Leann Ferguson is proof that a positive attitude and good sense of humor can make the world a better place.
A natural optimist who makes it her mission to make life around her a little brighter, Ferguson has been an active participant in the former Aurora Ross Fire Department Auxiliary and the Order of the Eastern Star, a division of the Masons open to men and women that works to raise charitable funds. Among its contributions, the organization has raised funds for juvenile diabetes research and Alzheimer’s research, as well as scholarships.
It’s about a love of community, which is evident in much of how she occupies her time. Ferguson serves as the secretary and treasurer for the Women of the Aurora Community Park Activities Committee – known as the WACPAC” – a group of local women devoted to the betterment of Aurora and through maintaining the park and promoting the events therein. The group has worked to introduce and keep initiatives into the area, such as car shows and vendor fairs. The group recently teamed up with local business owners to initiate cleanup efforts within the community and has assisted in keeping the long-standing tradition of the Aurora Country Festival alive.
In all its aspects, Ferguson works diligently to do her part. An avid quilter and something of an artist, Ferguson worked to take used materials and make a University of Kentucky quilt to raffle at this year’s festival, in addition to her other contributions to the event and the group. Hicks said Ferguson was responsible for securing the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile for the group twice and was always available to man the grill when the group feeds bowfishermen the WACPAC hosts. Ferguson handles all of the organization’s advertising, as well, working to bring in visitors.
An incredibly positive person, Hicks said Ferguson works hard to ensure their experiences are enjoyable in her way.
“She’s just a person who loves doing her own thing,” Hicks said. “… She loves to make people happy. That’s just the way she is, (she) loves making other people happy.”
That lighthearted positivity is something she takes with her in all she does. A new employee at the Marshall County Humane Society, Ferguson has proven herself a valuable asset in both the work she does and for staff morale. Co-worker Kara Bullard said Ferguson was thoughtful and considerate in how she approached her job. Particularly, Bullard said the little things such as purchasing a new broom and drain covers – things the animal sanctuary sorely needed but often went overlooked – while on her own time had not gone unnoticed by fellow staff members. It’s a testament to the work ethic Bullard said went unmatched.
“She’s so hard working, and she’s so helpful,” Bullard said. “That stands out to me, that she’s always willing to go the extra mile for me if I ask her, or even sometimes I don’t even have to ask her. … She’s always been really helpful and outgoing and open-minded about the way we run things here. And I think she’s just a super hard worker, and I really appreciate her being here. … She’s willing to step up and improve the life around here for the animals, and for us too. We’re all a team, and she definitely shows that she wants to be a part of this team.”
Ferguson had also worked to bring her own unique sense of humor to bring a fresh perspective and new life to the Humane Society’s social media presence, connecting the community to the animals employees hope to find homes. Plus, Bullard said she’s just plain fun.
“(She’s) hilarious,” Bullard said. “… Just her wit and her joy, it’s just all around fun to be around her. I only get to work with her one day a week, and I look forward to Mondays every week because she just keeps me laughing. It makes for a really nice work space when we’re all happy and getting along.
“I think that just from being around her the past month or so, I don’t think that people in general realize just how hard she works,” Bullard added. “In her life, in her job, as a mother, as a wife, as a band leader – she takes so much on, and unless your around her enough, nobody would really know that, and I am amazed at what she’s able to handle and she does well.”
Her daughter, 16-year-old Caity Ferguson, said that sense of humor is her favorite characteristic about her mother. Caity and her mother share a close relationship, and it’s something she said she’s come to value more as she grows into adulthood. Still, the two just enjoy “goofing off” together.
“She’s really fun,” Caity said. “… Especially in Walmart, like I pretended to push her in a Walmart box, it’s just great. We goof around all the time, she cooks meals. She’s just great.”
Caity spends a fair amount of time with her mother, too. Ferguson serves as the secretary for the Marshall County High School band boosters organization. Much of her mother’s spare time is spent working to assist the band, of which both Caity and her older brother Caleb have been a part. On any given Saturday – and most days through the week – when Ferguson isn’t at work or helping with the WACPAC, she can be found taking pictures, chaperoning events and competitions, building or painting show props and just general running on day-to-day errands that the core handful of volunteers must do to help keep the group running.
Band Booster President and friend Susanne Meyer said it can be stressful work to make sure everything goes off as planned, but Ferguson does it all with a smile and helps maintain a necessary balance.
“She’s a very caring person,” Meyer said. “She does go out of her way to help out with anything that’s needed. She’s worked on these props; she painted that ship last year – her and Caity did. She’s very outgoing, (and) she’s just an all-around great person. I love Leann. … She’s always got a comeback. She’s just funny, she’s got a really good sense of humor about things. Where I get mad about stuff … she can kind of turn it upside down and say something to make you feel better and kind of turn it around.”
It speaks to the person she is at heart. Meyer said Ferguson was highly dependable and caring. Ferguson often puts her own talents to use resourcefully, taking old color guard flags or band uniforms to make items and mementos, such as purses and pillows, that the band may raffle or auction at fundraisers to raise money. While much of their interaction focuses on their children and the band, she knows that whatever she may need she can call.
“She did tell me that if Blake – my youngest son – if he ever decided to be in band when he got in high school that she would come back and help me,” Meyer said. “… She cares about these kids. These kids come first – her kids come first – family values are important to her. … She’d do anything in the world for anybody. I love her. … She’ll just go out of her way for this band program. She’s very resourceful; (and) if you need something, she’s got it on time, ready to go. You can count on her for anything. If I needed something right now, even in my personal life if I needed something right now, she’d be over here to help me.”
A little mischievious, Meyer often sees the playful side of Ferguson, who delights in pocking good-natured fun at Meyer and some of her more unusual … aversions. In particular, Meyer said Ferguson’s latest companion – a sock monkey she made by hand and named “Misha” – has become a day-to-day companion for Ferguson and everyone with whom she comes into contact.
“Even though I don’t like them I’ve had to go all over Paducah today with her and them sock monkeys,” Meyer said. “… Every time I turn around she’s got one of them stuck behind me taking pictures and I don’t know until she’s taken it. … I took one of her today at Sam’s where she was propping it up taking pictures of all this stuff. Like, she was propping it up taking pictures of oatmeal. She said, ‘This is David Tennant. David Tennant needs his oatmeal.’ I said, ‘What the (expletive deleted) are you doing?’ And she’s just rolling. I had to take a picture of her taking a picture of oatmeal. She stays happy all the time.”
It’s just another expression of Ferguson’s fun and creativity. Misha, who now has another sock monkey companion, makes regular appearances on social media and with the band, something the kids enjoy nearly as much as Ferguson. Misha – named for actor Misha Collins, who plays “Castiel” on Ferguson’s favorite show and has been known to take up various humanitarian causes such as child hunger – documents Ferguson’s everyday adventures.
“She is a 100 percent nerd,” Caity joked. “So her jokes can range from a little bit of bathroom humor to ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Doctor Who’ – every single nerdy thing you can think of. And at one point we carried a Flat Stanley around, and we’d take pictures of him everywhere. And she was just, ‘I love this actor, I’m going to make him into a sock monkey.’ And, you know, she’s a creative person so she makes all these things. So, she just started doing the Flat Stanley thing again.”
Flat Stanley, a character from a set of children’s books who travels and shares adventures, was designed to initiate letter writing among school children and make connections. Stanley looks at the bright side to having been flattened in the first story, such as the ability to travel through the mail.
Ferguson herself has always looked at the positive side of things. Entirely alruistic, Caity said much of that and her positive attitude can be attributed to her upbringing, which wasn’t always easy.
“She’s very selfless,” Caity said. “Most of her life … she had to grow up on her own. I think she just taught herself, ‘don’t care specifically for me, you have to care for everyone else as well.’”
Ferguson has often emphasized the importance of happiness to her children, and it’s something that even at 16, Caity recognizes as a vital lesson, and one she won’t ever forget.
“It was my birthday, and Caleb had just had his and we were talking, and she said, ‘I know we’re not the richest of people, and we don’t get the expensive gifts, but I at least want to try and make you happy on your birthday,” Caity said. “And that’s one of my favorite moments, because you don’t have to be rich to be really happy. And she taught me a lesson.”