Photo By CHRIS HUMPHREYS | The Voice-Tribune

Doug and Jessa Davis, owners of River City Canoe and Kayak, spend much of their lives outside enjoying nature, but they found each other in New York City several years ago.

Doug was a police officer and Jessa was a business consultant, but they shared a passion for the outdoors. After moving to Louisville in 2008, they started a new life, a business and a family. Baby Madilyn was welcomed into their lives just this year, making them proud parents as well as business owners.

River City Canoe and Kayak has been open since 2009, and lets Doug and Jessa do what they love every day. As an advocate for conservation, Doug also uses the store as an avenue to promote the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, where he sits on the Board of Directors. The couple uses their love of the outdoors to connect with each other and the community.

Why did you want to leave New York?
“I’m tired of being a police officer in New York; I’m tired of locking up kids. I want to have a different impact on society. I want to have a different impact on kids and youth” said Doug. “We were both tired of New York.” Jessa agreed.

What brought you to Louisville?
“I was reading the August 2008 issue of Outdoor Magazine and in the article ‘Top 20 Places to Live Now,’ number seven on the list was Louisville,” Doug said. “That same month, National Geographic Magazine listed Bardstown, Ky., as one of the top adventure towns in the U.S. It’s the home of bourbon; they’re looking at building a whitewater park downtown. What more do you need? Bourbon and whitewater.”

How have you connected to Kentucky since being here?
“Water has been a continuing theme with us in the commonwealth since we first started looking at Louisville.” Doug said. “Water and the outdoors is what initially brought national attention to Kentucky. It’s what led us as a young professional, educated couple to move here. It’s what led us to open our business here. And it’s what led me to get involved with Kentucky Waterways Alliance.”

How has Madilyn changed your lives?
“Denali, our four-legged daughter, was the center of attention. Now we’re trying to share the attention between her and our new daughter,” Jessa laughed. “She (Madilyn) has caused us to grow up in a lot of ways; she’s caused us to focus a lot more than I think we’ve had to in the past.”

What’s your advice for happy couples and business owners?
“Make sure you’re taking care of yourself and don’t always think everything has to be your way,” Jessa said.

“Try to keep the clutter down,” Doug advised. “Take that little extra time to cut the cleaning down. Don’t get so caught up in the rat race. If we only have this one life to live, it doesn’t matter how hard you work or how much money you made if you didn’t get to get out and enjoy it with your family or your friends or the people that matter to you.”

Do’s

“Do take time out for yourselves as a couple- schedule date night,” Jessa said.

Don’ts

“Don’t get so caught up in the rat race,” said Doug.

Earth Day Paddle

Who:
Kentucky Waterways Alliance, River City Canoe & Kayak and Mayor Greg Fischer

When:
Sunday, April 22; Paddle 12-4 p.m., reception 4-6 p.m.

What:
A free-form interpretive paddle on Harrods Creek in Louisville, Ky. to celebrate Earth Day and clean water efforts.

Where:
Launch from either Captain’s Quarters, 5700 Captain’s Quarters Road, or the River City Canoe and Kayak Base, 814 Cherokee Road.

Cost:
$30 includes paddle with interpretive stops, reception at Captain’s Quarters with appetizers and live music. Help support Kentucky Waterways Alliance and come out to the KWA Earth Day Paddle on Harrod’s Creek. A ticket for only $30 will give you access to the water, a reception at Captain’s Quarters, including appetizers and live music. River City Canoe and Kayak is the title sponsor, offering canoe and kayak rentals. All the proceeds from the event and rentals will benefit Kentucky Waterways Alliance and help support the cleanliness of our local water.

More info:
www.kwalliance.org

Jamie Campisano.

Louisville native, Jamie Campisano, returns to the Derby City next week to promote her children’s book “C” is for College.

An alumna of Sacred Heart Academy and graduate of Wake Forest University and the New York Film Academy, Campisano is passionate about learning. “C” is for College instills confidence and encourages children to see themselves as college material from a young age.

The book is a walk through the alphabet explaining and familiarizing children with terms associated with higher education.

With the high school graduation rate at only 70 percent, Jamie felt compelled to do something proactive to help alleviate the growing education crisis. Her way of making a difference was creating a tool for parents and teachers to show children that they can go to college.

Campisano is trying to promote the joys of learning, especially to those who may not be as privileged as others.

Some researchers have said that by the time we are seven years old, 70 percent of what we believe about ourselves has already been determined. By teaching children about college as early as possible, Campisano said she hopes to embed college in their identity and help them aspire toward a brighter future. It’s not a question of if children will go to college but only where they will attend.

“Some of our high schools have a 35 percent drop-out rate.  If you ran a business and only 35 percent of what you manufactured wasn’t making it out of the door, you wouldn’t be in business very long. We need to find a way to do better,” she said.

The book teaches children how hard work in elementary and high school will pay off in the future. There is even a college pledge in the back of the book for children to sign, saying that they will strive for higher education.

Jamie Campisano will be doing readings of “C” is for College at Field Elementary on Thursday, Feb. 9, and at Frayser Elementary on Friday, Feb. 10, for their “I Love to Read Day.”

You can attend her book signing at The Comfy Cow on Frankfort Avenue at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11. The books, which normally sell for $24.95, will be sold for $20 (tax included) and each person who buys the book will get a free ice cream cone.

She also will talk about the book with John Ramsey on WAVE-3 on Thursday morning and with Rachel Platt and Terry Meiners on WHAS11 on Friday.

“C” is for College is also available on her website, www.jamiecampisano.com.

I was really excited to find out that one of my first duties as an intern here at The Voice- Tribune would be to model for Gifthorse. I was prepared to be making coffee for everyone in the office. Lucky me, I was very wrong. Look at the cover of the C section. That’s me! I’m famous! (Kind of)

Although excited, I was pretty nervous about being the subject of photo shoot. I wanted to do a good job and prove myself to be a good intern. Thank God for Butch Sager, owner and designer behind the fashions at Gifthorse. He made that very easy for me. Once I met him and saw all of the beautiful clothes I’d get to wear, I knew it’d be a piece of cake.

It wasn’t that easy. I have no idea how to model. And I had gotten rained/sleeted/snowed on while at school that morning so I was looking a little rough when I got to the shoot. Luckily co-owner and hair stylist Shawn Beirne was there to save the day. He teased my hair into a huge, fashionable mess that I secretly wish I could wear on a day-to-day basis.

Besides showing up with my hair a disaster, the first dress I was supposed to wear for the shoot was way too small. I couldn’t even get it on, talk about embarrassing. I ended up wearing the black handkerchief dress in the picture and I loved it. I was happy to wear it, also, because we had to shoot outside in the snow. It was a lot warmer than the other dress would have been!

The pictures turned out pretty darn good if I must say so myself. Overall, I think I’m pretty lucky. Modeling may not be in my future, but life is good here at The Voice-Tribune. I can’t believe that I get to do such cool things as an intern, and meet cool people like Butch and Shawn. Last week, I got to go with the staff members to The Brown Hotel to taste champagne and try gourmet food.

I think I’ll try to stick around for awhile.