Not a fan of winter, she appreciates what the weather represents: Thanksgiving and Christmas are around the corner as are the family traditions that are tastier than the turkey and more memorable than the presents.
Holiday Whopla kicked off recently and the ice skating rink is open through Jan. 20. Kiser is the heart and soul of the event, but she’s quick to acknowledge it wouldn’t have survived the first three years without the many community contributors, the city’s financial assistance and her team of volunteers and board members.
For all of her philanthropic efforts that stretch throughout Butler County, Kiser recently was honored with two significant awards. She received the Middletown Community Foundation “Volunteer of the Year” Award earlier this month and a West Chester Liberty Alliance “Women of Excellence” Award Friday night.
“You don’t do this for the awards,” she said. “I wish I could share the awards with all the people who help me. I was just the one with a crazy dream. None of what I do is a solo project.”
Winning two major community awards in the same month hasn’t made her feel more comfortable with the accolades. If you need a cheerleader for your project, she’s your woman.
“I like to shine the spotlight on others,” she said.
Her husband John Kiser said: “I couldn’t be prouder of all that she has accomplished.”
Savannah Robertson, who attends Lakota East High School, drafted a biography of Kiser as part of the “Women of Excellence” award process.
She called Kiser “a one-woman powerhouse of kindness and energy. Her unrivaled spirit for service, compassion, livelihood, and giving back brings life to her community and every place she touches.”
Avinne, 50, seemed destined to be a community leader at an early age. Born the oldest of four daughters to Robert and Jill Overton, Kiser said the family was “extremely poor” and there were days without lunch money or new school clothes.
But her mother, a retired school teacher, instilled in her daughters the importance of giving back to the community even when the family had to do without.
When Kiser sees a problem, she seeks a solution.
So when Brown’s Run Country Club in Madison Twp., where the Kiser family lives, faced foreclosure, they bought the golf course, invested thousands of dollars in improvements, saved jobs and retained a quality of life asset.
And when Avinne saw a need for a winter downtown activity to complement Light Up Middletown, a holiday drive-through lights display at Smith Park, and the Santa Parade, she founded Holiday Whopla that features an ice skating rink, interactive lights and a Santa House.
Over the years, there have been financial struggles and battles with City Council to obtain the needed support. It’s hard to sleep when bills are unpaid.
“I felt pretty beat up,” she admitted.
There was a time when city leaders thought Holiday Whopla was an enemy of the city instead of a way to attract visitors downtown, she said
“It’s not us against the city,” she explained. “We’re for the city, for the love of the city.”
In August 2023, council approved the purchase of an ice rink for $236,202 and allowed Holiday Whopla, a volunteer organization, to operate the event for at least four years. The money came from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) fund.
Holiday Whopla no longer is skating on thin ice.
Besides her work in Middletown, Kiser has established the Random Acts of Kindness Club and a chapter of Magnified Giving at Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary School that has become a permanent addition to the 7th and 8th-grade curriculum, connecting kids to nonprofit organizations.
As she sat Wednesday morning in the igloo, she was asked what it’s like on those cold nights when the ice rink is filled with families making memories.
“Very emotional,” Kiser said. “I see a dream realized. How did we do this? How is this here?”
Then she answered her own questions.
“Devine intervention,” she said. “God keeps putting people in my path. No matter the case, it’s always been that way. It’s been a blessing.”
It’s a full-time job trying to raise the $250,000 needed annually to operate Holiday Whopla, she said. That means she may not have enough time around the holidays for her family and friends. She hopes her children — Logan, 19, Addison, 17, and Grant, 14 — are watching and learning from her actions, just as she did as a young girl.
She always has time to be a role model.
“Dream big,” she said. “Helping your community is always going to be a win.”
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