Kathy Heller- A Civically Engaged: Tennis Coach?

Coach Heller at a USTA Middle States Hall of Fame banquet. She is the second one in from the left. She’s standing next to our other high school coach, Coach VanBuskirk (far left).

Card that Coach Heller gave us for graduation.

Oh Coach Heller, she really is a character. She was one of my tennis coaches in high school, and she is the exact embodiment of a sweet old grandma- with   one exception. Coach Heller, despite her ripe old age, does more for her community than the rest of our hometown combined. This may be an exaggeration, of course, but she certainly does a lot considering she isn’t getting any younger. Coach Heller used to be a teacher in the Nazareth (my hometown) School District, and ever since she retired, she has remained involved in several clubs at all of the schools in the district,especially the high school. This is part of the reason I chose her as a civic person to interview for my speech. I believe that it’s interesting how even though she retired from the district, its almost as if she never left her job anyway. Through the sixteen different clubs/ activities that Coach Heller does, she really inspires others to become civic citizens through her example. She often gets some of the high school players (including me) to help her with different indoor practices, programs, and tournaments she runs for the younger children in our community. Coach Heller doesn’t only give back to the tennis community, however, she also spends her time helping with other service clubs in our community. For example she is a member of the Blue Eagle Education Foundation, which among other things, offers up a local scholarship for graduating seniors. I think one of the most interesting things is the large role that kairos plays in her civic engagements. Coach Heller told me that she really became involved in all of these activities when she retired from teaching, because she wanted to both remain involved in her community, and keep her self busy. She found the prime opportunity to really let her civic side take off, which is exactly how kairos relates to her civic life. All in all, Coach Heller is both a civically engaged person and a delight to be around, whether it’s playing tennis or passing her in the local food store.