Just ask Cindy McClelland about her life’s passion and you’ll hear it in one
word – kids. The self-proclaimed children’s
advocate could be the Midwest “soccer mom” that political candidates love to
woo. After all, she is from the Midwest; she is proud to be a mom; and she does
drive her son to soccer. There is that, but
there’s a whole lot more.
Cindy is passionately
involved in the community, and she cares deeply about anything and everything
that has to do kids – everyone’s kids, not just her own.
“It’s important to me that the voice of the families is heard and I have
a big enough mouth,” she joked. Spend much time
around Cindy and you’ll know she isn’t joking. She’s
dead serious that the voices of children, families and animals need to be heard,
loud and clear. She achieves great satisfaction
from challenging people and institutions on behalf of all those who cannot speak
for themselves.
Cindy sees Incline
demographics as different from other communities around the Lake.
According to her, there are three distinct
groups: retired folks, second home owners and families.
“The town would not be the same without the families,” she said, “but a
lot of people don’t know we’re here. For many,
their kids are grown and they’re past that stage of their lives.
The visitors are on vacation and forget there
are families who live here.” Cindy makes it her
job to remind them.
She and husband Wayne
and son Sean moved to Incline Village five years ago from Cincinnati, Ohio.
They knew no one when they came, but she hit the
ground running. “I’m nosey. I’m involved,” she
laughed. “I have one child and a husband who is retired. I
could stay home and visit with my husband, clean house, or go out and do
things.”
You might say the
decision to become involved was a no-brainer for the Stanford
and DePaul graduate who was a Montessori teacher and a vice president of
software development for an international company before becoming a mom ten
years ago. At 44, she is “retired” and working
harder than ever on behalf of Incline families.
A quick scan of
Cindy’s community commitments says it all: co-president of the PTA at Incline
Elementary; teacher of Torah Ethics at the Hebrew School; vice chairman of the
board for Children’s Cabinet; volunteer for the Diamond Peak Ski Team (Sean is
on the team); vice president of the Chautauqua Festival; vice president of
Incline Star Follies; volunteer with AYSO Soccer; volunteer at Pet Network; and,
in her words, “room mom stuff.” In 2001, she was
voted Volunteer of the Year by the Incline Village/Crystal Bay Chamber of
Commerce.
“I’m not good at
awards,” she squirmed, body language echoing this truth. “I
don’t do things for recognition. It’s enough just to have a hug from a kid and
have the dogs around – the family has three and two more are long-term visitors
on any given day. “Maybe that’s selfish, but I get a lot out of it,” she smiled.
When Cindy received the Chamber award, it only
made her want to work harder. The thought
crossed her mind. “If I can do this, I can do more.” How much more?
If you are reading
this, you probably know that Cindy is the new Erma Bombeck-style, first person
columnist for the the north Lake Tahoe Bonanza, Sunday edition, writing off the top
of her head and from the side of her mouth about – what else – families and kids
and all the little things that make everyday life important.
Though she was surprised when the publisher asked her to write, it’s no
surprise that she’s taken so quickly to the role. As
it turns out, she and Erma Bombeck were neighbors in Dayton, Ohio.
Erma and Cindy’s dad were buddies in high school
and Cindy’s uncle even dated Erma. Cindy has
known the homespun humorist all her life.
Maybe it’s our
collective need to embrace the old-fashioned, Midwestern values – Mom, America
and Apple Pie (or chocolate chip cookies) – but Cindy has struck a chord.
Her column is getting a great response here in
Incline. People seem eager to read and talk about their families.
According to Cindy, the Incline “Mom Network” is
alive and strong. There are a lot of great moms
in town and we have an unwritten pact among us to keep an eye on the kids and to
keep in touch. The kids probably hate growing up
here,” she laughed. “We tell them to go, do what
you like, but before you’re home, I’ll have a call and I’ll know just what
you’ve been up to,” she chided.
Home is where the
heart is, and the McClelland home is warm and comfortable. Rooms
are filled by Cindy’s obsession with thrift shops. (A
column on this subject appeared not long ago.) Wayne
comes and goes to various volunteer activities: Project MANA,
Diamond Peak Ski Patrol, and head referee for AYSO
soccer. Dogs laze around the room only to leap
to attention, barking in chorus at the sound of the school bus.
Sean is greeted with fresh-baked chocolate chip
cookies and his mom’s full attention. Does it get any better than this?
Cindy is comfortable
with the transition from corporate career woman to community career mom.
She uses her marketing and advertising skills to
help many nonprofits operating on a shoestring. Her
Montessori training is evident in the way she structures her home.
Sean’s toys are put away by type.
Lego’s don’t mix with action figures.
Everything has a place – it comes out, it goes
back. It beats nagging.
“In Montessori, everything is color coded and separate. I’m not that bad
. . . am I?” she laughed. Once a teacher, always
a teacher. “I’d love to help start a Montessori
school on the North Shore,” her eyes shone at the possibility.
There are several Montessori schools in Reno and
one in South Lake Tahoe. “Children’s Cabinet
just purchased Tahoe Tots. I’ve been hinting about a possible Montessori
curriculum.”
It’s hard to imagine
Cindy just hinting about anything. Stay tuned. There may be a new Montessori
school coming soon to a neighborhood near you.
