Mr. Kenneth Erickson, whom we all refer to as Kenny, has distinguished himself as a leader because he is a man who lives by his integrity and nurtures relationships (whether with staff, clients or friends) from a place of loving kindness – his heart. Kenny was a person I met while working as the Development Director for Abuse Counseling and Treatment, Inc. (ACT), the only licensed and certified domestic and sexual violence center in Lee, Hendry, and Glades counties, Florida. Kenny and his wife Christine were my very first major sponsors through Erickson’s Drying Systems for a fundraising event I co-coordinated with the Pediatric Dentistry of Fort Myers, called “Snow Day.” If you have ever spent a moment of time trying to coordinate fundraising …show more content…
No matter how successful I was raising money, or how many donations came in, the feeling of despair due to stories of trauma was constantly showing up within. My office in the administrative building at ACT in Fort Myers sat parallel to our front door, where victims would come in for counseling daily. There was a terrifying day when a man followed his spouse to a counseling appointment and he greeted her in the parking lot, threatening to cause harm. That day I was afraid would be my last, and while I LOVED my job at ACT, it took such an emotional toll on me, that I had to leave for my own well-being. Kenny offered me a position as Erickson’s Drying Systems Marketing Director, but I truly feel like he’s done more for me and my family’s life by allowing me to transition to work for him. In this role, I’m still able to help ACT and other nonprofit agencies thanks to our sponsorships budget. So far, we have already sponsored a fundraiser for Valerie’s House through the RPCRA, we are working on a diaper and toy drive for both CAC and ACT, and we have plans for much