"Finding Something Better"

Lyn’s Story

© 2005 Marilyn Havner Walker, MS

Lyn Buckler-Bergdoll has been down a few roads in her life.  She believes “paths take you where you’re supposed to be.”  At least she believes that now, after having been through some red lights.

When Lyn looks back on her life before she hit her first red light she “really liked” what she did.  She taught third and fourth grades.  She liked it so much she “thought [she’d] always teach.”  But enrollment began to decline in her school district and rumors of closing the school started.  In spite of those rumors Lyn was “shocked and devastated” when the stories ended up being partially true and the unimaginable happened: She lost her job.  “I had expected that I would work in one place forever.  Teachers just didn’t lose their jobs.”

She is one teacher who did. 

In addition to teaching, Lyn is also a dancer and choreographer.  She directed and choreographed the York County Junior Miss program and additional community theater productions.  She translated her non-profit volunteer experience and skills into a paid position when she accepted the position of Program Director with the Jewish Community Center (JCC) in York.  Lyn considers her time at the JCC to have been “a real learning opportunity.  Without that experience I wouldn’t be in the place I am now.  I really liked what I did before.  But I love what I do now.”

Working for ten years under Allan Dameshek, someone she considered to be a “great leader,” one of the things Lyn learned was that the most important asset in an organization is the staff.  Lyn believes that “you can’t operate a quality organization without a good team that will do whatever they need to get the job done.”  To Lyn, a good team is one in which the members are cooperative and work together for the good of the organization.  Although there are as many definitions for the phrase “good team” as there are organizations, most people would agree that “teamwork” is necessary for the successful functioning of an organization.  When teamwork is not present, many find that to be a valid reason to find something better. 

Eventually the Jewish Community Center changed administration and Lyn moved on, accepting the position of Vice President of Development with Rehabilitation and Industrial Training Center in York, an organization that is no longer in existence.  Five years later, Lyn was presented with an opportunity at Junior Achievement of South Central Pennsylvania.  Here was the place to combine her education background with her non-profit experience.  Although she loved the mission of the organization, there seemed to be no room for advancement.  As a result, Lyn made another career transition, accepting the role of Development Officer at the Penn-Mar Organization.  When Lyn subsequently learned that the position of President of Junior Achievement was available, she “knew in a heartbeat that [she] wanted the job.”  Lyn again used her previous experience as a jumping-off place to move on to something better.

Although “hitting a brick wall” – or coming to a red light – seems traumatic at the time, Lyn is proof that it’s possible to move on to something better.

What helped Lyn find that something better?

              She had “great family support.” 

Lyn credits her family with helping her stay positive.  When we are faced with a life-changing decision, it’s easy to get bogged down with feeling sorry for ourselves or questioning how we got where we are.  Most of us need someone to help us stay focused on what we can learn from our situation and where we can go from here. 

              She utilized all of her past experiences to figure out what she wanted to do. 

Lyn believes that our “past experiences all work together.  It’s all a training ground.”  Because she was involved in her community, she also had lots of contacts.  Involvement in the community enabled Lyn to “know different people in different areas.”  When she lost her job, she was offered another one immediately because of those contacts.  When she moved on from the Jewish Community Center she again utilized her contacts to find a job quickly.   “Everything has a synergy and makes each area better.”  We are all multi-faceted.  We can, and should, use that to our advantage.

              She viewed her situation as an opportunity. 

Although we may not all go through life seeing the glass “half full”, all of us can sit at those red lights for a moment and ask ourselves:

• What can I learn from this?
• How can I best use what I’ve learned?

At every red light Lyn considered her previous experiences and life lessons in making the decision as to which way to turn.  With every right turn she integrated all of her experiences, as well as all of her contacts, to take advantage of the opportunity to make a new start.    

Red lights, while feeling traumatic and devastating at the time, “can always lead to something better if we remain positive.”  For Lyn Buckler-Bergdoll “it’s important to do things that make a difference to people and in the community.  People don’t remember what you do.  They remember how you make them feel.” 

And Lyn has made a lot of people in a lot of places feel very good about themselves. 

About Junior Achievement:

Junior Achievement is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “ensure that every child has a fundamental understanding of the free enterprise system.”  With paid staff and adult volunteers Junior Achievement has programs for children in grades K – 12 that are designed to educate and inspire young people to “value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives.” 

“Exchange City” is the Junior Achievement learning laboratory program in Central Pennsylvania for grades 5 and 6.  In this program students study an eight-week curriculum that culminates in a day at “Exchange City”, a “simulated community where students assume the roles of workers and consumers”.  This 8,000 square foot complex boasts state-of-the-art technology and strategies to reinforce the lessons students learned through their classroom activities. 

The “Extreme Challenge” is a Team Building and Professional Development opportunity designed for community business organizations to “enhance communication and strategy, while bringing everyone together for a fast-paced energizing experience.”  The customized experience includes half-day and full-day options. 

For more information about making Junior Achievement available in your local school, volunteering for Junior Achievement or finding out if there is an Exchange City in your area check out their web site at www.jascpa.org.

Resources:

Make the Right Turn on Red highlights the stories of women who have changed directions in their lives.  Lyn joins a group of women who have found themselves stopped in their tracks and turning in an entirely different direction.  Each of these women would acknowledge that they could not have made their life changes without the support of family and friends.

However, not everyone is fortunate enough to have family nearby.  While family can’t be invented, they can be “adopted.”  Every community has many nursing homes with lonely residents who have no family to visit with.  There are also many young families in our neighborhoods, churches and synagogues that are without relatives nearby.  Any number of those nursing home residents or young families would deeply appreciate someone to spend time with, someone to read to them or just someone who cares.  Many close relationships have been born of such beginnings.

There are also people who find it difficult to make friends.  Brushing up on social skills and getting involved in enjoyable activities are great ways to make friends.  People who share hobbies first of all have an easy conversation topic, and probably also share other interests as well.  Weekend newspapers and local community web sites list a variety of options every week. 

For information about events in Central Pennsylvania check out the following web sites:

• www.visithhc.com (Harrisburg)
• http://www.harrisburg.com/attractions.
• www.padutchcountry.com (Lancaster)
• http://www.pavisnet.com/lancaster/ (Lancaster)
• www.yorkcityevents.com (York)
• http://www.yorkpennsylvania.net/local-events/index.html (York)

Every community offers numerous activities to be involved in that provide excellent resources to develop friendships.  The local newspaper and community web sites typically provide that information. 

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This article appeared in www.BusinessWomanPA.com