Page 16 - Jewish News_November-2020

16A November 2020 FEDERATION NEWS

The Extraordinary, UnOrdinary Simone Knego COVID Caring Project

By Gayle Guynup
“You don’t have to be anybody but who for the last 20 years. The couple has six Florida, she went back to school to be- organization from 2018-2019.
you actually are. You just need to real- children, ages 13-24. The oldest three come a teacher. “At the national level, when I went
ize that what you do every day inspires (Jacob, Emma and Olivia) are their bi- “Once we had all six kids, it was to the Young Leadership Conference, it
the people around you to be the best ological children, while the youngest like I had my own classroom at home, was the first time I walked into a room
they can be. If you change the way you three (Ari from Ethiopia, Noah from so I thought I might as well go ahead and I felt like I was where I needed to
see yourself, the world around you will South Korea and Mili from Ethiopia) and become a teacher,” Simone said. be,” Simone said. “No matter who I
change.” – Simone Knego, The Extra- are all adopted. Unfortunately, she added, it was so sat down next to, we had an authentic,
ordinary UnOrdinary You expensive to have child care that they meaningful conversation. It was a real-
imone Knego, author of The were paying out more than she was ly meaningful experience.
Extraordinary UnOrdinary You, making. “Rob wanted me to find a job “In Sarasota, what I love about our
Swill be featured at a virtual event that wasn’t actually costing us money,” Federation is, although it is The Jew-
on Monday, November 30 at 7:00 p.m., she said. ish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee,
hosted by The Jewish Federation of She started a successful medical we care for the entire community. We
Sarasota-Manatee. distributorship, but with the recent don’t support the Food Bank just to
In her book, Simone, a former publication of her book, Simone has give food to people who are Jewish.
Federation board member, takes read- put that business on the back burner. We really focus on humanity and car-
ers inside her journey and the extraor- “My focus today is the book and pub- ing for every person, and for me that
dinary moments that have shaped her lic speaking, which I really enjoy,” she was a big deal. When we talk about
life, sharing the lessons she’s learned said. tikkun olam, we are talking about re-
from life’s ups, downs and laugh-out- Simone became involved with The pairing the whole world, not just the
loud moments. Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Mana- Jewish world,” she said.
Simone grew up in Buffalo, New tee when she was invited to an event Simone started doing quite a bit
York, and moved to Gainesville with by her friends, Josh and Julie Green. of public speaking as co-chair. “Every
her family when she was 13. She grad- Simone Knego “I had never been involved. I had nev- time I would speak, someone would in-
uated with bachelor’s and master’s “We had talked about adopting for er even made a donation before. And, evitably say to me that I should write a
degrees in accounting from the Univer- a really long time,” she said. “We felt, I went from being completely unin- book,” she said. “While I didn’t real-
sity of Florida. and still feel, that there are so many volved to being totally absorbed, on ly feel I was a writer, I was at a good
“When we lived in Buffalo, my wonderful children in the world just both the local and national level.” place – finished with my co-chair role
parents had a condominium on Sies- waiting for someone to love them, and Josh was involved with the Fed- and done with my medical sales – and I
ta Key at the Gulf & Bay Club, so we we wanted to be one of those families,” eration’s National Young Leadership, thought if I am going to do it, now was
would come down here to vacation ev- she said. and he encouraged Simone to attend the time.”
ery winter,” she said. After her husband A woman of many interests and a meeting in Park City, Utah. “I loved Her actual inspiration for the book
Rob finished his medical residency, the talents, Simone began working in ac- it. The people I met, the work that the came as she was sitting at a luncheon
couple moved to Texas for five years. counting when in Texas, but it didn’t Federation does – it was all totally me,” one day, listening to amazing women
“We had wanted to get out of Flor- take long for her to discover that she she said. “That got me in, and then I speak, and thinking how inspirational
ida, but then we missed it terribly,” she didn’t enjoy being behind a desk all started focusing on what sort of lead- they were. “And I thought, do I feel
said. Fortunately, there was an open- day. While still in Texas, she taught ership roles I wanted to apply for with- better about myself, or do I not? I’ll
ing at a practice in Sarasota, so they horseback riding and ran a summer in the organization,” she explained. never be that woman on the stage. And
moved back and have lived in Sarasota camp. Once the couple returned to She eventually became co-chair of the continued on next page

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