to others, and
I've found it in Zonta!
After my training, I traveled to Laramie, Wyoming and started working at the University of Wyoming. While there, I learned to belly dance, which is still a passion in my life. I was there for a couple of years when I met the man I thought I would marry, Ted, who was a foreign student from Greece. I left the University when he graduated with his PhD. My reserve commitment was over and the plan was to join him in Greece 6 months later - after a 6 month detour to visit my brother and his wife in Germany. Their child was a year old and they needed a temporary nanny, and Ted needed to spend some time in the Greek Army. I never got to visit Greece. I joined my fiancé in France for a conference where we ended the relationship. I got my taste of what it felt like to be a woman treated as a "second class citizen". I found it intolerable and returned to the States. As I've thought about it, this is one of the reasons that Zonta appeals to me so much.
A few months after my return, I visited my old reserve unit in Denver where I met Ron Reedy, my husband. It was love at first sight! I rejoined the reserves to be with him. He has been so wonderful and so supportive! We will celebrate 22 years of marriage in April. We have 3 children of our own, and have also helped to raise our nephew (my sister's child). Larry is 21, in the Air Force, and is stationed in Lakenheath, England. He is returning in April to get married to Tracy, a wonderful girl he has been seeing for 4 years. Adam (my nephew) is 19, and is a computer whiz. He is currently working full time in the real estate business, and looking for his calling in life. Caitlin is 18 and is a senior in high school. She plans on attending Pikes Peak Community College for 2 years and then heading to the University of Wyoming to complete a degree in child psychology. Colleen is 17 and is a junior. She plans on graduating next December and then heading off to a 4 year college - where that might be is yet to be determined. Raising our children has been one of my most challenging and fun experiences!
When Ron and I got married, I joined him in Colorado Springs. We both planned to stay in the reserves, but that otherwise, I would stay home and raise our children. Seven months after Larry was born, Ron was seriously injured in a terrible car accident. He was unable to work for about 5 years, while going through many surgeries and treatments. Therefore, I had to go to back to work. I immediately found a job at the Air Force Academy in Civilian Personnel. I was there for 4 years when I found a job at Penrose-St. Francis. During my times visiting Ron in St. Francis Hospital (he was there for 6 weeks), I would walk by the Human Resource department and wonder what it would be like to work for them - Ron had been treated so well as a patient. Needless to say I jumped at the chance to work there! I have been with the Penrose-St. Francis organization for almost 17 years now and love it!
I am a Human Resources Senior Generalist, which means I manage our front office, and in additional to that I am responsible for employee relations for a third of our staff. My work is never dull or boring and I finally found what I wanted to do when I grew up.
Ron had to leave the reserves a couple of years after his accident, but we decided that at least one of us should retire from the military, so it was left to me. I've only belonged to 2 different units and both were at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Denver. I retired from the active reserves in December of 2000, and entered the retired reserves. My years in the reserves were also in the personnel field, and my last job was as the First Sergeant of a Training Brigade.
Between the belly dancing, the Army Reserve, and Human Resouces, I was able to find the confidence to get beyond my intense shyness. You may still find me somewhat introverted, but I'm still a work in progress! I'm looking forward to spending more time with all of you and getting to know you all better!
Much Zonta love,
Janet