Leanna Milby stays busy in the community

Leanna Milby, 28, isn’t the type of person who wants to move away from her hometown. She not only stayed close to home, but is passionate about the community she grew up knowing.

Jill Pickett

Leanna Milby makes a phone call as she helps Elizabethtown events coordinator Sarah Vaughn during Heartland Festival in the Park at Freeman Lake Park in Elizabethtown.

Buy this photo

Jill Pickett

Leanna Milby fills a cooler with ice during Heartland Festival in the Park at Freeman Lake Park in Elizabethtown.

Buy this photo

She grew up in LaRue County, lives in Sonora, works at Apprisen in Elizabethtown and has become an active member of the Elizabethtown Junior Woman’s Club.

As a financial services specialist, she’s able to help those dealing with bankruptcy and performs credit counseling to help customers get out of debt.

That desire to help people extends to the community.

She joined the Junior Woman’s Club in 2008, became its treasurer last year and vice president this year. She’s currently working on the organization’s charity cocktail event, set for this weekend.

Planning such an event takes time, she said. Since February, she’s spent hours working on the event and taking notes at other community gatherings such as the Hospice Tea to get more ideas on how to make the event run smoothly.

The Junior Woman’s Club is a non-profit organization that gets together to have fun and help charitable agencies, she said.

Recently, it has supported SpringHaven Domestic Violence Program and Clarity Solutions for Women and had a great time doing it, she said.

The group also has helped Warm Blessings and Relay for Life. The yearly Holiday Marketplace, an arts and crafts show, is its biggest event, and proceeds go to a variety of charities.

Milby likes to stay busy and be a part of making the community better.

The giving can then extend. When residents get involved and reach out to their friends and families, others participate, too, she said.

Many say they don’t have time to volunteer, but you can find a way to fit it in if you really want to do it, she said.

“It makes you feel better to know you help someone else,” she added.

Milby also is active in Young Professionals of Hardin County. As the group’s program chairwoman, she’s responsible for scheduling guest speakers and making sure there’s food at monthly meetings.

She also was helpful at Heartland Festival in the Park this summer. Milby asked Elizabethtown Events Coordinator Sarah Vaughn if she needed help and found herself overseeing volunteers.

Her help was valuable to Vaughn.

“She is always enthusiastic and so much help at helping to work out so many details,” Vaughn said. “Leanna is always willing to help; she can never say no and always fulfills her commitments.”

Milby’s job was to plug volunteers into their responsibilities for that day, which became challenging when some called at the last minute to cancel, she said.

But it’s right up her alley because Milby loves organizing. She also holds that role in her family as the go-to person when a gathering needs to be organized.

“It keeps me motivated and going,” she said.

Though some young people tend to want to move away from their hometown, Milby stayed close to home.

“There’s something about being home,” she said. “It’s more comfortable.”

While she enjoys taking trips, she can’t wait to get home and likes to be around people she knows.

She also likes being close to her mom.

“My mom is like my best friend,” she said.

She recently bought a house and that’s taken up most of her time.
But when she has spare time, she enjoys photography. Her 2-year-old cousin is her favorite subject. She’s posted many of photos of him on Facebook and wonders if people think he’s her child.

Through her personal and professional life, a few principles have emerged to keep Milby grounded and motivated.

“Save money, value time with family, be thankful for great friends and be blessed with what you do have,” Milby said.

Becca Owsley can be reached at (270) 505-1741 or bowsley@thenewsenterprise.com.

Getting to know Leanna Milby: 

She also enjoys taking a Jet Ski to the lake, swimming, shopping yard sales and visiting haunted houses.

• TV: “Friends” and HGTV
• Music: Milby said she has to listen to music all the time. She likes country the most but likes all types.
• Movie: “Sweet Home Alabama”
• Book: She started reading a lot lately, spurred on by her mom’s interest. They both read “The Lucky One” before the movie came out and went to see the movie together. A new author she likes is Nora Roberts.
• Hobbies: She enjoys photography and crafts. A new interest developed when the Junior Women’s Club had a concealed and carry weapons class. She’s enjoyed continuing to practice and is not bad with the targets. “It’s kind of awesome,” she said.

If you go ... Elizabethtown Junior Women’s Club Charity Cocktail 2012 is from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday at Quality Inn at 1875 New Haven Road in Bardstown. Tickets purchased in advance are $30 for one or 2 for $50. Tickets are $35 each at the door.
For more information, contact the EJWC at ejwcevent@hotmail.com or go to www.elizabethtownwoman.org.