Tim and Debbie Kelley
~ by Bob Gustin
Tim and Debbie Kelley and their buddy Toby. photo by Chris Gustin
It didn’ t take long for Tim and Debbie Kelley to find a spot for themselves in Brown County and begin making a difference in the community. Since moving to Van Buren Township about three years ago, they have become active in the community, giving time, money, and energy for causes in which they believe. Many of those efforts are focused on improving the lives of children.
“ They’ re very refreshing to our community because of their tireless efforts to try to improve things,” said Larry Voris, vice chairman of the YMCA board of directors.“ They have a passion for helping people.”
Both Tim and Debbie are involved in the local Y, Debbie as the board chairwoman, and Tim as a member of the grounds and maintenance committee.
In addition to her work with the YMCA, Debbie is a board member and head of fundraising for the Brown County Weekend Backpacks, which provides food for local children. She’ s also a tutor for the Brown County Literacy Coalition and on the finance committee of the Brown County Community Foundation.
While living in Philadelphia, Debbie became involved with the nonprofit“ Darkness to Light” program, which focuses on child sexual abuse. She now provides workshops to Brown County groups, including the Literacy Coalition.
Jan Swigert, head of the backpack program, said Debbie led two recent successful fundraising projects, the Touch-A-Truck event this summer, and a silent auction at the Mellencougar concert at the Brown County Playhouse.“ She’ s just a very giving person and feels the very definite need to help others. She’ s a very smart lady,” Swigert said.
Tim became involved in the local Y through Debbie’ s work, and also heads up the local Rotary Club’ s international efforts. He is a member of the advisory board for Brown County High School’ s Eagle Manufacturing program, which trains high school students in technology and business.
Both Tim and Debbie grew up in Frankfort, Indiana.
Determined to go to college after graduation, Debbie worked her way through five universities and two community colleges over a 10-year period, including Indiana University, Purdue, IUPUI, and Ball State University. She graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit with a degree in business and a major in finance. She worked as a waitress, telemarketer, and as a secretary for the business school at Wayne State. She lived in 36 different locations after relocating for jobs.
“ God planted me where I needed to be at a time I needed to be there,” she said.
Throughout her career she has“ bounced against” discrimination in the workplace, during a time when it was difficult for women to get ahead in the business world. She continues to battle against people undermining girls’ and women’ s worth, and telling them what they can do.
Debbie worked for a small loan company and then was hired full time as a bank examiner for the State of Indiana in 1980.
“ I got a perspective on good and bad leadership as I went from bank to bank,” she said. She worked at a variety of jobs at Comerica
30 Our Brown County • Nov./ Dec. 2018