Janet Anderson didn’t have an easy early-life.
She remembers traveling from their rural Sartell home with her mother and three siblings to get food.
They made regular stops at the WIC office in the St. Cloud Armory. There, they would receive government-surplus cheese and dried milk, rice among other items.
“The powdered milk,” she said. “Mom put it in our cereal. It was terrible . . . “
The program kept their family fed - but it could have been a precusor to dark days for the young lady.
She battled those dark days into her early adult years, attending St. Olaf College in Northfield.
There was no extra money, she said. Her tuition was financed greatly by her various fundraiser jobs.
But from it she gained a an inner reserve, a wisdom that serves her well today - and was the focus of her keynote presentation to the annual fundraiser ball of the Great River Faith in Action (GRFIA) Saturday at the Carousell Works.
“You need to be prepared,” she said to the assembly of about 160. “Listen to the clues in your life. They may come to you as an individual, or through an organization.”
The “clue” she was speaking about was finding joy in her life.
“None of us are going to go through life without hardship,” she said. “But if you want to bring light into darkness . . . “
She became a volunteer at an early age, serving as one of 14 volunteers at the St. Cloud Children’s Home. She was assigned to Cottage 6, “the little ones,”she remarked.
She learned that getting through her own life’s miseries was helped by others.
Today, she is a motivational speaker, author, mental health professional, track and field coach and entrepreneur. She lives with her husband, Brett and three young boys in Edina.
Her outpatient clinic is Janet Anderson Counseling and her methods of helping have gained recognition statewide in trauma therapy.
In 2013, she founded Team Lighthouse, an organization of persons committed to becoming the best versions of themselves.
And don’t forget the sports end of the story. In college, she competed in the first womens NCAA Division III national track meet as a pole vaulter. She has continued to coach track and field athletes for the past 16 years.
Her most recent book is titled, The Lightness of Choosing for You, is due out this spring.
Her connection to GRFIA? Janet met Consuelo Silbernagel, executive director of GRFIA, while in college at St. Olaf.
Anderson was speaking to a crowd of volunteers - a very impactful crowd of volunteers.
GRFIA this year has served 811 clients in the five-county area with 400 volunteers.
The volunteers do everything from their long-established “rake the yard” campaigns in local communities. They arrange for house painting and handicap accessible ramps.
They transport persons to medical or shopping trips.
The organization outfits families with furniture and furnishings.
Just about everything to help the neighbor in need.
And there was a very special volunteer to recognize Saturday. Sue Lockwood, Zimmerman, was introduced as the GRFIA Volunteer of the Year. She does everything from the organization, including tallying up invoices for guests making purchases at the various fundraisers that night.
A volunteer remarked that in our local communities, where there is no mass transit to assist peoples mobility, it is important for rides to be provided.
“This deal is good, making a difference in someones’ life.”
Back to her book. Anderson presented one of her authored items, The Book on Joy.
“If you want to bring light into darkness, you need to find your joy.
“Everyone born into this world has the capacity to expense joy.
“You need to find your joy.”
“Joy” for GRFIA, would be finding financial stability after having lost $400,000 in federal and state grants in the past year.
Volunteering services or funding would be appreciated.
GRFIA has been housed for the past three years at Grace Lutheran Church, on Edgewood Street in Becker.
They can be reached at 763-263-4277, or at their E-mail address, info@grfia.org
