Toni Reece: Hi there. This is Toni Reece, and welcome to the Get Inspired! Project for Berks County Living Magazine. Today I have Jeff Woytovich with me. Hey, Jeff.
Jeff Woytovich: How are you?
Toni: I’m great. How are you doing?
Jeff: I can't complain.
Toni: Well, that’s always a good thing, right?
Jeff: Right.
Toni: Take a moment and just tell us a little bit about yourself before we jump into the Project.
Jeff: Born and raised in Reading. Live in Wyomissing. Served in the Marine Corps. I have four daughters. Married since 1994. I have a nonprofit called The Children’s Alopecia Project.
Toni: Okay, great. So, here we go. Ready?
Jeff: Ready.
Toni: What does inspiration mean to you?
Jeff: Inspiration probably changes a lot, but right now I think inspiration are the kids that I serve with alopecia. They don’t really have to say anything or do anything. They’re there, and some are doing great, and others are being bullied, and others need more tools to adapt to school and figure out how they fit into a society of hair when they have no hair. When I see the kids or I speak to the kids, that’s my level of inspiration now, because I know that beyond having just the passion of doing this and the purpose, I’m inspired to continue doing it because of the kids.
Toni: So it’s really how they are coping that inspires you to keep moving forward.
Jeff: Correct.
Toni: Do you know when you’re inspired? Can you feel it?
Jeff: Yeah. I mean, I get emotional. I think the emotion that I’m experiencing is pretty much that inspiration that’s starting to grow inside of me, because I usually have a kick in my step that makes me want to do more after I’m dealing with the kids or even with the families. I get emotional, and it’s not hard to do for me. That’s pretty much how I know it’s happening. It would be just boring to go into a situation and just do it over and over and not get anything out of it, because that’s work.
Toni: Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Alright, so you’re inspired by the kids and you know when it’s happening; so, what do you do with that inspiration? How do you put that into practice here in Berks County?
Jeff: The best way for me to utilize it here in Berks County is that this is where we’re stationed. This is where The Children’s Alopecia Project is based. Everything that we do, it’s still hometown. It’s still Berks County. It’s still Reading. It’s still where I hang my hat. Everything that I’m doing that helps other kids and other families in other areas. There always has to be something that I’m getting from the area, and a lot of that comes from what other nonprofits are doing and what other people are doing, and what other volunteer opportunities there are for me or for my children. I think a lot of that helps fuel me, so that way, when I’m doing something someplace else, I tend to think about home and I think about what’s going on, and how I can make it better somewhere else.
Toni: So you act on your inspiration by finding best practices here?
Jeff: Correct.
Toni: Okay. Can you take a minute, step back, and define what alopecia is?
Jeff: Alopecia is an incurable autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. It’s like any other autoimmune disease. Your body attacks the hair follicles. If you have juvenile diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, your body attacks itself. With this, unfortunately the kids lose their hair. It’s not painful. It’s not contagious. No one’s ever going to die from alopecia. If you’re going to have to have a disease, it’s probably the easiest physical disease to have, because there is no medicine, it doesn’t hurt, no one’s going to die from it.
The problem is, 75 percent of women that get diagnosed with cancer, their biggest fear isn't dying…it’s losing their hair. So, you have the worst disease in the world and the thing that women are afraid of most is losing their hair, and then you have probably the easiest disease in the world to have, and that’s the result. You can understand how traumatizing it is for the kids and even the adults that get it, because you’re helpless. There’s no indication that you even have a disease, because there is no pain. You’re not reminded of it until you look in the mirror or until somebody stares at you or points at you or unfortunately makes fun of you.
Toni: Can you give me an example of how you put some of this action, Jeff, into your work here, specifically into Berks County? Is there a specific example you can give me?
Jeff: Yeah. I’m on the Board of Big Vision Foundation, and I’ve always thought that we’re very similar in the type of organization that we are, because we want to partner with others, and we want to play nice. A lot of the times when I see something that Dan Clouser or somebody else on the board on what they’re doing or the types of events that they’re putting together, it inspires me, and it makes me want to do a better job with CAP, because I see what I can do someplace else. Listen, if I can steal something from someone else, I’m going to do it.
Toni: Hey, why not? That’s inspiring!
Jeff: Imitation is…
Toni: The greatest form of flattery?
Jeff: Of flattery.
Toni: There you go.
Jeff: I imitate whoever is successful.
Toni: That’s right. I think the politically correct way to say that is that’s best practices.
Jeff: There you go.
Toni: You’re sharing best practices. Who in Berks County inspires you, Jeff?
Jeff: I think right now, my children. My two oldest. Helena is a sophomore at Susquehanna University, and Maddie, who has alopecia, is a freshman at Philadelphia University. Everybody has a stage of being a parent that you like more than another, but then no one’s ever satisfied, because you’re always thinking, “When they’re infants, all they do is cry. I can't wait until they’re toddlers so I can play with them.” Then when they’re toddlers, it’s like, “Okay, they’re driving me crazy. I can't wait until they go to school.” Then, you can't wait until they can talk to you, and then when they can talk to you, they’re teenagers and you’re like, “Oh my gosh, I can't wait to get out of this.”
I’m actually at the point where all four of my daughters, two being in college, one being in tenth grade, and the other in seventh grade, I’m content with where they’re at. Everything that they do just amazes me, because where they’re at intellectually and spiritually and education-wise, it’s just totally so far away from where I was at all of those levels that they truly make me want to be a better person. I mean, I know it’s cliché, and probably everyone says it here. Whoever is listening is probably thinking, “Okay, sure.” But it’s true. I would include my wife, but specifically the four girls.
Toni: Okay. I think your best practices have worn off on your daughters, haven’t they?
Jeff: Yeah. I think they have a sense…they have a purpose beyond vanity. They have a purpose, because whether or not they see me, or more importantly they see the people that we’re dealing with, they’re the ones that I think really inspire them to want to do more and to be good kids, because they see how others have it so much worse. I think they’re just thankful that they have it pretty good. I’ve always said that you really don’t need money to be a rich guy. I don’t have money, but I don’t know of anyone else richer than me.
Toni: That’s fantastic. So Jeff, anybody else you want to talk about that inspires you?
Jeff: There’s a bunch of people. Eric Savage, Craig Poole, Dan Clouser. You, Toni. I mean, there’s so many different facets of people that are trying to do the right work out there in the community. Everybody has their shortcomings, but they’re just not saying stuff. They’re actually doing something about it. That’s always inspirational for somebody who wants to do the right thing all the time. When you see other people doing it in the community, you want to join in. I mean, I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be. You want some of what someone else has. The best way of getting it is to imitate them. Best practices.
Toni: Stay with that. That’s an esteemed group, and I appreciate you giving me a shout out there, my goodness, particularly with your daughters. Okay, so Jeff…here’s the big one. What do you want your legacy to be?
Jeff: I remember it used to be a lot grander than it is now. I guess maybe because I’m on the cusp of being 50 in the next month, I just want to be remembered as someone who tried to do the best he could, and he screwed up a lot, but he did 1 percent more good than he did bad. I think at the end of the day, when people can say that, “He did more good than bad,” I think that’s a pretty good legacy, and then hopefully others will be inspired by the stuff that I did and try to be 2 percent better when their days are done.
Toni: I always say this on this Project, and I’ve been doing it a long time, is that people don’t realize that they’re actually living their legacy, not leaving a legacy. You are one of those gentlemen who are living your legacy. I bet it’s higher than 1 percent.
Jeff: Well, I want to get to 1 percent above, so 51 percent is where I want to go. Obviously, I want to go to 100, but it doesn’t happen all the time. Sometimes it gets close, but so far it hasn’t happened. It gives me the hunger to continue trying to get to that 100 percent.
Toni: And remained inspired and sharing those best practices.
Jeff: Yes. Best practices. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Toni: Jeff, thank you so much for showing up for the Get Inspired! Project.
Jeff: You’re welcome.
