2020 Light a Candle

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5

Living in Sync is excited to announce three recipients of the Light a Candle Award, each earning a $500 academic scholarship given in recognition of those who have overcome adversity and exemplifies a giving spirit towards others.

Rather than being shut down in the challenges of life, these people embrace hope and a determination to make the world a better place. They embody the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."

Meet our 2020 Recipients: 

Courtney LePera

Courtney Le Pera

Helping others is a source of happiness for Courtney LePera and she's used every challenge as a doorway of continuing to give to others. 

From a very early age to the present, Courtney has endured a bumpy road with many health challenges. When she was two years old she was diagnosed with combined scoliosis, two missing vertebrates, and a butterfly knot. When chronic back pain returned during her sophomore year of high school, Courtney went to see an orthopedist. After many tests, it revealed there was a large mass in her abdomen that was attached to her spinal cord. After meeting with a team of doctors, they diagnosed the mass as ganglioneuroma and scheduled surgery to remove the mass. 

On the day of surgery, a routine pre-surgery EKG revealed a third degree atrioventricular block. This meant getting a pacemaker for her heart first. And when the first one failed, a second surgery which thankfully was successful. Now Courtney was finally ready for the surgery to remove 75% of the abdomen mass. The road to recovery and healing was very painful. Despite the twists and turns of her journey, she continued to persevere with a positive attitude and determination.

Courtney has never let her health issues stop her from having a positive impact on others. Being able to help others is what makes her most happy. One friend describes her as always maintaining a character of putting others before herself and being a bright light of joy. 

Volunteering has been a big part of her life since she was very young. Helping others has been a way that Courtney felt she could contribute and give back to those around her. She has been involved with Meals from the Heartland, helping in her church day care, and very active in the lives of residents at an assisted living center. A family friend says she is great with the senior residents and they all love her! 

Courtney has many great plans for her future as she continues to embrace life. She is attending DMACC to get her AAS degree. She then would like to pursue her education further by attending the University of Iowa for possibly a degree in the medical field. She has a strong interest in pediatrics and cardiology. Courtney says that she plans to continue her volunteering and giving back to others while pursuing her education.

Emma Kelly 

"No matter what I face, I always try very hard and I don't give up." 

Emma Kelly's life reveals the power in those words as her story unfolds. Many of us take our hearing and communication for granted; she shows us one who has been resilient, moving from survivor to one who gives generously to others. Here is Emma's story, as she tells it best... 

Emma Kelly

I was born in China and I lived in an orphanage until I was 8 years old. Life in the orphanage was very hard. I couldn't communicate with anyone there and I couldn't tell them what I needed. The staff who worked there were abusive. Sometimes they would not give me food or they would beat me with a stick. I couldn't understand what I did wrong or why they were angry with me. I spent most of my time alone because no one could understand me and they didn't like me. I didn't learn any language or go to school when I lived at the orphanage in China. 

When I was eight years old, I was adopted by an American family and I moved to the United States of America. My new family already knew some sign language because my father's grandma was deaf. My new family helped me learn sign language. My brother taught me my first sign, "tree", and then I started to learn many more signs after that. I also started speech therapy and aural habilitation. I had two surgeries and now have cochlear implants. I can hear some with the cochlear implants, but it's still hard to understand. I had hours of therapy to help me understand sounds better. 

I also started school. School was very hard for me because I was behind. I needed to learn both American Sign Language and English, plus I needed to learn all the other things, like science and math. There were so many new things. It was hard for me to understand questions and what is being said by teachers and everyone else. 

Even though everything is very hard. I am determined and I work hard. I am dependable and responsible. I still want to understand and communicated better with people so I keep trying. No matter what I face I always try very hard and I don't give up. 

When I was in high school, I transferred from Iowa School for the Deaf to an urban school in Des Moines. In my new school there was a classroom for kids who are deaf, but I also went into other classes with an interpreter. My deaf education teachers helped me a lot and were very supportive of me. They taught me new words, so I could expand my vocabulary and communicate better. 

My new school is very diverse and there are a lot of immigrants. In my deaf classroom, there were six high school students who had just come to the United States from Mexico, Afghanistan, Laos, and Africa. They had not learned sign language or gone to school before either. I wanted to help support them like my teachers helped me. I helped them learn sign language and new English words. I got pictures to show them and help them understand new words. I also helped them with their grammar. 

Sometimes it was easier for my friends to say things in sign language, but other people didn't understand them. It was easy for me to understand them. So, I explained what they meant to the teachers. I also helped them learn how to write words in English and helped them communicated with hearing people better. 

Another thing I did in class was help my teachers. Sometimes the kids didn't pay attention or would fall asleep. My teacher asked me to assist. When the kids were bored or not trying, I would tease them and encourage them. It's hard to focus when you don't understand, so I try to help make class more fun for them. 

Emma is pursuing her college education at The National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. She is beginning the Career Exploration track in fall of 2020. She is most interested in business, art, and science programs.

Avery Davis

Tenacious joy is how I would describe the story of 2020 Light A Candle winner Avery Davis. A weekly volunteer in her church's kids' wing, Avery has been a fount of enthusiasm for so long that she's had the privilege of watching kids grow from babies to elementary age, always bringing a smile and a hope for a better tomorrow for those around her. 

Avery Davis

"I hope I am teaching them to be good humans and followers of God as well so they can make the world a better place." 

Clearly a gifted servant, Avery gravitates toward service that doesn't usually attract accolades. In addition to the children's ministry work, she spent three years in high school as the manager of the boys soccer team and helped with the Veteran's Home Project doing, as she put it, "anything they needed done."

If there is an ambition for Avery that isn't wholly focused on others, it's soccer. Nearly anyone who has encountered Avery over the years knows of her dream to play college soccer. That desire was accompanied by a work ethic that made that dream entirely possible. Family friend, Marcus Wright commented, "I have played soccer at the collegiate level and the drive/skill that Ms. Davis possesses is inspiring."

Heading into her junior year of high school, prime college recruiting season, Avery's dream of playing college soccer appeared to slip out of reach in an instant. She heard her knee pop during a game and learned that she had torn her ACL and meniscus.

Surgery and rehab replaced practices and games on Avery's calendar. The physical, mental, and emotional toll were tremendous as she watched her team have to go on without her Still the joy remained. 

Jen Gardner, a fellow worker at church, recounted "I remember her first Sunday back, on crutches and still in a ton of pain... all the kids running to see her and wanting her to love them - it was so sweet!"

Avery's recovery took eleven long months and her tenacity paid off. She made it back to the soccer field and is now even preparing to play collegiate soccer at Central Methodist University. We applaud that accomplishment, but more so we applaud her attitude. 

"I learned a lot about myself during this time of recovery. I learned that I was a fighter and stronger than I could have imagined. I learned to rely on God in times of trouble and that he would be there for me no matter what. Not only that, it taught me to be grateful for the simple things in life such as bending your knee and walking because not everyone is lucky enough to be able to do those things." 

Avery's next ambition is to pursue nursing and work in a NICU, still gravitating to selfless work. It is clear she will continue touching lives and sharing smiles. The world will continue to see a few more "good humans" because of her.