Keri Jeter
“HEC,” she says, “helps fight the bigger battles: polluting companies and irresponsible government actions to name just two.”
HEC Supporter Keri Jeter Lewis was born an “army brat” at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Much of her childhood was spent in Yonkers, New York until her family moved to Indianapolis, where she has remained since (except a brief time after college in Chicago). She is an HR manager at a civil engineering firm and also a yoga instructor. She loves to read and sew and the proud parent of a teenager and…a newborn! Keri says both her children have made her contemplate how she stewards the planet: from breast feeding and diapering her 7-month-old to planning not to replace her car once her 15-year-old daughter starts driving.
Keri remembers the first moments she felt connected to the environment: “I remember going to Camp Tecumseh in the 5th grade and LOVING it: getting stuck in a canoe, hiking and feeling peaceful in the woods, and seeing stars for the first time. Like, not just the North Star, but a whole sky full of stars. It’s something folks take for granted but growing up in the city, it had an impact. I believe the big turning point was a report I did in high school on animal testing, both for medical and beauty products – that led me to being a vegetarian, and my advocacy for animals and the environment all stem from there.”
In fact, Keri is so passionate about the environment that she says she can’t understand why everyone isn’t! “Mars exploration aside, we’ve only got the one planet to live on,” she says. “We should be protecting the land for everyone.” She loves nature and the outdoors and together with her “bestie” jokes they’re solar powered. But Keri is also an asthmatic, so breathing is something she thinks about more than most people. The toll of bad policy decision on the environment is frustrating to her because of her health, and, knowing that those actions have a disproportionately negative impact on people experiencing poverty and communities of color that are already fighting for so much.
Keri says she supports HEC because even those she’s doing all she can as an individual to help the planet, she can only do so much on her own. HEC, she says, helps fight the bigger battles: polluting companies and irresponsible government actions to name just two. Keri supports the Hoosier Environmental Council with her time, talent, and treasure – choosing to be a member of our monthly giving Sustainability Club and host Facebook Fundraisers, because they are easy ways to give back that fit with her busy lifestyle. “I’m a big believer that everyone can be a philanthropist, and that every little bit helps. Facebook fundraisers have made it super simple to both spread the good word and give everyone a chance to donate.”