Photos Courtesy of Jeanette Rogers-Erickson
Jeanette Rogers Erickson, the founder of the Kern Valley Hospital Foundation and the annual Heart Walk, told the Kern Valley Sun about her daughter, Dani Rogers-Hill, who was just awarded a proclamation from Senator Shannon Grove.
Rogers-Hill, who grew up in Kern Valley and graduated from Kern Valley High School, received the proclamation, at her current home in, Los Osas California.
Her mother Jeanette read the proclamation’s contents to our Kern Valley Sun reporter on Thursday October 17. “Inspired by the joy she felt, when seeing photographs of people enjoying her donated bracelets, Dani launched Gratitude Angels, for which she creates distinctive jewelry, using recycled paper beads, handcrafted by Ugandan artists.”
Rogers-Erickson said that 50% of the money her daughter raised through the sale of Gratitude Angels is used by the non profit Project Have Hope to inspire Ugandan artisans with business loans, scholarships and other support programs. The non-profit charity organization called New Hope and one of its subsidiaries began to buy the Gratitude Angels from Dani. From all of the angels, Dani gave half back to the ministry, where the African women made little money working and bringing their kids to be safe at night. Dani, by giving 50%, and then using other amounts to put back into production, had literally made hundreds and hundreds, probably more than 2000 Gratitude Angels. Each bead was hand made and the primary body of the little angel was the beads made in Africa and she attached the angel to each one. “She loves giving back to the community,” Jeanette said.
Dani gave many of her first Gratitude Angels pieces to medical staff who helped provide her with great medical care. “Dani is always thankful to know that, when one of her creations is sold, it will help uplift the lives of women in Africa who made the beads.”
Rogers- Erickson said it was with the love and support of Dani’s husband Dan Hill, and her children and foster kids, that Dani has earned appreciation of those who had the opportunity to reap the benefits of her exceptional spirit and devotion to making a difference in her local community and beyond.
The senator expressed her acknowledgement and gratitude for the difference during her lifetime service Dani made in the community and beyond.
The story of the angels began when a friend of Dani’s, who has made numerous trips to Uganda, brought back beads to Dani, knowing that Dani was paralyzed. Jeanette said, “Dani actually made little angels out of them,” With the little gratitude angels is a card saying for them to share it with someone who made a difference in their life.
Organizations began requesting and buying hundreds of the Gratitude Angels to give to their supporters. The ministry later developed a hut for women to work evenings safely in Uganda. The women worked in a rock quarry for $3 per day for the buckets of rock that they would chip. More and more people heard about it.
Dani was raised in the Kern Valley and graduated from Kern Valley High School. She was involved with the Los Osas Chamber of Commerce for a number of years. She developed a regimented program for women to maintain a healthier lifestyle.
In the valley she was the states keeper for the boys basketball team. She had theatrical talents as a writer and director for the theater arts ministry of Family Life Center Foursquare church in Wofford Heights from 1978 to 1984. She also sang in the band Trumpet Sound, which wrote its own music and performed in many church programs and civic presentations. The band eventually recorded music widely distributed on tapes.
Dani moved to Montana where her husband became a firefighter. Dani later moved to be near her father in Morro Bay, to heal her mental health, living near family.
She has served directing music and putting on plays at her church in Los Osas. She became a business owner of a studio, as a massage therapist. “She was always active in civic and church organized programs,” Jeanette said.
Despite her physical health issues, Dani has rallied and has been doing better physically lately.
Senator Grove is now closing out her term. Jeanette submitted information about Dani’s life work, which went to the senate, who decided Dani was worthy of the proclamation.
Grove put a rush on having the proclamation made because of Dani’s ill health. Jeanette said, “They got this done in a rush. And so then the next time I went over to Dani’s, her son Tyler was there, and her brother, my youngest son Andy. And the three of us, with her husband Dan, presented it. And she was just very deeply touched by it. I thought it was newsworthy because so many people up here know her and have known her all of her life.”
Doctors diagnosed a very rare growth in Dani’s spinal column and though she was able to have her life saved she was paralyzed for the past 15 years. Rogers- Erickson said that her daughter suffers from a lot of pain in her spine among other health issues. There were only six recorded cases where others got similar growths inside the spinal column, in the United States, and Jeanette said her daughter has outlived almost all of them because of her keen interest in trying to do something for others.
The ministry has provided lighting in Uganda, in the Quonset hut. They started digging a well so the women could wash their clothes in the hut, because living alone, the women were vulnerable to rape and other dangers.
