Woman
in the Wings / December 2005
Woman in the Wings is a monthly feature about a woman who lives her life not in the spotlight, but behind the scenes, where the applause never seems to reach. Women in the Wings shine as brightly as any star; they just don’t take center stage. Meet a woman who has raised the spirit of giving by the power of two.
Hand in Hand
 Carla Rippeto and her son Dylon
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By Pat Lawrence
Successfully meeting the responsibilities of home, family and work requires so many hours and so much energy, even the best intentioned career women simply can’t find time to volunteer. Carla Rippeto looks at it differently. Rather than taking time away from her children to volunteer, she makes volunteering time with her children.
When her son Dylon was just two, Carla entered the Big Hands, Little Hands program, a mentoring program similar to Big Brothers and Sisters that paired her with a nine year old boy. She says, “I have always felt a responsibility to help others and thought it would be a good experience for both children.
We are so fortunate and have received so much, I thought it was important that Dylon see that not everyone is as fortunate ”
When Dylon was a little older, he and Carla began helping with the Special Olympics, “scoring volley ball and such.” Carla says “At first, Dylon was uncomfortable around the kids, but now he’s quite accustomed to them. You don’t want your child to stare at other people because they are different.”
When Dylon was learning to read, the pair began going to a local nursing home, reading aloud to elderly residents. Carla says, “I thought it would be good for him, but it turned out to be good for all of us.”
Carla and Dylon also visit elderly members of their church. Carla says she sees the effects of how they spend their time together every day. “Dylon is very compassionate and sensitive to how other people feel."
Carla, is a teacher at South Parkersburg High School. She works with special education students in their classrooms, work that she loves. “I always wanted to be a teacher”, she says. Although she taught first at her alma mater, Parkersburg High School and later at Edison Junior High, she has been at South for ten years.
She is very proud of her son and the kind of person he has become. “He has met a lot of people and seen that people don’t always act the way they should or the way we want them to. But he understands that we haven’t walked in their shoes.”
Dylon’s brother Nate has started joining them at the nursing home reading sessions. “He’s three. When we’re getting ready, he says, ‘We’re going to see the grandma’s!’ He hugs all the ladies when we get there. Then we try to keep him quiet while we read!”
The Big Hands, Little Hands program is no longer active but Carla and her husband Keith are planning on entering the Mountaineer Challenge next year, a mentoring program for teens that involves the whole family.
Instead of carving out pieces of her life and trying to distribute them equitably to the people she loves and the people she would like to help, Carla’s has found a seamless solution that brings them all together, heart to heart and hand in hand.
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