Meet the Child Care Council Staff

Introducing Melissa B.

Belinda @ Kids Matter

Introducing, Melissa (Missy); she has worked in the Child Care Assistance Program for three years and serves the counties of Whitley and McCreary, as an Eligibility Specialist. Missy said that she loves working for the CCC and working daily, with a group of people, to help others. It gives her a sense of great pride and accomplishment. She said, “I love knowing the job we do, helps families. Raising kids is NOT an easy job! It’s the most rewarding job, just not the easiest.”

It only takes an instant of looking at her pictures above, to realize that Missy is a fun, outgoing, and happy person. She has a beautiful smile that lights up everything around her. When she asked her mom to describe her using three words her mom replied, “Well, that really depends on which personality they get!” Her boyfriend of four years, Gus, agreed but added that she was always caring, giving, and willing to help others. She proudly said the same characteristics have been said of her eight year old daughter, Lily Grace.

Now, if you were like me, I saw the pictures of the animals and just went, “AWWW!” Missy, Gus, and Lily Grace live on a farm in McCreary County. Missy says that Gus is her soul mate and she is very proud of him. At work he is the Sheriff of McCreary County; at home, he is a rancher. They have six miniature donkeys, two mules, two horses, one miniature horse, three dogs (including a K-9), and one cat. She said, “There is NEVER a dull moment around our house!”

When she is not acting as a ranch hand, Missy loves photography and has plenty of beautiful scenery around her home to capture. You can see some of Missy’s photography in our Spring in Kentucky blog. She also loves to read, whenever she can find a spare moment. Janet Evanovich and James Patterson are a couple of her favorite authors. Horseback riding is also one of her favorite things to do. Living out on a farm affords her such beauty and peace, but she never imagined herself living on a farm. She said, “If someone had told me 10 years ago, that I would be living on a farm, I’d have called them CRAZY! Now? NOW, I can’t imagine it being any different.”

Have you ever been listening to someone talk when suddenly a wave of emotion comes over them? That emotion can be felt in each word. You feel their pain even though its hidden by a smile. Your heart goes out to them. I had that experience with Missy. I just have to say, what a strong woman she is. I asked her to what she attributed her being who she is today and her only hesitation came from pain, still fresh in her heart. On June 15, 2014, Father’s Day, she lost her father in a motorcycle wreck. She said, “My Dad built his own Harley, a 1976 Shovelhead, and he was an avid rider my entire life. So, the irony that this is how he was taken has not been lost. So, I cry… a lot lately. He was, of course, the BEST MAN EVER.” Spoken like a true daddy’s girl. I’m certain he is very proud of her and her brother. She went on to say, “He was not my biological father. He and my mom were together since I was 12. He married my mom, who had two kids. This was a man who had never been married and had no kids of his own. God knew exactly what he was doing when he gave us Daddy. So, as much as I cry these days, I truly know how very blessed we have been for the last 30 years to have him in our lives. He was loved by so very many people. We couldn’t have asked for a  better husband to our mom, a better dad for my brother and me, or a better papaw to Lily Grace.” What a beautiful tribute to her parents. A lesson for us all, cherish your parents, because they are only with us for a short time in our span of life.