Ann Hutchens

Perhaps it is not surprising that I chose to become a Move Manager: I have moved twenty imes during my adult years. I graduated from La Grange College with a BA degree in Religion and Philosophy; Scarritt College with a Master of Arts with a focus on Administration, leadership and Development. I subsequently graduated from Candler School of Theology at Emory in Atlanta. In my earlier years I served large membership churches as the educator on the staff and attained credentials as a Director of ChristianEducation also. I was consecrated as a lay minister.

After Emory I became an ordained United Methodist minister, first serving as a senior pastor of local churches. I went on to work as a Chaplain in health care. I ministered in both nursing homes and inpatient settings. Working as a minister required many moves and we became experienced movers. I also had moved my husband’s parents to a CommunityCare Center during these years as their health had declined to the point where they needed asistance in their tasks of daily living.

Both were seriously disabled and would need the services of the health center there, too. Making the decision to move was very difficult as they grieved leaving their homestead of nearly 60 years. All members of our extended family were sad, also, because their home had been the center of our family life for many years. We had experienced many holidays and vacations there. Besides this we faced a huge physical task. I took a family leave to organize our family’s task of preparing mom and dad’s home for sale.

This required coordinating the sorting, organizing, dispersing of their precious possessions. We decided who in the family “wanted what items.” Then we sent the museum collection to the local Nature center, truckloads to charity and filled the dumpster we brought for items to be disposed. Mom and dad complained to us but we knew well the staff at their new home and they adjusted. Their main house required considered renovation. We felt confident that they were getting good care, more socialization than they had had in years and great relief. Frequent communication with the staff and many family visits helped with the transition and I returned to work with hospice. After five years I retired but became restless and returned to serve at the hospice inpatient unit as their chaplain. While working in that unit I was blessed to meet and collaborate with Mary Jo where we “created divine order” for patients and families. After my second “retirement” I sought to find a way to serve people and still work. I love to work but, since I had promised my husband that we would not move again, I did not seek an appointment as a pastor. Friends asked for help in organizing and counseling related to moving. I began an organizing business but that did not meet my need to serve others.

Ann Eckrich

In order to be a Move Manager, is it required to have moved often? Probably not, but I think it helps. I have moved multiple times as a college student, a store manager and most of all as an Army wife. What I learned along the way is how difficult it can be to pick up and start a new life, in a new location, even a new country. The challenges of managing a family through all the emotional changes contributed to my education as well. Who knew how much we loved our “stuff’? Through all those many moves and life changes I learned that some of our “stuff” was in our way. Have you ever felt that way?

Who am I? I am not unlike you. I have worn and still wear many hats in my life. I have been a student, a business woman, a wife, a mom (the best hat of all), a softball coach, a Mary Kay consultant, a registered nurse and most recently a Certified Relocation and Transition Specialist (CRTS). I graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. What was I thinking? As I applied for a job as a stock clerk with Marshall’s I remember being asked what the degree said about me. I quoted my dad when I said “It shows I can learn and I can stick it something out”. So I was hired and in less than a year I was living in West Palm Beach and a department manager. Two moves later I was the store manager of a new Marshall’s store being built in Melbourne. It was there I met my future husband while he was attending school at Patrick Air Force Base. So began my life as an Army wife and an unofficial move manager. Now, I knew the military life involved moving but I never guessed we would move thirteen times in eleven years and sixteen times overall. That is a lot of organizing, sorting, donating, and storing (for those overseas moves).

I earned my Bachelor Degree in Nursing from the University of Hawaii at Manoa after losing my father to pancreatic cancer and seeing what a difference the hospice nurses made for him and our family. Our final military move brought me back home to Winter Park. I was a staff nurse and eventually the manager of the hospice inpatient unit. It was while working with this local hospice I met my current colleagues Ann and Mary Jo. They are kindred spirits with a real heart and desire to help others. I feel blessed to join my nursing skills with their unique talents as member of the “Creating Divine Order” team.

Sharon Germaine

I love to work! Sometimes work can be invigorating, challenging, or difficult but I always find it rewarding to see the results of a job well done. I enjoy seeing the people surrounding you working as a team and those you are serving excited about what has been accomplished. And who better to serve than our elder population with specific concerns and needs of their own.

I come to Creating Divine Order from a varied background in the serving community. My first job after graduating college was in the teaching profession. Having taught during lean economic times, I learned to use resources wisely, be creative in approach and concentrate on a loving nurturing atmosphere.

My husband of 40 plus yrs. and I have three children who are college graduates, husbands and wives, moms and dads, church members and servers in their own communities. Our seven grandchildren are the joy of our lives. It is great fun it is to be able to support our children in their efforts to raise their families.

Due to my husband’s work, our family moved from California to the central Florida area in 1984. Shortly after that, with our children all in school, I decided to go back to work and settled on a real estate career. So, I got a real estate license. and started a new adventure in home selling. Within a year I was the top producer in my office and loved every minute of helping people achieve their dreams. I continued working in real estate for over 20 years and established a network of friends and contacts which I continue to draw upon today.

For the most part, my real estate career was put on hold after my father’s death and my mother moved into our home. This was a huge adjustment for everyone but since I am an only child, the responsibility was mine. Again, I had much to learn about elder care issues, their challenges and benefits. But I will always treasure this time of my life. We had a great 14 yrs. together.

During this time, a hobby turned into a business. Clay Collections of Winter Park was launched and thrived as a high end, handmade clay gift product. This taught me new and different people skills. Working with artists is stimulating, creative and challenging. This led me into decorating and redesign. Everyone loves a sense of order but not everyone knows how to pull that off. I am credentialed as a redesigner and love putting beauty into a living environment. CDO is a natural for me because I love working with people and helping them establish the best surroundings possible. In addition, I have facilitated estate sales, staging homes for resale using what you have, and putting a home back together after move-outs or move-ins. Our team at CDO is one of the most talented, organized and creative I have every worked with and I look forward to us meeting the challenges you face and with helping hands, willing hearts, and the knowledge and ability to get it done. As I said, I love to work.

Vanessa Burke

I grew up in Pennsylvania and moved to Florida to attend Full Sail University. I am an equestrian, having started riding horses at the age of five. In my youth years I taught six to ten year olds proper English Riding for horse shows. I worked by my mothers side in her flower shop so I grew up with a love for beauty. As a teen, I worked in the Flower Shop creating flower arrangements and decorating window displays. Here I gained skills that have served me well throughout my life, preparing me for the college and the work settings.

I graduated from Full Sail University with degrees in Digital Media and Art and Design. In addition to working as Director of Operations and Marketing at Creating Divine Order, I own my own company, Vanessa Mae Designs. This is a marketing and graphic design company that also offers artisan style hand crafted home décor and jewelry items. I will create a custom piece of jewelry for you. Fifteen percent of the profits go to local church and helps fund for relief for the poor.

Moreover, I have had numerous clients in both the corporate and entertainment settings. I also have redesigned many individuals’ homes, doctors’ offices, insurance offices, spas and other commercial locations. As you can see I have a strong work ethic. In all the work I do I seek to use green practices, recycling materials in creative ways. Before Full Sail I met my husband, James whom I married on August 11, 2007. Our other family members are cats, Manjula and Homer who we secured from an abusive situations and a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Simpson. Outside of my more than full work life I am very active in the community and church.

On the home front, James and I seek to live a green lifestyle. We just bought our first house and plan to transform it into a “green house” with solar options. We use recycled and reclaimed building materials and renewable resources throughout our home.