Watchful eyes

While some people volunteer their time to help others, Janet Kelley volunteers to also secure their safety.

"I man the front door to make sure the kids go with who they are supposed to," Kelley said of her position at Girls Inc. of Jackson County.

She said that even if you tell them "don't go with someone that you don't know," bad things can still happen.

"Before I moved here, someone was abducted from the Girls Inc.," Kelly said of an incident that occurred nine years ago. "They found the girl, but she had already been violated."

Charley Hollin, 52, is wanted by the FBI for kidnapping a 10-year-old girl who reported being abducted at knifepoint outside the center Jan. 20, 1999. Seymour Police Department reported in January 1999 that the child was driven to an area south of Cortland, molested by Hollin and left along the roadside where she was later found by a passing motorist.

After that incident, Girls Inc. decided to have someone monitor the front door and keep track of the girls As they come and go. Kelley said she makes sure the girls can verify the person picking them up.

"Even if Grandma comes in to pick up her granddaughter, we will ask the girl if Grandma is supposed to take her home today," she said. "If she doesn't know, then we call the parent to make sure it is OK."

Kelley and her husband, Mike, moved to Seymour nine years ago from Cincinnati. She has spent the past eight years volunteering her time with Girls Inc. and monitoring the front door.

Currently she volunteers on Mondays and Tuesdays for the after school program that runs from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

"You can not beat the women here," Kelley said of those who work at Girls Inc. "Most people have no idea what they do for these girls. This is a great venue to meet these girls and to get to know their families."

Kelley added the teen volunteers not only help Girls Inc. they are also helping themselves.

"The teen volunteers here, they are some of the most remarkable ladies," Kelly said. "Numerous kids have benefited from the women's council scholarship that they offer here."

In sixth-grade, girls can start to volunteer with the organization. Girls who aren't volunteers are able to come for $25 a year every day after school.

"Who can find a place like that?" Kelley asked. "If both parents are working, I don't think you can find a better place for girls to go after school. Some of the experiences that they have are going to last them a life time. It's a remarkable organization; I can not tell you how proud I am to be a part of what they do here."

Girls Inc. presented Kelley with the Distinguished Service Award after one of the first years she started volunteering.

"I wasn't going to go (to the awards ceremony), but they talked me into it and surprised me when I got there," Kelley said. "It was one of the nicest things that anybody had ever done for me."

Besides volunteering with Girls Inc., Kelley is a member of St. Ambrose Catholic Church. She has volunteered with both the school and church, serving on the school commission and parish council.

Kelley is a retired school teacher, last teaching in Cincinnati in the Wintonwoods school district.

"I taught health and physical education," she said. "I was an elementary guidance counselor the last five years before I moved here; health issues forced me into an early retirement."

Her husband is the assistant principal and athletic director at Brownstown Central Middle School. They don't have any children, but she said they do have a yellow Labrador retriever named Riley. They also have five nieces and nephews between the ages of 11 and 18 who she said they chase around to their different activities.

"We enjoy watching them compete," Kelley said. "Two of them are involved with drama, so we've been to several of their plays. All five are involved in sporting activities."

Kelley lived in Cincinnati for 40 years before coming to Seymour. One plus she said of moving to Seymour was being able to spend more time with her nieces and nephews.

"I do like it," Kelley said of Seymour. "My whole family and friends, I miss them; but we get back when we need to."

She said the transition of moving from Cincinnati to Seymour was easier because of her in-laws living here. She and her husband went back and forth between the two cities before moving to Seymour.

Besides spending time with her friends and family, Kelley said she enjoys reading and sporting activities.

"I just got serious about golf in the last couple of years," she said. "I've done running road races and I did the Mini-marathon in Indy last year."

Kelley is planning to run a half marathon on May 17 at Geist Reservoir, which is a 13.1 mile run.

"It's the first time we've done that one. It's supposed to be pretty beautiful up there."