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OFM_Getting_Personal_Melissa_Wiggins_0721_DEPT 6 / 23 / 21 11 : 15 AM Page 2 We did it as a team and that made my heart so happy . I was proud of my effort of fin - ishing in under four hours and despite saying GETTING I would never run another marathon ; I am sure I could be convinced if it was for kids battling cancer . PERSONAL 5 . Our family recently adopted an incred - Melissa Wiggins , a former lawyer turned life ible little girl named Charlie . She and I coach and now podcast host , on creating the share a birthday ! We are soul sisters ! I love her so much it blows my mind . Adoption is Cannonball Kids ’ cancer Foundation with her the best decision of my life . If I knew the love husband Michael , their young son’s battle with would be the same as my three biological the disease and her journey to find happiness . boys and stepdaughter . . . well let’s just say I highly recommend adoption . Charlie has had two major surgeries since we adopted her but she is thriving . We love her very much ! We are her family now ! 6 . A Cup of Tea with Mummabear is a live show and a podcast where I interview inspiring authors . As a life coach I spend a lot of time reading growth and leadership books and these authors inspired me so much that I started a podcast to share their work . 7 . If I ever go missing look in Barnes & Noble first . Group by Christie Tate is the most real , raw book I’ve ever read . I interview authors on my podcast so I have the honor of meeting many incredible ones and Christie was one of my most memorable guests . I also highly recommend Bravery by Alexi Pappas — it is truly phenomenal . 8 . The best part of living in Orlando is the sense of community . have never lived I anywhere that has a community like this . My kids love to bike through our neighbor - hood . They walk and bike to school and play with their friends on the street outside our house — the lifestyle is a dream here . It often feels like a constant vacation . We 1 . Eight years ago , while 38 weeks pregnant 3 . Being the founder of Cannonball Kids ’ are grateful . with twins , my husband and I heard the cancer is one of my greatest joys but funding words no parent wants to hear : “ Your child research is my love language . We educate for has cancer . ” As I write this , I am sitting in a change and create options for kids battling 9 . One of my favorite restaurants is hospital room with Cannon . We are still cancer where there were none . My husband Hillstone in Winter Park . The food there is dealing with the side effects of treatment . and I have made it our life mission to see to it amazing . My hubby and I also love Lee and Pediatric cancer is a life sentence or a death that no family should ever hear the words “ no Ricks Oyster Bar . sentence and nothing in between . I continue to more options ! ” believe that research is the key and it is the only 10 . The best advice I was ever given is , solution to the atrocity that is pediatric cancer . “ Not everyone is going to like you and you 4 . Earlier this year , I ran a marathon and need to be OK with that . ” As a recovered raised $ 26,700 for innovative treatment people - pleaser I no longer spend energy options for kids with cancer . I exceeded our 2 . Cannon’s battle with cancer has shown trying to make others like me or bend myself goal of $ 1,000 per mile . I ran each mile for a me that life is a journey . It has made me into a pretzel different child who has battled cancer . I am so realize that we should enjoy moments more to be what they want me to be . thankful for Track Shack’s MarathonFest than events and always remember that happi - This month marks 12 years of sobriety for training program and everyone who ran that ness is not a destination . If you cannot find me and during those years I’ve come to trust day ; I could not have done it without them . happiness today , you cannot find myself and my intuition . it tomorrow . ORLANDOFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM july 2021 ORLANDO FAMILY 9
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OFM_PEOPLE_Paul_Helfrich_0621_DEPT 6 / 23 / 21 11 : 19 AM Page 1 BY LIZ HUNTER people perform if public performances were not possible . ” Helfrich says approximately one in five phil - harmonics across the country were able to have live performances due to the pandemic . With the Florida climate on its side , the Orlando Philhar - monic was able to continue with its season begin - ning in September 2020 by playing in a variety of outdoor venues and — with the exception of one event — all scheduled performances went on . Orlando Family Magazine spoke with Helfrich to learn more about what brought him to Florida and what’s to come for the organization . From the Midwest to the Sunshine State … I grew up in Southeastern Pennsylvania , but became a Midwesterner when I attended Indiana ALTHOUGH THE University where I obtained both a master of arts in administration and a bachelor of music . I spent PANDEMIC POSED the better part of 40 years in that part of the country through my career , including executive CHALLENGES FOR roles with West Virginia Symphony , Erie Phil - harmonic , Kalamazoo Symphony Society and THE ORLANDO most recently I was in Dayton , Ohio , serving as president of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra PHILHARMONIC for four years before leading the merger of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance of which I was ORCHESTRA , ITS NEW president and CEO for eight years . EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Performing in a pandemic … As the pandemic proved to be longer than we ini - HELPED THE MUSIC tially expected , we had to figure out a way to play outside and as it got closer to the opening of our CONTINUE . season [ in 2020 ] , state and county officials were comfortable with those plans as long as we could maintain proper distancing . We opened our season on Sept . 26 , making history as the first professional orchestra to perform at a U.S . soccer stadium . Exploria was one of five new venues where we performed during the season . We played in Fes - tival Park , parking lots for smaller concerts and even indoors at a megachurch with 3,000 seats where we could distance appropriately with just The Right one - third capacity . Of course we also had to dis - tance among the orchestra , so instead of 75 musi - cians , we would have about 50 . Musicians except for brass and wind wore masks and we did safety and temperature checks prior to every rehearsal and performance . We also made concerts shorter and eliminated intermissions to limit any min - gling . I’m proud of what we accomplished . We NOTES think we’re one of only a handful of orchestras to ne month before the pandemic , Paul Helfrich became the new play the whole season — many were not playing or executive director of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra were only virtual . after a nationwide search . The year had a lot in store as the O Reaching more people virtually … Philharmonic prepared for its 28th season and the much - anticipated One of our biggest programs is the Young People’s move into Steinmetz Hall at the Dr . Phillips Center for Performing Concerts . Every school in Orange County brings its fifth grade class to a concert . Over the course of Arts , but COVID - 19 had cast a shadow over it all . three weeks we see over 60,000 students . But since field trips were not happening we decided to record “ In hindsight you realize how little we knew early on , ” Helfrich says . “ The prevailing thought was a concert and distribute that to districts and a few that it would be a couple of months and we would just have to buckle down and get through . As other schools as well . Over 75,000 students viewed it went on , it became clear that was not the case and we began working on figuring out how to 10 ORLANDO FAMILY july 2021 ORLANDOFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM