Who
is Ginny Chudgar?
My complete name
is Mrs. Virginia Moll Chudgar, but I like to be called Ginny, the
nickname that I began using as a student at Central
Catholic High School in Reading, Pennsylvania. I
attended Alvernia
College, proceeding along the familiar academic path. And then,
unexpectedly, I fell in love with a gentleman from India.Meeting and marrying Ashvin Chudgar in 1968, a year before my college graduation, changed everything for me. Outwardly, I moved from being in the classr
oom as a student to being in the classroom as a
substitute
teacher; inwardly, my world suddenly expanded to include the fullness
of Indian
culture, the joys and responsibilities of marriage, and,
within three years, the mind- and heart-stretching vocation of
motherhood. With
babe in arms, I visited India and was
exposed to an ancient culture whose cuisine, music, religion and entire
lifestyle were as foreign to all I had known as I could
imagine. By the time I was twenty-five, the doors of my mind and heart had been opened wide. Back from my visit to India, with a new mother’s zeal, I began what I’ve been doing ever since—sharing my constantly expanding sense of all that life can be. Along the way, I
- co-founded Children in Hospitals of Berks County, an organization that championed family-centered medical care (at a time when that concept was almost unheard-of in Pennsylvania);
- served two terms on the Wilson School Board, where I furthered my organizational skills in the realm of grassroots politics and policymaking;
- promoted ecumenical understanding by being, for many years, the Secretary of the Board of the Reading-Berks Conference of Churches;
- worked with the Festival of Faith Committee, to advocate for full congregational inclusion for persons with disabilities; and
- began to work as a freelance writer, editor, and consultant.
Recently, I have been deeply involved with a local citizens’ organization called STOPP—Spring Township Organized for Proper Planning).
In addition to my volunteerism, I have also been a paid worker, always in positions that involved people. I have worked for
- the Reading and Wyomissing Area School Districts,
- the Reading Public Library,
- the former Catholic Shop in West Reading; and
- St. Joseph Medical Center.
Since my own life has been so richly enhanced by the gifts and skills many others have taught me, I have always felt a joyful duty to share what I’ve learned. I use my experience as a technical writer to supplement my planning skills when I help clients through Intuitive Strategic Planning. I studied with two different reiki masters and am now a second-level reiki therapist myself. I represent my friend and teacher Diane Grandstrom, an aromatherapist, at health fairs. In short, I enjoy using my experiences, my training, and my skills to reach out to others. I love to share the calming, healing, and holistic ways of living that have helped me so much.
If you’d like to talk, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thank you for visiting!