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In this episode of Main Street Moxie, Keith Moon shares stories about his longstanding involvement with Special Olympics, an organization with moxie built into its DNA.

Keith’s secret moxie sauce is recognizing a need and then finding a way to use his talents and skills to make a difference. He enjoys bringing people and organizations together to accomplish a larger goal.

Keith's involvement in Special Olympics began when he read an appeal in the Hartford Courant to raise needed funds for the organization. His response: “I can do that.” Using his position as the boys’ swim coach at the Hotchkiss School, he organized a swimathon that raised $4,000. That was 30 years ago, and he’s organized one every year since; to date, the Swimathon has raised over $250,000 for Special Olympics. Working with colleagues, students, and the local community, he has expanded the reach of the Swimathon and branched out into athletic competitions in other sports.

Keith has remained an enthusiastic supporter of the Special Olympics mission of creating athletic competitions that promote the development of individuals with intellectual disabilities and their inclusion in society. Keith’s nine-year tenure on the board of Special Olympics Connecticut has also given him insight into the moxie of the athletes and their families. The athletes' determination, competitive joy, and focus on what they can do–not their limitations–fuel his dedication to the Special Olympians.

In 2022, after Russia attacked Ukraine, he helped form a partnership between Special Olympics Connecticut and Special Olympics Slovakia, to create a Dream Day Center for Ukrainian refugee children born with intellectual disabilities and their families. At this year’s 30th annual Hotchkiss Swimathon, four Slovakian coaches and four Special Olympics Slovakia athletes will make the swim across Lake Wononscopomuc and back on September 7, 2024.

Keith has been an instructor of Russian history and literature at the Hotchkiss School since 1989 and a volunteer instructor in those subjects for Noble Horizons Retirement Community since 2012. In 2019, he was awarded the school’s Lufkin Prize, which honors faculty for their excellence, commitment, moral leadership, and service to the community.

If you’d like to learn more about Swimathon and how you can get involved and contribute, email kmoon@hotchkiss.org.

This episode of Main Street Moxie is proudly sponsored by Elyse Harney Real Estate.

Resources
Special Olympics Connecticut
Special Olympics
NobleHorizons Blog: Keith Moon: Raising People Up
Lufkin Prize Speech

Social Media
Special Olympics Connecticut Facebook
Special Olympics Connecticut Instagram
Special Olympics Connecticut YouTube
Special Olympics Connecticut LinkedIn
Hotchkiss School Instagram

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Bill Johnson believes moxie is essential for pursuing purpose, which he defines as becoming one's best self in service of at least one thing larger than oneself. This self-knowledge and action directed outward are why we’re here—and why he’s here, too.

Known as the “Dream Dean,” Bill continues to refine his Life Design Catalyst program, immersing himself in it to gain deeper insight into his own “why.” This place of deeper understanding and a growth mindset on steroids fuels Bill’s work. His own journey inspires him to be one percent better each day. He believes in surrounding himself with people–his tribe–who challenge and support him.

After 34 years in higher education, he retired in June 2023 to pursue his true love—empowering people to initiate the self-discovery process to explore, express, and embrace purpose and possibilities to transform their lives and the lives of others. In short, he helps people find purpose and meaning in their lives to help others do the same.

Bill has held workshops that have trained thousands of people and worked with hundreds of institutions within and outside higher education to use the Life Design Catalyst curriculum to create workshops, programs, and courses that change the lives of those they employ and serve.

In his academic career, Bill worked extensively with students, faculty, and staff in various capacities at Davidson-Davie Community College, the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, the College of William and Mary, the College of New Jersey, and the University of Delaware. Bill has a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation and Parks Administration and a Master of Science Degree in Physical Education, both from the University of Delaware. He is also a certified Dream Coach, Spiritual Group Coach, and Wellness Coach with extensive Purpose and Life Coaching training.

This episode of Main Street Moxie is proudly sponsored by Meadowscapes and Elyse Harney Real Estate.

Resources

Dream Dean Website
Life Design Catalyst Program

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Pieter Lefferts is a visual artist, author, and musician who draws deeply from the natural world for creative inspiration and moxie. Over the years he has sought deeper communion with Nature to find balance and better understand himself and the world around him. In this work, he eschews perfection and instead embraces authenticity and intentionality, wherein perfection unfolds as the sum of the parts of an idea explored and life lived.

Pieter is a student of shamanism, indigenous wisdom, science, and natural history, which, in combination, inform his artistic process. He is a lover of stories and people and strives to live his life with humor, grace, and a reliable Adirondack guide boat from which to paint.

His award-winning artwork is in national and international collections. He has received numerous awards for his artistry and as an arts educator. Litchfield Magazine named him one of Litchfield County's 50 Most Influential People of 2012.

Widely collected, his work has been juried into the renowned Pastel Society of America's annual 'Enduring Brilliance' exhibition in New York City and the Northeast National Pastel Exhibition in Old Forge, NY, in which he received the Lee Award for artistic excellence. He exhibits in group shows throughout the region, including Keene Arts in Keene, NY. His recent solo exhibit at the DM Hunt Library in Falls Village, CT, included an Earth Day reading from his award-winning novel, What The Kek Kek Saw, a fable published by UnCollected Press in 2022 and chosen as a Nautilus Book Awards Gold Winner for Young Adult Fiction in 2023.

Pieter is the founder of Northlight Art Center, located in Amenia, NY, a venue for aspiring artists to study with him in a professional atelier environment. He is a master teaching artist whose knowledge of techniques and materials, coupled with his wit and wisdom, encourages students of all backgrounds to pursue their personal discovery through making art.

This episode of Main Street Moxie is proudly sponsored by Meadowscapes and Elyse Harney Real Estate.

Resources

Pieter Lefferts Website

The Raw Art Review

Social Media

Pieter Lefferts Instagram

Pieter Lefferts Facebook

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