Signing, workshop Sept. 27
Linda Erbele
White County News
Cleveland resident Karen Casey has written a book called Splash JOY – Connecting with People One Moment at a Time. It offers tips, stories and ideas to create moments that leave a mark.
“They can take the ideas in here that don’t cost much money and do something for someone,” she said. “It’s not how much you
spend.”
She describes it as “kindness that sticks.” She wrote the book because she believes people are connecting with each other in far fewer ways than they used to.
“We are missing out on the joy and purpose that can only come from connecting people and God,” she said. “This is what Splash JOY is about – learning how to connect with God and others, one moment at a time.”
Specifically, she believes both the Baby Boomer and the Millennial women will connect with the ideas in the book. Casey referred to studies that show that between 20 and 50 percent of adults in our country are lonely or feel disconnected from other people, leaving them with the feeling of being unnoticed and unvalued.
In the book, she quotes Stephen Post, Ph.D. who said, “When we do good things for others, we reduce our stress levels, which may lengthen our lives.”
Casey has worked as a wedding and event planner for years. In 2013, she collaborated as designer with writer Emory Jones to produce Heart of a Coop, a book about bringing electricity to the area.
Among the ideas in Splash JOY are transforming what Casey calls a “mud-ugly table” to a tiny beautiful tablescape.
She will hold a joint book-signing and workshop on “How to Create Tiny Tables for Two” at the Roy Ash Community Room, 89 E. Jarrard St., (across from United Community Bank) in Cleveland on Saturday, Sept. 27. The free workshop will be from 10 a.m. to noon, and the book signing from 1 to 4 p.m.
The event includes a silent auction of Casey’s 31 decorated mini-tables to benefit the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of White County. Foundational Literacy, a non-profit created in Cleveland by residents John and Vickie Aiken, is the program partner for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which provides a book a month to children from birth to age 5.
Casey has known the Aikens for some time and has participated in its fundraising efforts in the past.
“I see their heart and what they’re doing,” she said. “It just seemed like the logical thing to do.”
She said the tables will start at $31 because that’s what it takes to sponsor a child in the program for a year.
For information about the book, see www. MomentMarkerLife.com. For information about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in White County, see www.foundationalliteracy. org.