Friday, February 7, 2025
56.7 F
Roseville

Bullied Child Becomes Successful Leader

As a University of Dayton student over 30 years ago, I was friends with Jim Kebe, now of Bexley, Ohio. Recently, I emailed to say hello and asked as an aside if he had cerebral palsy. I had always suspected, but never known for sure. We hadn’t seen each other since college.

In a telephone interview, 54-year-old Kebe said, “Growing up, I was always conscious of the way I walked because of cerebral palsy. I was easy to make fun of and today they would call that bullying. My most painful memories are of walking east on Lakeshore Drive in Euclid, Ohio, to go to Catholic school. The public school kids walking east would see me coming and imitate the way I walked. That sense of being conscious (of my gait) made me hesitant to try sports or do anything in public. I would even wait until people weren’t looking before walking across a room.”

From these experiences, Kebe said he developed empathy and became more aware of people with disabilities who might need more love, compassion or time.

“If seeing someone taunting another person today, I’d directly step in and challenge that person in a loving way,” he said. “Often the person doing the taunting is masking his (or her) own hurts and insecurities. I try to be compassionate, not only to the taunted person, but also to the taunter. I always try giving people a graceful way out of situations.”

For years, he had trouble getting past why God had allowed him to have cerebral palsy. Kebe had nine brothers and sisters. What helped him come to terms with his disability, he said, was realizing that if one of his siblings had to have cerebral palsy, he (Jim) would have been more than willing to “take one for the team” because he wouldn’t wish his disability on any of them.

Today, Kebe is married and has one daughter. He is executive director of The Stewardship Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization providing charitable organizations legacy and endowment opportunities for gift planning.

He advised people with cerebral palsy: “It’s not your fault and it’s not something that should make you feel ashamed. It is what it is and you may not understand why, but it is. I always felt I had to explain or justify why I walked the way I did. Who would choose this?”



Brighter Side

Trending

Roseville welcomes US Quadball West Coast National Qualifier this weekend

Roseville, Calif. - Quadball, an action-packed sport that evolved from the Harry Potter novels, will hold its only West Coast national qualifier Saturday, Feb. 8, and Sunday, Feb. 9 at Maidu Regional Park in Roseville.

Lowest Gas Prices in Roseville, Rocklin, & Lincoln

Roseville, Calif. - Gas prices continue to push higher above the $4 per gallon mark at many locations around South Placer County. Roseville consistently remains the low price leader while Rocklin and Lincoln residents consistently pay higher energy costs across the board.

Beryozka – European Market in Rocklin

Beryozka European Market in Rocklin, Calif.

El Burrito Taqueria in Roseville

El Burrito Taqueria in Roseville. Our goal is to provide a fantastic experience for our guests. We use the best ingredients to create all of our authentic Mexican dishes.

Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy

As we age, we approach the "pausal" years. For women, it's known as Menopause. For men, it's known as Andropause. During these transitional times in life, it's as if the sex glands go into retirement and there can be a lot of changes,

Topics

Roseville welcomes US Quadball West Coast National Qualifier this weekend

Roseville, Calif. - Quadball, an action-packed sport that evolved from the Harry Potter novels, will hold its only West Coast national qualifier Saturday, Feb. 8, and Sunday, Feb. 9 at Maidu Regional Park in Roseville.

Lowest Gas Prices in Roseville, Rocklin, & Lincoln

Roseville, Calif. - Gas prices continue to push higher above the $4 per gallon mark at many locations around South Placer County. Roseville consistently remains the low price leader while Rocklin and Lincoln residents consistently pay higher energy costs across the board.

Beryozka – European Market in Rocklin

Beryozka European Market in Rocklin, Calif.

El Burrito Taqueria in Roseville

El Burrito Taqueria in Roseville. Our goal is to provide a fantastic experience for our guests. We use the best ingredients to create all of our authentic Mexican dishes.

Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy

As we age, we approach the "pausal" years. For women, it's known as Menopause. For men, it's known as Andropause. During these transitional times in life, it's as if the sex glands go into retirement and there can be a lot of changes,

Placer Conservation Authority takes step toward securing 4,245 acres of land easement acquisitions north of Lincoln

Auburn, Calif. - Approximately 4,245 acres of prime farmland, natural open space and environmental resources north of Lincoln is a step closer to being secured in perpetuity as part of the Placer County Conservation Program.

Boot Juice and Blü Egyptian in Auburn at Foothills Fillmore Feb 22

Auburn, Calif.- Keep Smilin' Promotions is bringing the much sought after Boot Juice to the Foothill Fillmore. The co-billed event also includes Blü Egyptian which has been described as "somewhere where Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Garcia, Joe Satriani & Buckethead are all infused in a Talking Heads state of mind."

Rocklin Unified and Rocklin Teachers Professional Association reach tentative agreement

Rocklin, Calif. - The Rocklin Unified School District (RUSD) and the California School Employees Association (CSEA), Chapter #773, are pleased to announce a tentative agreement for the 2024-25 academic year.

Related Articles

Local Spotlight

Sacramento Naturopathic Medical Center emphasizes the use of prevention and natural therapeutics

Sacramento Naturopathic Medical Center is a professional primary care natural medicine committed to helping all people reach their full potential – mind, body and spirit.

California Fence and Patio serving Placer County for over 30 years

Loomis, Calif. - California Fence & Patio is proud of their reputation as the premier fencing and patio cover contractor in the Roseville,, Sacramento and Placer County region.

Paul Black’s Solar Panel Cleaning in Roseville serving the region for over 30 years

Roseville, Calif. - Money-saving solar panels in Roseville, Rocklin and throughout South Placer County have become ubiquitous From new residential solar communities continue to big business and after market installation, solar seems to be a smart choice to shred those high monthly electric costs.