Kelly Sharp, office manager for the Grace College athletic department and recent recipient of the Game Plan 4 LIFE Character Award presented by the NCCAA, is featured this week at the online news site, InkFreeNews. (Kelly and her husband, Mark, are members of the Winona Lake, Ind., Grace Brethren Church.) A portion of the story appears below. Click here to read the complete article.
A Jar So Sweet
WINONA LAKE – What’s in a fun size candy bar?
Well, a miniature Hershey bar has 67 calories, four grams of fat and a gram of protein. A tiny Tootsie Roll? 50 calories and a gram of fat. What does any of that have to do with Grace College athletic secretary Kelly Sharp?
It’s not about caloric counts or serving size in Sharp’s office. It’s about what comes about as the wrappers are being crinkled.
Sharp has utilized that small glass jar that sits on her desk countertop to create a social phenomenon. The jar holds anywhere between one and 100 pieces of candy, depending on the day. The hands reaching into it number in the dozens per day. But the value attached to the motion is what facilitates one of the most effective office managers in the Crossroads League.
“I know it’s just a piece of candy, but it’s really more than that,” noted Sharp. “I really make it a point to make eye contact with them and see how they are doing. I will call them out if they sneak a piece and don’t say anything. Or if they grab a handful and want to give it to their friends. I’ll tell them, you tell them to come get their own.”
Once the Mr. Goodbar or mini Milky Way is unwrapped, Sharp is ready to begin. And to be clear, Sharp isn’t actively trying to derail the diet regiments and eating patterns of the Grace athletic programs. She’s actually providing a service that has more value than a $2.99 bag of fun size bars would ever provide. And insists there isn’t a rhyme or reason to what goes into the jar.
Click here to read the complete article.