Kathy The Original vBy Aimee Huntley “I think my life has always been so God driven, because I just end up in places. It’s not a plan, I didn’t come out and announce, this is what I’m going to do! I just knew, I was always going to help people.” Kathy Harens is a dynamo. One of those rare people that can do absolutely anything and be wildly successful. A literal Jill of all trades. Kathy has worked steadily since she was a teenager and has had a wide variety of career experiences. These ranged from working for the Pierre County Courthouse and Assistant Director of Equalization, to the front manager at Rexall Drug store in Yankton. She transformed from a favorite, licensed, in-home child care provider of eleven years, to the director of the childcare at Mount Marty College, for an astounding twenty one years more. She first began working with children at the Helen Buchanan School, while a freshman in high school. Kathy worked as a special education assistant, and created bonds so strong with the staff that they hosted her engagement shower there. She continued to volunteer her time there as a member of the Future Teachers Association for four years afterwards and “absolutely loved it”. She has always retained a deep affection for special education from this foundation. While gaining invaluable experience there, Kathy knew that being a teacher wasn’t her ultimate calling though. Kathy says she’s an open book, and I can vouch that her book of life memories has volumes. In all of her stories, Kathy’s husband Paul, is a consistent, iron thread that runs throughout. They met in Huron and married when she was nineteen, and he was twenty one. They had dated for a year and Paul had just graduated from college. Kathy chuckles as she states, “That was forty five years ago, and we’re still here, hanging around together.” She recalls them making six changes of residence in six years. “We were professional moving people. We lived like gypsies, it was an adventure! Kathy and her husband “were blessed to have 5 years BC – life before children”, while living in Pierre. “Paul had his first teaching job, and they had five years to grow up. It was a lot of fun, we met lots of really interesting people.” Kathy often received better job offers in the course of her current employment. She is naturally a people person and always really enjoyed wherever she worked. Others who met her couldn’t help but be impressed by her enthusiasm and special spark. They would get to know her and say, “You should come work for me”, and she usually did. After the birth of their first son, Michael, Paul got offered a job in Vermillion working for USD with the opportunity to get his Masters in teaching. They jumped on the opportunity and sold their house in one day. They lived temporarily in a trailer for ten months. It was a bit of a trial because the Harens didn’t know that there was no air Willcockson Eye Associates, P .C. Quality Eye Care, Close To Home • Quality medical and surgical eye care for you and your family • State of the art cataract surgery • Expert treatment of diseases such as glaucoma, eye complications from diabetes, and macular degeneration • Extensive selection of frames, styles and lens options at The Spectacle Shop, LLC. The Spectacle Shop, L.L.C. 415 W. 3rd, Yankton • Call 605-665-9638 4vHERVOICEvNOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 Karen E Dickes, D.O. Board Certified Ophthalmologist Medical and Surgical Eye Care Gregory A Kouri, O.D. Optometrist Medical Eye Care