Uncategorized Archives - Chris L. Kenny

What I’m Thankful For

Allison S — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 13:37:13 +0000

This time of year is for reflecting on who and what we are truly thankful for in our lives. From personal life to business associates to each of our respective roles in the community, it is important to remember how different relationships all taken together create a sense of belonging and a feeling of camaraderie amongst our neighbors that promotes strong social values. Here are the different areas of my life—and the people in them—for which I am most thankful.

—Castle—

It all starts in the home and in the family.

Thank you to Teresa for being a beautiful, loving and encouraging wife, enthusiastically and selflessly raising our children everyday while maintaining our very old home and parkway garden. Hard to believe we are already coming up on our five-year anniversary this summer.

Thank you to my sister Melissa, for voluntarily taking the reins at Kenny Family Stores and our six Shoprite locations. She is really making a difference every single day, bringing the company fresh new direction while doubling down on our family business values and traditions.

—CATHEDRAL—

Throughout history, community members and churchgoers gave back by tithing to their local Church. In the modern era nonprofit organizations allow us a similar avenue to give back and help the community. I am grateful for being able to give back because it renews faith in the human spirit and reinvigorates you to see the positive in society, giving with no expectation of return. Charity is something that warms the soul; it is permanent and something we should cherish and keep in abundance, even in the worst of times. It’s a mark of culture and what you value as an organization and as an individual. Donating and giving back shows society an adherence to our better nature.

The Kenny Family Foundation (KFF) was created to invest in well-being to improve the quality of life and to create a sustainable future for the community in Wilmington and New Castle County, helping underserved communities, sustainable initiatives and arts and education projects. Thank you to our family foundation and other local nonprofits for being a strong support system for our Delaware community.

The concept of the village has always been an intra-dependent ecosystem within itself, where everyone works together agreeing on common principles to make the group stronger. Building relationships through real human interaction, social discourse and communication is what makes strong communities.

—KNIGHTS—

Kenny Family Stores would not be here today if not for our incredible team of associates.

Thank you to our team that has now grown to over 1,000 strong; our recent mural unveiling to celebrate our 25^th anniversary was a very special moment to see people we have worked with every day for a quarter century. I still remember my first days with Earl Hood in Stanton’s grocery department. It’s incredible and truly humbling that approximately 10% of our workforce has been with us since we started the business in 1995.

Some of our Associates who have been with us over 25 years

—STABLE—

Our vendors, both large and small, and important industries like our Delaware Farmers make Kenny Family Stores the reliable, community-focused family-run chain of grocery stores that we are today.

Thank you to the relationships we have with our vendors, many of which that have spanned our entire 25 years. The same owners of those companies and some of their senior executives have been with us the entire time. We work to ensure that with every vendor, we maintain very special relationships working together for our mutual companies’ benefits. We have been able to pull through some very difficult times working together, and we always find a way to make it work for ultimately all of our shoppers and customers.

—Village—

The concept of the village has always been an intra-dependent ecosystem within itself, where everyone works together agreeing on common principles to make the group stronger. Building relationships through real human interaction, social discourse and communication is what makes strong communities. Villages operate the smoothest when they have the necessary resources and facilities like the local market. Most village happenings are centered around the town’s general store or the food-providing process, and I am thankful to be in a business that is so often the center of the community.

Thank you to the village we have and the customers who frequent our stores as their local market and place to help feed their families. Our shoppers are just as loyal as our team members; there are nearly 10,000 customers that have been with us the entire past 25 years. That’s also nearly 10% of our customers that have been shopping with us the entire time we have been in business! We are so grateful to have earned your trust and maintained your loyalty. We promise to keep doing right by the community to keep it that way.

— KINGDOM —

Lastly, where would we be without our community as a whole? The many working parts that come together to create our great kingdom deserve mention. From the safety provided by Fire, Police and Military to governance and other public services, I am thankful we live in a functioning Constitutional Republic.

Thank you to the entire Delaware community: friends, family, neighbors and community leaders, police & fire, Delaware businesses promoting a vibrant local economy, and everyone who collectively comes together to make the First State great. The same families that work and shop in our stores have brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and cousins that are community leaders or work in police and fire or they also have other local businesses. We are all an integral part of this Delaware ecosystem, and I know we are extremely grateful to be one small part of the overall contribution.

I’ll end with a simple final thank you:
Thank you, family
Thank you, team
Thank you, partners
Thank you, local nonprofits
& Thank you, community

The post What I’m Thankful For appeared first on Chris L. Kenny.

25 Years of Sobriety: My Gratitude

Allison S — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 16:15:44 +0000

As I celebrate my 25 years of sobriety this year, I have been reflecting on all of the groups and individuals in my life who have helped me reach this momentous milestone.

My Higher Power

First I am grateful for God, for His design is why I am so fortunately blessed to be able to share my story of sobriety. Without Him and His plan, I would certainly not be here today. My addictions are not the only test of faith that I have faced, but my beliefs and values strengthened by my spiritual journey have made my sobriety more resilient.

My Father

I am grateful for my Father for repeatedly firing me and making the final ultimatum that if I didn’t go to rehab, this would be my last chance and I was going to be fired forever. This time was different than before; he made it clear to me I would not be hired back if I didn’t go. I had not been to rehab or AA before, so this was my first experience.

Everyone’s “bottom” is different and unique to them. Some people become homeless, some become homeless more than once. My bottom was the inability to have the resources to pay for food or shelter or transportation or any of the basic needs and necessities of life. I knew that an overwhelming majority of my money was going to substance abuse, so without a job I couldn’t pay for anything including my addiction. So I went to rehab, and I am grateful my Father drove me and dropped me off. To this day, this is why I always give someone a second chance whether in our business or in the home.

My Rehab

I am grateful that when Bowling Green Brandywine Treatment Center expelled me from the 28-day program at day 20 for being in the wrong bed at the wrong time, they told me I would relapse. Because then, me being the stubborn contrarian that I am, I wanted to prove that I would stay sober even if I didn’t complete their program. Wanting to prove them wrong made all the difference early on in fighting addiction when most people are white-knuckling it or “on the wagon” because this is what drove me to keep coming back.

People in recovery are all motivated by different things but for me, that’s how I went from 20 days to 30 days clean, to 60 and 90 days sober.

I started to really understand the powerful negative effects addiction and substance abuse was having on my life.

I started to really understand the powerful negative Effects addiction and substance abuse was having on my life.

My Home Group

I am grateful for Westminster House, affectionately called “The Zoo.” My home group gave me the strength, support system and foundation to remain sober for the first several years after leaving Bowling Green. It was all of the other variety of individuals in recovery that gave me the opportunity to connect with them, allowing me to learn from them and also share what I was going through while speaking and listening at various meetings.

Many of those at Westminster had only been there a few days, often literally shaking. It was the rawness of the experience of constantly new and green people in recovery that motivated me to get sober. Seeing the different stages of recovery for meeting attendees. Seeing how their life had become so unmanageable and seeing their desperation, seeing people’s arms and skin, littered with scarring from needle insertions. Seeing the loss they were experiencing, hearing that they had lost their loved ones recently, or their home or job or rights to their children or transportation. This was nearly every single time because there was such a large group that you would hear different stories that you would be brought back to the seriousness of the disease. Many of those stories involved relapsing on such a frequent basis that it hardened me beyond just the spite of proving others wrong. I started to really understand the powerful negative effects addiction and substance abuse was having on my life. These meetings helped me internalize why I should stay sober.

My Sponsor

I am grateful for my sponsor Jim Sweeney for always being available and always being there for me—especially at a time when there was no texting! My most serious call to my sponsor was when I was driving with my sister, and we were at an intersection and witnessed a multi-car accident in real-time. Several people in a car flipped upside down and died on the spot. When we walked up to the car, it was a scene of unfathomable horror. That evening I was shaking and needed to call Jim. It still shocks me to this day to recall that evening.

I went to a meeting with him on my 20^th anniversary 5 years ago and he gave me my last coin I received. Unfortunately when I went to my 25^th anniversary meeting this year, I found out he passed away. Rest in Peace Jim.

I am grateful for everyone who has played a part in my journey. One day at a time.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference

The post 25 Years of Sobriety: My Gratitude appeared first on Chris L. Kenny.

How to Get Your Product Sold in the Supermarket: Aisle Trials Winner Revealed

Allison S — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 16:17:19 +0000

When we started Aisle Trials last year in order to help during the pandemic, we created a series to cultivate and promote local Delaware food entrepreneurs. We wanted to support local food brands to potentially carry in our Kenny Family ShopRites and help showcase them to the Delaware community. In the process, we discovered varying levels of “shelf-readiness”: were these brands ready to be sold in the supermarket or not? Some local entrepreneurs presented amazing food creations, but they were lacking the proper business structure, packaging and labeling, kitchen access or product distribution, to be ready to be sold in our stores. Others who were more prepared had the clear advantage.

In the first season of Aisle Trials we selected 6AM Run as our winner, and they are available in select Kenny Family ShopRites now. We chose them because they had the right mix of quality product, distribution and marketing and were shelf-ready. Similarly, the winners we chose for Season 2 also had this right combination of quality product, packaging and readiness. There are a few important progression stages we look for when carrying any product in our stores. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to have a product sold in the supermarkets, here are the main things we are looking for in a new item, product line or brand to place on the shelves.

Stick around to the end of the article to watch our Aisle Trials judges deliberate and choose our winner of the second season of Aisle Trials. (Or you can skip ahead and watch the final episode on the Aisle Trials Youtube right here.)

Product Quality and Ingredient Sourcing

First and foremost, is the product viable? How does it taste? Use trial and error and friends and family to hone in the product you’re going to sell, to find that thing you’re passionate about that you want to deliver to the community as a food entrepreneur. Maybe even use blind taste-tasting.

Do you have a steady supplier with a steady cost for your ingredients? Many a product begins with high aspirations of using the most expensive, rare ingredients, but when reality sets in regarding feasibility and price, tradeoffs are made. Does your product maintain its superior quality when you attempt to conform the ingredient costing to a rational price point?

Everything begins with the product quality itself. If we don’t like the item or don’t think our shoppers will like it, we are going to pass. So if you commit to a product you’re passionate about and have developed to a certain level of standard and quality, we are going to be interested in checking you out.

Branding, Labeling & Packaging

For many of us, we eat with our eyes, and shopping in the grocery store is no different. It’s important for the brands and products we carry to have consistent, quality packaging, labeling and branding. Our shoppers expect quality, so show them that visually in how your brand is packaged and presented to the customer. We really look at where people are with their branding and how the product is presented, packaged and labeled.

Packaging is not easy! Is your packaging durable, modern and transportable? Are you cool compliant? Allergen-notice compliant? We deal with it every day. We are constantly debating in our business, in prepared food and areas like the bakery on topics like: You can go simple and cheap or elaborate and expensive. Functional or cute and artsy. There’s so many methods and you can make tradeoffs for environmental concerns, appearance concerns, cost concerns, etc.

Business Plan, Financing & Insurance

Plenty of new food entrepreneurs have amazing ideas or family recipes that taste absolutely delicious, but the taste is only half the battle. How are you taking that product and scaling it to becoming a legitimate business? Is the company formalized? Do you have an LLC or Corporation?

Do you have a business plan on paper? The business plan should take into account how it is you’re going to be consistently delivering what your brand promises. Do you have the resources, financial liquidity and available access to credit if needed and personal time to commit to the business plan? Many of startup entrepreneurs have day jobs so budgeting time and resources is crucial on top of the financials.

Do you have or are you prepared to acquire product liability insurance? This is an essential cost of doing business in any commercial establishment.

Production is very important here too: is your company capable of handling the production levels required to be sold in stores?

Food Nutrition Information & Kitchen Access

Everyone’s favorite topic: food safety requires accurate labeling for nutrition information and having a properly certified kitchen with practices that are industry standard. These requirements are not easy to do. Product production standards, accurate nutrition descriptions and proper allergen information are crucial to having your product sold in the supermarket. Is all of your food information accurate and do you have the resources to scale production maintaining 100% certainty your product will not deviate?

When we started Aisle trials we realized within the Delaware start-up ecosystem there is the need for reliable certified industry kitchens for providing at-scale food production and proper food labs for providing nutrition facts. There is a real issue with access, and it is something we are looking into with potential local partners to increase access and affordability.

Your local small business association and chamber of commerce have many resources available to develop business plans and provide access to micro-grants, small loan financing and referrals to insurance brokers.

Marketing & Distribution

As if that wasn’t enough, what is your product’s marketing plan? We are here to support local entrepreneurs, but we also want to see a clear vision for the product’s future and growth. Are you being sold in other stores? Do you sell online? Are you on social media? What is your company’s marketing plan? Have you developed a public relations strategy? Sampling, discounts and coupons? There are a variety of in-store level opportunities to consider. Who are your direct competitors and how will you differentiate?

Logistics and transportation must be considered into the business model. How are you going to get the product to either a warehouse distributor or individual stores on a timely, repetitive basis. How does this factor into the cost of goods? Are you going to use a broker?

Aisle Trials Winner Revealed

As we conclude our second season of Aisle Trials, we are excited to announce this round’s winner who will receive the opportunity to have their brand sold in our Kenny Family Supermarkets of Delaware. But this season was special: we actually have two winners thanks to one of our very special judges. Watch the final episode of this season of Aisle Trial to find out below:

The post How to Get Your Product Sold in the Supermarket: Aisle Trials Winner Revealed appeared first on Chris L. Kenny.

Horn of Plenty: The Importance of Giving Back

Allison S — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 13:55:17 +0000

Despite these times of tension and uncertainty, there is still much to be thankful for. If the pandemic has made anything suddenly and abundantly clear, it’s the importance of family, community and compassion for one another. In all of my endeavors, I embrace every opportunity I can to give back to the community, from fostering partnerships between our stores and local nonprofits to the charity efforts of the Kenny Family Foundation, and from founding our pro-growth, pro-business advocacy group, A Better Delaware to launching Delaware Live, the first state-wide locally owned news network focused exclusively on Delaware issues.

None of it would have been possible without my parents, however. Bernie and Peg exhibited a rare and extraordinary inclination to give their all for the good of the cause. From the day they took me and my siblings into their lives at a young and vulnerable age, to sustaining us throughout our academic careers, they were true examples of unconditional love and support. I like to compare the boundless nature of their giving to that of the Horn of Plenty, in that where there is room for nourishment, they will oblige.

“We feel a responsibility to take care of our own, and that’s what we do.”

My parents’ love didn’t start nor end with us, either. Over the last 45 years, I’ve seen my mother foster over 100 newborns (and counting), and witnessed first-hand all of the responsibility each one entails. As I recount with more depth in my blog post, Adoption, Foster Care and Selfless Service, many come from difficult circumstances, requiring specific accommodation as they recover from severe neglect and abuse, some starting even from the womb. Peg has a special place in her heart for each and every one, with a compassion for children that began in her early adolescent days. While she always remained humble in recalling her past, my sister and I would hear stories of our mother volunteering at a local convent, helping the “sisters” care for the orphans by her own initiative. This early calling for caretaking translated into her lifelong selfless undertaking of opening her home to foster children, which ultimately gave my sister and I the opportunity to flourish into the people we are today.

My father’s story rings a similar bell as my mother’s. Bernie was never a stranger to hard, manual labor, dropping out of high school to work odd jobs at butcher shops, supermarkets, and the likes to help his parents hold the fort down. Upon learning the ways of providing for his loved ones at an early age, this sense of duty would eventually lead him to enlist in the military when he was 18, all the while sending every last penny of compensation home to his family. Growing up a hard worker with nothing handed to him, Bernie was able to extend compassion and generosity to associates and customers when he founded Delaware Supermarkets Inc. in 1995. Sharing a kinship with his fellow workers, he never hesitates to offer his resources in any way he can, whether it be covering funeral expenses for employees who couldn’t afford to bury a loved one, or handing associates cash right out of his pockets. It is these pure acts of kindness that demonstrate what it means to truly give without expectation of reparation.

Our family carries the “Horn of Plenty” mindset of giving—that is, never saying no at the opportunity to help those in need—throughout all of endeavors in both business and through our family’s foundation. There are countless instances when we stepped in as employer to help our associates in times of need when they needed it the most: house fires, floods and funerals and medical issues to name a few. We feel a responsibility to take care of our own, and that’s what we do.

Throughout the years the Kenny Family Foundation has been honored to contribute to the community by way of traditional charity fundraisers and events including food and toy drives, Thanksgiving turkey giveaways, gift card assistance programs for the holidays and free dinners for many micro charities and groups that would not otherwise receive any support. Some of the work we’ve done that I am most proud of are those opportunities where we get to do truly special things with the community. I will always remember catering the Delaware National Guard’s Holiday Party and how great it felt to be able to help the families of those in service in Delaware for the holidays.

As 2020, a year that has proven difficult for the world over, comes to a close, the holidays bring a much-welcomed opportunity for reflection and rejoice. This Thanksgiving, I choose to acknowledge the value of giving my parents instilled in my core being and know it’s one that will remain with me in every path I pursue.

The post Horn of Plenty: The Importance of Giving Back appeared first on Chris L. Kenny.

Founding A Better Delaware

Allison S — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 20:44:34 +0000

One year ago I founded A Better Delaware, a non-partisan grassroots organization to advocate for pro-growth, pro-business policies and greater transparency in government. Now more than ever we need a collective effort to promote policies that will grow our economy, spur sustainable investments and create jobs. Our group routinely communicates key issues in Delaware policy, and here are some very startling facts about the Delaware economy:

Delaware’s quality of life is ranked the 3^rd worst in the country.
Delaware is the 2^nd worst state for small businesses and the 7^th worst state to start a business.
Delaware has the highest corporate tax climate.
Delaware has the 3^rd highest per capita health care spending but ranks just 31^st in health outcomes with the 2^nd highest ER wait times in the country.
Delaware has some of the highest per capita spending on education but two thirds of Delaware students are not college ready.

With these realities harming Delaware’s growth and success, my statement on A Better Delaware’s official launch last year rings true now more than ever:

“I speak with employers and workers every day who share my concern about Delaware’s business climate and our competitiveness with other states. Too many politicians in Dover are out of touch with the realities of starting and operating a business, and what it takes to create good jobs.”

Our non-partisan group offers year-round communication to promote policies benefiting Delaware’s economy, and our grassroots success is evidenced in our group’s engaged online community (click here to visit our Facebook page). Almost 10,000 followers, over 13,000 email subscribers, and over a dozen distinct advocacy campaigns later, A Better Delaware celebrates one year of working with and for the Delaware people.

In addition to the ABD group, this year we have launched A Better Delaware’s PAC. To supplement our group’s efforts, the A Better Delaware PAC was created to apply the necessary pressure to affect political change and educate our state legislators. The ABD PAC will offer significant support for specific candidates who mirror our group’s pro-growth, pro-Delaware policy goals. As this year’s election cycle culminates with important elections at the local, state and federal level, the creation of our political action committee will allow us to make real change when it is needed most.

We will continue to attack the issues at all levels from the grassroots community level to holding our state’s politicians and policymakers accountable. I explained the need for transparency at all leadership levels at ABD’s founding:

“A major reason Delaware is losing ground is because few are holding the politicians accountable. A Better Delaware will make sure taxpayers understand what is at stake and who in Dover is working for them.”

Our government operates best when there is an effective system of checks and balances in place. Our group will serve that goal.

A Better Delaware and the A Better Delaware PAC were created to provide educational communication informing our community and voters on the issues and policies that will most benefit our state and economy. This project will be an ongoing conversation around policy changes that will benefit our state. As for my personal political aspirations? That’s a topic I’ve been asked about quite a lot recently. My answer? I’ll save that for the next post.

Follow A Better Delaware on:

Facebook
Twitter

https://www.abetterdelaware.org/

The post Founding A Better Delaware appeared first on Chris L. Kenny.

Civic Responsibility

Allison S — Sat, 19 Sep 2020 12:39:33 +0000

Since launching my website last year, I have used my blog The Sword in the Stone to share insights and experiences from my life that have shaped me as the person I am today. I started at the beginning sharing my upbringing as a child of adoption, I looked back on my experiences at Valley Forge Military Academy and my path towards my leadership position in our family company. I reflected on my 24 years of sobriety.

I’ve also used these blog posts to offer my perspective on topics and issues important to all of us. We all have a civic responsibility to make our society a better place, and while words are important, actions speak louder.

A civic-minded focus has afforded me great opportunities to make an impact, with a few key experiences coming to mind, the first being my multiyear tenure as president of Eagle Glen Civic Association. I chaired regular meetings for this community organization with dozens of engaged vocal residents that cared deeply about the goings-on in their neighborhood. I facilitated animated discussions regarding hot button issues with legislators and community police officers. As a civic president I was happy to volunteer my time to the support system for several hundred single-family homes in the area. Through this experience I began to fully appreciate how organized, collaborative effort can make real change in our community.

I also spent several years on the Goodwill Board of Directors, remaining heavily engaged with the mission of helping job candidates eliminate severe barriers to employment including: the physically and mentally disabled, ex-offenders, the housing insecure, skill deficient and long-term workplace displaced requiring soft-skill retraining.

For 25 years as a resident and family business of Delaware, myself and our team has been engaged with these civic issues and very mindful of the barriers to successful employment. We have over 1000 union part-time associates with a considerable number of our staff made up of diverse single parent households experiencing insufficient public transportation, sporadically available daycare, and intermittent extended family caregiver issues. We’ve faced major obstacles with the opioid epidemic and now the COVID-19 pandemic. All of these issues affect availability for scheduled work and contribute to overall job instability. My civic-minded experiences have made me and our organization double-down on our efforts to continue to be a leader in employing individuals struggling with these issues.

Through this experience I began to fully appreciate how organized, collaborative effort can make real change in our community.

I also held a multiyear Governor appointed tenure as a member of Delaware’s Worker’s Compensation Oversight Panel where I vigorously participated in discussions with stakeholders including doctors, lawyers, government agencies and other participants in order to dramatically affect change, improving the system for individuals, providers and businesses alike. We took a critical look at national trends in effective state worker’s compensation systems and applied the knowledge we gained with great diligence and speed, achieving positive outcomes for all stakeholders. Affecting change for the betterment of all is what being civic-minded is all about.

Another civic component crucial to our collective success that I have dedicated energy towards is improving Delaware’s education system. I spent multiple years as a founding member on the William Penn Business Advisory Council advising the then Principal, now Superintendent Jeffery Menzer of the Colonial school district. The council consisted of fellow Delaware State Chamber of Commerce board members and other industry collaborators who met regularly to come up with a strategy to improve graduation rates.

It is all about finding the solutions that work and putting together an action-oriented path to success. We quickly garnered resources from multiple sources both public and private for the new program. We found a national vendor that provided holistic education services beyond the classroom and even beyond the school limits to include family intervention and afterschool activities with metrics that demonstrated material improvements in graduation rates. Improving educational outcomes means a better society and community for all, and we were able to attack the issue at all pressure points in a systemic way to achieve positive education improvements. I maintain this critical, systemic and analytical approach to all issues I face.

With my decades long involvement in civic issues affecting Delaware and a constantly growing, deep understanding of their viable solutions, the question became how to use that foundation of knowledge to help improve the state’s concerns that have risen to a critical level. That is what has led me to my next chapter: founding A Better Delaware, our pro-growth, pro-business advocacy group. For an in-depth look at what ABD is all about and why I launched this project aimed at benefiting all Delawareans, check back here at the Sword in the Stone for my next blog post on that topic. Until then, let us continue to earnestly engage with civic minds and passionate hearts to make Delaware a place where all families can happily live, work and play.

The post Civic Responsibility appeared first on Chris L. Kenny.

One Day at a Time: Substance Abuse and Recovery

Allison S — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 13:07:56 +0000

As of today, August 17th, 2020, by the grace of God and working one day at a time, I have 24 years of living clean and sober. I share my experience with the intention to open up about my past, for individuals and families suffering with substance abuse addiction, and to inspire hope of a path forward. Hopefully you can find some solace and a sense of direction with my story of redemption.

At my core, if I am going to do something, I jump in right away. My experience with addiction is no different: my transition from an adolescent graduating military school to a full blown addict went from Zero to 100. Those dark years in the mid-1990s were a hazy blur of drugs, debauchery, and more mistakes than I’d like to admit. During that time, every aspect of my life was fleeting: transient living situations, random temporary relationships, and constantly chasing the next high. Repeatedly lying, cheating, stealing and worst of all hurting the people closest to me. I was on complete mental and emotional autopilot, going 100 miles an hour to nowhere.

My descent into addiction was fast, but the path to recovery is long, arduous and never complete. I’ve never tried to fully psychoanalyze the reasons for my addiction, but I remember when I finally accepted my problems. Facing homelessness and joblessness, I was at my bottom. My family had enough so I reluctantly went to Bowling Green for in-patient treatment. It was not easy at first (it never is), but when they kicked me out on day 20 of a 30 day program for fraternization with the warning of an imminent relapse, I purposefully stayed sober for 90 days out of spite to prove them wrong. Sometimes you have to find the motivation to change any way you can, and for me I was going to prove them wrong.

Meeting makers make it, I found solace and support at Westminster House in Newark, an incredible home group that was instrumental to my recovery. I lived in those meetings daily for over 3 years while matriculating at UD. I rode my bike from my rented room on Delaware Circle through Main Street Newark up that damn hill every day. Known affectionately as “The Zoo”, Westminster House has a very large room which draws a big attendance to most evening meetings. The daily meetings were attended by mix of long term regulars and new people struggling. Over those three years, I chaired and shared at a lot of meetings.

Ever the student, I read the Big Book, 12 Steps, and sporadically called my still kicking sponsor Jim Sweeney. I developed a ton of friendships with both long time and short timers, soaking up everything I could learn about what I was going through. The eclectic mix of people from different nationalities, races and backgrounds all seeking recovery helped to show me I was not unique or alone in this fight. That really helped me to stay sober.

To me, addiction is a compulsive, repetitive, destructive behavior. Those dealing with addiction must first realize they need help. No one can tell or force someone to get sober, no matter how deep in their addiction they are. We can certainly ask people, how can we help —and you should do that, but to accept help and be willing to change, they must first be ready to admit their life is unmanageable. That is the first step.

My active addiction and its aftermath lead to criminal justice system involvement that can be stigmatizing and harmful to professional career possibilities. One of the many lessons I have learned in my work towards sobriety, is that all of us deserve a second chance. I am grateful my father gave me mine. Thank you, Dad. Without my second chance, I wouldn’t be here today.

Need to attend a meeting: Click here to view Westminster House meeting schedule

Need out-patient: Click here to view PACE

Need in-patient: Click here to view Bowling Green

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

The post One Day at a Time: Substance Abuse and Recovery appeared first on Chris L. Kenny.

Diversity & Leadership

Allison S — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 16:55:32 +0000

In these times of tension and unrest amid an ongoing pandemic, my leadership responsibilities to my family business and the Delaware community have encouraged me to continue reflecting on how my experiences have helped develop and instill the values of equality and respect for all. As a seven-year resident of Wilmington city and advocate for community investment, I hope sharing a glimpse of my life experiences provides a positive perspective in these tumultuous times. From my formative years around the foster care system to learning the importance of positive, disciplined leadership during my years at Valley Forge Military Academy, to raising my family in Wilmington, I have been lucky to experience life in a way that has reinforced a respect for all people, without prejudice.

From a very young age our family provided a home to predominately African American foster babies raised by my mom. I developed strong emotional attachments to these babies, and it was very hard for me when they moved on to their permanent homes. I discuss some of the foster care system’s systemic issues I witnessed growing up in my previous blog post; I learned at a young age how severely burdened most of the families in the system are. As a public-school student in New Jersey, my classes were filled with a diverse group of kids, and my best friend in the neighborhood was Filipino. Those years of my youth were important for my growth, but getting sent to Valley Forge Military Academy is when I first truly grasped the value of diverse, positive leadership role models.

My class at VFMA was quite diverse, with a heavy Latin American and African American makeup. I had an African American roommate and a Pakistani roommate. I saw the diversity around me as a great opportunity to learn about my classmates’ cultures and lives that were vastly different from my own. Many of my leaders were black and Latino; in fact, I think most of the cadet leadership were from Latin America. I cannot underscore enough how much my approach to leadership has been shaped by those role models at VFMA.

I was in eighth grade and a plebe, with an African American company commander in charge. I remember it was a big deal that his older brother was also the first captain, the highest-ranking cadet in the corps. Both brothers were members of the school’s distinguished Cadet Honor Council. Our commanding officer (CO) handled himself with dignity and respect at all times. Always on time, with his uniform in perfect condition and in control of his actions. He never yelled, gave clear direction and held very high standards. He had a Latino executive officer and a Latino first sergeant serving under him for the company. It was a very diverse leadership team, and there was never any division amongst them. If he gave direction, everyone listened. He had a tremendous amount of respect from the company, around the corps of cadets, the faculty, tactical officers and commandant’s office. His leadership was unquestioned.

Without a doubt my CO in eighth grade was my first personal experience with exemplary leadership. I revered the way he led by example. In preparation for this article, I spoke with a buddy of mine from VF reminiscing, and here’s what he had to say about our CO: “He was tough but fair. He was not a screamer and everybody respected him based on his professional demeaner. A true class act.”

Here are some photos from my days at Valley Forge featuring some of my leaders and role models:

My intimate experiences with diversity continued throughout my adulthood while raising a family in Wilmington. After graduating law school, I moved to Wilmington at 26 years old and bought a house on 24^th and Madison Streets. I recall being immediately welcomed into the community. The neighborhood was predominately African American, and we were the only white family on the block. Our neighbors were incredibly hospitable, inviting us into their homes every holiday and barbecue; we were part of the community day one. My new neighbors quickly became good friends, with a few I remain in touch with today.

I was frequently asked why I moved into that specific neighborhood, into that area. I was honestly taken aback at the question. I never had a concern about moving into a majority black neighborhood. The house was spacious enough for our family and centrally located to accommodate all of the driving my job required with a close-knit group of neighbors. What else could you ask for in a new home? I’d like to take a brief moment to shout out some of my former neighbors there on Madison Street including Dana, Joan, Art, Irene and our neighborhood favorite Boogie Down!

I currently live across the river from my first home, still in Wilmington. I continue to support our vibrant community and look to the important leaders I first met years ago for guidance in these heart wrenching times. One incredible individual that comes to mind is Pastor Chris Bullock of Canaan Baptist Church. Witnessing the level of respect his congregation has for him and their deep passion for his wisdom, is awe inspiring. I have attended his services on several occasions, along with my sister and daughter. One thing is for certain if you attend: your ears will be ringing when you leave, your heart will be bursting with joy and your eyes filled!

"It is not that I do not see color or racial differences. It is that I honor the fact that we are all equal with our own respective differences. I have immense gratitude for the opportunity to grow and learn from appreciating these differences."

Our family business has allowed us to extend thousands of employment opportunities to people of color in our community in the last 25 years. The business and family foundation continue to work with important and impactful organizations in this community including programs like the Goodwill of Delaware’s former ShopRite Cashier Training Program, the Wilmington Job Corps, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Friendship House, In Her Shoes, the Federal Probation Office and Sisters for Success reentry program.

This is a time when African American voices need to be heard, shared and supported. I offer my story as a clear and direct offering of ally-ship. It is not that I do not see color or racial differences. It is that I honor the fact that we are all equal with our own respective differences. I have immense gratitude for the opportunity to grow and learn from appreciating these differences. It is the varying perspectives and life experiences of our fellow Americans in this country’s melting pot that enrich our communities, businesses and lives.

I end with a challenge to my readers: join me in signing YWCA’s stand against racism:

Take the pledge here.

The post Diversity & Leadership appeared first on Chris L. Kenny.

Adoption, Foster Care and Selfless Service

Allison S — Tue, 19 May 2020 20:15:23 +0000

Since launching my website and blog three weeks ago, the response has been incredible. I’ve received voicemails, text messages, emails and direct messages from people across Delaware, but one message submitted to my Delaware Hotline has really stuck with me:

"Hi Chris. My name is *****.

I have adopted one of your foster "brothers." I think! Anyway, I'm really interested to read your blog for many reasons, but I'm curious if you will be sharing about your childhood and growing up with bio and adopted brothers and sisters and your involvement, if any, in your mom's foster care.

If I have the wrong guy, I apologize!!!

If I do have the right guy, I am excited to share your story with my oldest biological son, who is struggling with being the oldest and having an adopted brother with special needs.

I think you could be a real inspiration to him!!!!"

One of my intentions with the Sword in the Stone blog is to share more about my life and personal journey, including my upbringing as a child of adoption. I am proud of the many life experiences I have been fortunate to have, but in the name of honesty, sharing my story publicly is new to me. Receiving messages like the one above is teaching me the inherent value of communicating our stories, especially for people with similar life experiences who could benefit from the perspective of someone who has been there.

I was adopted by my parents Bernie and Peg Kenny at a very young age. My mother, Peg has a deep passion for babies: she has fostered over 100 newborns over the last 45 years and still fosters newborns today, right up until the pandemic. Sometimes she cared for two or three at a time. I witnessed all that came with the responsibility, including lots of poop and little sleep.

Some of the brightest moments I remember include holding and feeding the babies and letting them sleep on my chest while my mother folded clothes. I would get home from school and jump right in to hold and play with my foster siblings.

Some of the babies were dealing with very difficult circumstances, born addicted to substances from their mothers having used during the pregnancy. Watching them get sick with acid reflux and vomiting was not easy. Some of them came to our home with bruises on their heads and bodies. One baby had a cast on his leg.

Growing up around lots of little ones in the foster care system, I had some difficulties dealing with the temporary nature of it all. I bonded with the newborns and grew attached to many of them. It was hard for me when they would find a new home, generally by their first birthday, and I would never get to see them again. But when the babies left, my mom would go shopping to make sure they had plenty of clothes, food and new toys to take home with them. My mom really cares about her foster children.

My mom Peg Kenny accepting her Lifetime Achievement Award
from the Kind to Kids Foundation

Being adopted and experiencing the foster care system firsthand in my formative years has greatly shaped my understanding around the concept of family. I was the first of four adopted siblings, and I grew up with five siblings total. Our blended family has a vast mix of personalities, appearances and backgrounds.

I cannot recall exactly when I found out I was adopted. I believe it was around the time my biological, maternal Grandmother, Mary Leonard would regularly visit me from Philadelphia. I was very young and we lived in Voorhees, New Jersey, at the time. On occasion, she would come with my biological grandfather. I think that is when I started learning about my biological family, the Leonard’s.

It’s not a last name or genetics that make a family. It’s the bond.

My younger sister Melissa and I share the same biological mother, but have different fathers. My older brother and sister are my adoptive parents’ biological children. My youngest brother and sister were adopted from completely different families. There is a 30-year age span from the oldest to youngest of my siblings, all coming from different families. Part of growing up with adoptive siblings is that everyone is different, no one looks alike or acts alike, but we love each other just the same.

My experience as an adopted child brought up around the foster care system and into the Kenny family has made me an extremely strong advocate of the foster care system and adoption services. Adoption and foster care services may not be perfect in practice, as they usually deal with very complex and fragmented systemic issues, but the programs are an absolute necessity. Our family foundation supports several organizations and nonprofits involved in these areas including: (link to the orgs websites below)

These organizations are making sustaining, positive impacts in the lives of adopted children and families in Delaware. Similar to my experience, our foundation continually learns through reporting that the adoption milestone and foster system are crucial to the success stories of many children who are orphaned.

Adoption truly represents the delicate balance between nature versus nurture. On one hand my biological father and grandfather are neurosurgeons. My biological mother’s entire family are lawyers and engineers. On the other hand, no one in my adoptive family has graduated from college; neither my parents nor my siblings. Thankfully, my innate academic talents were given the space to flourish at 13 years old when my parents enrolled me at Valley Forge Military Academy, in effort to straighten out my unruly behavior.

My adoptive father Bernie was an airborne ranger, and as anyone who knows him will tell you, he demands continuous improvement every single day from all aspects of your life. He always came home from work for family dinners and spent every weekend with the family. While he was often a harsh disciplinarian, this sense of stability I received has stuck with me and influences my decisions to put time with my family first.

My upbringing, filled with challenges and blessings, has led me to where I am today as CEO of my family’s business, proudly serving 25% of Delaware’s population each week. I have learned that obstacles often provide the lessons we need to move forward. This resiliency provides me with an inner trust, strength and perseverance throughout all contexts of my life. I know if I remain focused and deliberate, the results will come. Essentially, enduring challenges makes you battle tested.

Questions? Comments? Contact my hotline here

The post Adoption, Foster Care and Selfless Service appeared first on Chris L. Kenny.

Welcome to The Sword in the Stone: A Blog by Chris Kenny

Allison S — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 17:36:04 +0000

The story of Excalibur is a tale of duty and destiny, telling of a sword in a stone that can only be pulled and wielded by its rightful owner. The Sword in the Stone is a medieval metaphor for the purpose that lies in all of us. For a young Arthur pulling Excalibur from its stone when no one else could, that divine purpose was being heir to the throne, to becoming who he was destined to be: King Arthur.

Identifying that true purpose inside all of us is the first step to being successful: find your purpose first and then figure out how to accomplish it. As a family business owner in Delaware invested in my community’s success, my focus on positive leadership qualities, constant learning and ongoing personal improvement shape every achievement I’ve experienced. It is time I share the stories, insights and experiences that have led to the successes in my life.

Since joining the Delaware online community six months ago, I have received an outpouring of messages from people all across the state. Your voices, thoughts and opinions are important to me, so when creating my personal website, I knew I needed a section to share with the community my personal experiences and lessons learned along the way. That section is this blog.

Welcome to The Sword in the Stone, where I will candidly share accounts from my life that have shaped who I am today. Hopefully this blog is inspiring to you as the story of Excalibur is to me.

I created this blog to publish my personal insights for entrepreneurs, civic leaders and all citizens of Delaware. It is so important our future entrepreneurs and community leaders understand there is not one path to success; sharing my own personal path and experiences is my attempt to illustrate this essential truth. Most imperative to success are the foundational traits within each of us and how we call on them as opportunities and challenges arise. We all have the groundwork for success inside of us: you just have to know how to bring it out, and we all have our own devices and strategies for building upon those foundations to achieve our dreams.

“Success means you are happy and joyous in whatever you are endeavoring to do whether that be work, family, play, anything. If you are happy and joyous then you are successful.

If you have $1 billion and you are unhappy, you are not successful. If you have all the records in all of the record books and you are unhappy, you’re not successful.

Happiness = Success”

“Success means you are happy and joyous in whatever you are endeavoring to do whether that be work, family, play, anything. If you are happy and joyous then you are successful.

If you have $1 billion and you are unhappy, you are not successful. If you have all the records in all of the record books and you are unhappy, you’re not successful.

Happiness = Success”

I crave learning new ways to attack problems and achieve goals. I am constantly drawing upon various teachings and knowledge I have acquired throughout my life, from learning important principles of integrity and leadership while attending Valley Forge Military Academy to studying self-defense and strategy through martial arts and reading Eastern Philosophers like Sun Tzu.

We are multifaceted people and so too will be The Sword in the Stone. On this blog I will share personal stories, insight and adventures. I will share thoughts and analyses on my just-launched Delaware Hotline too, in my effort to capture in real-time the issues that matter to the Delaware people most. And I’ll be giving you a little medieval flare along the way because what are good stories and insights without a little personality?

Six months ago I didn’t know I’d be on the internet, on social media and certainly not with my own personal blog and hotline. Life’s winding roads are interesting like that sometimes, and here we are, so thank you for tuning in. Check back on my blog soon for regular posts and updates by me, your Delaware friend Chris Kenny. In my first set of posts I will be writing about my upbringing and the often-bumpy journey I took to where I am today, from adoption and military academy to President and CEO of a successful family business.

In the meantime, please give my hotline a call or text message. I want to hear from you, Delaware: 302-223-9982.

The post Welcome to The Sword in the Stone: A Blog by Chris Kenny appeared first on Chris L. Kenny.