Photos courtesy of Bob Valasek
Valasek family
Flipping through issues of Healthy New Albany Magazine, the name Bob Valasek is seen nestled at the bottom of stories, especially the Student Spotlight features, with a contributing writer title. A New Albany resident, his spotlights are colorful and inspiring, but his work with the publication spans many years and his personal story goes far beyond the magazine.
So, who is Valasek? Who is the face behind these stories?
Finding (And Loving) New Albany
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Valasek attended Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore and majored in English. While in college, Valasek met his now wife, Amy, who practices pediatric sports medicine.
The couple wanted to find a community closer to Pittsburgh that was also ideal for raising a family. Around 2014, Amy found a job within her field at the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany for Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Valasek family in Walt Disney World
“We just fell in love with New Albany kind of immediately,” Valasek says. “Job plus community plus the kind of place we wanted to raise our family equaled the perfect match for us. We’re so happy we moved here, we’ve been happy since the day we got here and I think it gets better every year.”
The Heit Center wasn’t completed when Amy took the job, so the Valasek family became members before it even opened. Today, Valasek enjoys the workout facility and classes, some of which Amy teach. Their daughters – Sarah, 11 and Emily, 9 – also live a healthy lifestyle with their involvement in the New Albany Ballet Company.
His family is involved in many aspects of New Albany, but Valasek notes one of his favorite parts is the community collaboration; whether it’s the ballet company and the New Albany Symphony Orchestra teaming up for a performance or the schools partnering with the city on programs to enhance well-being.
“I’m always struck by how well the different parts of New Albany come together,” Valasek says. “You can kind of do anything here if you have a good idea and the energy to see it through, you can find people and groups to support it and make it happen.”
One of the newest collaborations in the city is The Miracle League of New Albany, and Valasek, as you may have guessed, is involved. The mission of the league is to provide people with disabilities the opportunity to play baseball – but the city needs a field first and is currently working on raising funds. As for Valasek, he’s overseeing and creating all the content for the league’s website.
“I’m really excited to put more energy behind this project,” he says. “And it’s the perfect example of one of those great ideas… that will make this community that much better.” A
Passion for Writing
After learning about Healthy New Albany Magazine through the Heit Center, Valasek began to write for the publication in late 2014. Valasek has contributed many pieces and, after writing a series about New Albany neighborhoods and homeowners, he was inspired to feature local students.
Bob Valasek
“Every student amazes me in a different way,” he says. “They’re all so different with so many different talents and so many different interests. In New Albany, these kids, just like all the residents, can do anything because the community is there to support them, and you see it in these stories.”
Valasek adds that his children inspire the structure of the articles.
“I want the (sources) to feel comfortable and know that I care for their story the same way if I were writing about my own children,” Valasek says. “My only goal is to shine a light on them in the best way possible.”
Apart from Student Spotlights, Valasek is a full-time transmission technical writer for American Electric Power and enjoys the art of poetry in his free time. While living in Baltimore, Valasek partook in a creative poetry group and has considered starting one in New Albany. With published poetry and a master’s in English from Morgan State University under his belt, it’s safe to say his start-up group would be insightful.
“The one thing I have learned about this community is interests are many and varied,” he says. “I’d love to start a whole poetry community here… And living in New Albany always makes me feel like if you haven’t found it, then just create it.”
Behind every writer is an inspiration. And for Valasek, that’s his family.
“What makes me so excited to write all of these stories is my whole family’s community involvement,” he says. “All of that inspires me to do a little bit more every day to be a part of this community, and to find a way to make it a little bit better.”
Lydia Freudenberg is the brand loyalty specialist. Feedback welcome at lfreudenberg@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Fit Five: Bob Valasek shares his wellness habits
What are your favorite ways to stay active?
- You’ll find me working out at the Heit Center at least a few times a week, and when the weather cooperates, I love to run outside. Running has always been my favorite way to exercise. I have a few standard routes that I run, mostly involving the Yantis Loop, depending on how far I want to go.
What do you do to relax?
- I love to read, but exercise is actually my chosen method for stress relief. I listen to music or podcasts while running, so an awesome playlist coupled with a great workout is where it’s at for me.
How do you balance your day job and trying to live a healthy lifestyle?
- It’s not always easy as two working parents with two active kids, but it’s important to Amy and me to model a healthy lifestyle for our daughters. On most days, Amy goes to the gym in the morning before work and I go after work. As our daughters are getting older, we’re finding more opportunities to exercise as a family, too.
Are there any foods you try to avoid or emphasize?
- I work to keep carbs and sugar to a minimum. I bring my lunch to work every day to avoid the trap of making fast, easy, and less-healthy choices.
How does the city of New Albany promote a healthy lifestyle to its citizens?
- Living a healthy lifestyle is a choice, but as I’ve gotten older, I’m more aware that the choice is made easier for some than others. We are very lucky as New Albany residents to have more resources available to us than most communities. Whether it’s walking out your front door to the sidewalk that connects to a leisure path, taking advantage of Rocky Fork Metro Park or the many green spaces throughout the community, participating in one of our many races or fitness events, or becoming a member at the Heit Center, New Albany has a healthy lifestyle option for everyone willing to make that choice.
