A joyful heart and desire to serve helps Fanny Stempeck enjoy her work at Kingdom!
    Lunchtime at Kingdom includes a warm meal and a friendly smile from Fanny Stempeck who is one of the talented people who works in Kingdom’s cafeteria. Fanny and Cheryl work together to prepare and serve around 70-80 meals each day. Fanny shared, “I’ve always been an outgoing person and I like to help wherever I can. The employees have to eat and if I can make the salad bar appealing, they work better after being filled up! I’m always ready to listen if anyone wants to talk.”
  
A heart for serving others
    Before coming to Kingdom, Fanny had been working under a program called Experience Works that helps people 55 and older get job training and employment. She spent nearly 3 years working at a local retirement home as a paid volunteer. Then she was sent to work with young people who had to do community service. Fanny shared, “I taught them how to make a 4 patch quilt block, which we put together in rows to make lap quilts for wheelchairs.”
  
“I went forward and gave my heart to the Lord.”
    Fanny became a Christian at a young age. She recalled, “My father was a Baptist Minister. One day, we had some special services at our church and I went forward and gave my heart to the Lord.” Today she is active in the Covington Baptist Church. “I help our Ladies Missionary group by making quilts for our closet,” she shared. “I also help out at AWANA by helping young boys and girls learn their verses and learn the book of the Bible. The most rewarding thing about helping the young people is to see some of them come to know Christ.”
  
“I have always loved to ice skate!”
    When asked about her interests outside of work and church Fanny told us, “Not too many people know that I have always loved to ice skate. We did a lot of it in my growing up years. I still have a pair of ice skates and have ice skated on the pond at my place when the ice is smooth. My other hobbies are sewing, making quilts, and collecting Snow People. I also collect Swans. I think they are so graceful and one of the prettiest of God’s creations.”
  
“I simply enjoy working at Kingdom.”
    What does Fanny think about her job at Kingdom? “Having this job at Kingdom has given me the chance to meet new people and everybody has been so friendly,” she said. “I thank the people who hired me for having confidence in me to give me a chance to prove that I really did want to work. Too many employers thought I was too old! I like working in the kitchen with Cheryl. We are busy and I like that. I have proven that I can work!”
  
    Fanny doesn’t intend to slow down soon! She told us, “I get enjoyment out of people when they find out how old I am and they say, ‘No way!’ I am so thankful for the good health the Lord has given me. I simply enjoy working at Kingdom.” We are thankful for Fanny being a part of the Kingdom family!
  
Note from Johnny Berguson, Kingdom’s President: Long before their mother died, Johnny Berguson went to Sunday School as a kid with the Stempeck children before Fanny became their stepmother. Fanny is a delight to have here at Kingdom.