Passions

By Marie BradbyAfter a day of teaching ballroom dance — waltz and foxtrot, rumba and cha cha — professional dancer and teacher Lindsey Rutherford doesn’t just go home and relax at her farm in New Albany, Indiana. She rides her horses or her four-wheeler, or she boats or camps in her favorite spots in southern Indiana.She also tends to the miniature animals on her farm — Half Pint Hooves farm — where she raises donkeys, cows, and horses for use in live nativity scenes and unicorn birthday parties. “I’m pretty much outdoors all the time, [...]

By Bella Portaro-Kueber  Generous, giving, and humble...These apply, but there are various words to describe Johnna Kelly and her impact on various animal nonprofits in Louisville. From Metro Animal Services to The Animal Care Society, Johnna does what she can, when she can, and does it with passion.“I believe my love for animals started when I was a little girl,” says Johnna, an area sales manager for Waterford crystal. “I would bring home any animal I could. In my parents’ house we had cats, dogs, and fish. At my grandparents’ house it was all of [...]

By Bella Portaro-KueberMeeting Allison Whitehouse and trying to describe her talents, passions, and life can only express a fraction of the impact her ways of thinking can make.Allison is a 20-something creative who lives in the city of Louisville and holds aspirations of creating a lasting impact as program and development coordinator for the Waterfront Botanical Gardens. After her whirlwind education at the Columbus College of Art and Design, graduating from the University of Louisville with her bachelor’s degree in French and Humanities and a master’s degree in French, and two-and-a-half years as a professor [...]

By Bella Portaro KueberAnna O'Hara Heuke stands in her beautifully designed dining room. Meet Anna O’Hara Heuke, a Louisville-based interior designer who took the leap of faith and turned her career into her own business — Anna O’Hara Interiors. With coffee, support from her friends and family, and a dream to guide her, Anna is taking homes and businesses and making them beautiful, one room at a time.This dream remained undefined for many years in Anna’s life. “I remember having a build-up within me that I had to unleash. My mom would help me by taking [...]

By Bella Portaro-Kueber Photos by Sunni WiggintonWhat does cyberbullying look like to a victim? We hear about cyberbullying happening to teens, but many adults are also victims. Jessica “Jessi” Powell is one of those adults, who has been trying to survive the bullying scrutiny of her husband’s fans.Jessi is married to Bilal Powell, running back for the New York Jets. (You may also recognize his name from his years playing for the University of Louisville.) The couple met in college, and after they married, moved away from family. Jessi missed her mother a lot. “She’s my [...]