~Wilmet Lanier-  Sharing his love for family and fitness as the NEW Heights Activity Director!~

       By Katie Shepherd

 

            While most people only talk about how things should be done, there are still those few people who are willing to step up to bat and take on the responsibility. Wilmet Lanier is one of those people. As the Heights new Activities Director Wilmet has hit the ground running. Not only did he initially suggest a 5K run for our community, but he has also set the plans in motion for a wealth of additional activities; sure to satisfy the needs of individuals of all ages.

            Wilmet however claims his passion for sports is a life long love. When asked what specific sports he has participated in he stated “ I was in the Swimming and Water Polo teams in my high school. Later I became very involved in the martial arts, I hold a 2^nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Most recently, about a year ago, I have become heavily involved in Triathlons, I compete in the “Sprint” versions (the shortest available) and this year hope to step it up to the “Olympic” distance.”

            Cuban born, Wilmet claims he moved to Miami at the age of 7, where he lived until he was 24. Family values is something he takes very seriously and while he might have moved away from his childhood days of Miami, his love for his family is never far from home. “Most of my family lives in Miami, FL and I also have some family that lives in the Cocoa Beach, FL area. They are all a huge part of our activities. There are a lot of us….Let’s just say we try not to have them all over at once, otherwise it takes us a week to recover from the “get together” he jokingly replied. Wilmet however went on to add “We purchased a small empty lot in North Carolina in the hopes that one day we can build a family house. A place that we can all go to and get away from the every day, establish a legacy for our children and their children as well.” Looks like plans for “all the family at once” is exactly what he does have in mind!!

            Married 13 years to his high school sweetheart, Alejandra, they share more than their love for family with each other.  “Fitness has played a huge part of my life. My wife is also very active in triathlons and fitness in general” he commented. Now at 34 he enjoys life in the Heights with his wife and two children. “We moved into our home on Lauderdale St. on July 2004. We have two kids, the oldest Natalia will be five this coming May. The youngest, Adrian, will be three this April” Wilmet stated.

            So what was it about the Heights that drew him to our lovely neighborhood? “Honestly, at the time...price. I was concerned with the overhead power lines and the lack of sidewalks when we moved in, but we wanted to live in Jupiter, in an area that had good schools, so the rest of it was a fit. After a few months and 2 hurricanes we were very surprised and pleased about the way the community behaved and reached out to each other. So I am glad that we ended up here and plan to live here until retirement….many, many years from now” he proudly shared. While Wilmet loves the life here that he has carved for his family he does agree there is always room for improvement “I would really like to see our neighborhood get some of the things that are available just 1 block away such as underground power lines, sidewalks, natural gas pipes, maybe some traffic calming for the speeders. But overall I hope that it remains a family oriented community” he admitted. “I also like the fact that my neighbors are all very respectful of each other and even with everyone’s hectic life there is always a bit of time to share with one another” he went on to add.

            Share is the key word and his love for family, fitness and neighbors have all come together in his new role as activities director. “I’m an engineer by nature” he said and it appears planning just comes naturally. As our new activities director he has already set in motion an egg hunt in April, our Annual Picnic in the Park on May 19^th, a 4^th of July picnic, neighborhood cleanup in the fall, Halloween costume parade in Oct, and a 5K run in Dec. Whew- and that’s just for starters. Wilmet agrees that these plans are aggressive but acknowledges it’s these very types of activities that keep a community close. Looking for others willing to help in these plans he stated  “I have always loved the act of consultation…better ideas are derived with open discussions and different points of views.”

            Wilmet has used his skills as an engineer and his love for fitness to help build a new business venture as well. “My wife and I were discussing how many people are a part of a weight management program. They do really well while at home, but when they hit the street…well then all bets are off. We both have personal experience with this!” he explained. “So we develop a tool to help people track their dietary consumption throughout the day, the cool part is that this tool is jewelry! Necklaces to be exact…which help people track their daily consumption so that they can succeed on their weight management goal. We set up the business this year (Abiding Stones, Inc.), our website is www.abidingstones.com” he went on to add.

            So what plans does our new activities director have in store for his own family? “We plan on going to Denver CO on vacation...kids have never seen snow so this should be a biggie” he explained. Still there is a quite side of Wilmet and he admits he actually enjoys reading “I run a monthly Book Club at the Books-a-Million the last Wednesday of every month” he told us.

            Maybe it’s his faith that helps to keep him grounded “My Faith is a big part of my life. I am a Baha’i…an independent world religion. www.bahai.us” Wilmet admits he has a real love for life, a love for his family and a love for the community he lives in. “Our life together, as most have been filled with great moments and not so great moments. There is one experience in our lives that I believe changed us for ever. Immediately after we both finished college with traveled in Europe for 6 months. Visited over 16 countries! What we learned is that all these different cultures, people, backgrounds, etc. is what makes humanity so great. As indicated in the Baha’i writings …“The earth is but one country and mankind--- its citizens” he proudly stated.      

                       

Editors Note: We hope you will all come out to participate in the many opportunities available to our neighborhood. To help with the planning of  these events contact NPBHeights@bellsouth.net . If you would like to suggest someone for a future Heights profile just email NPBHeights@bellsouth.net. Be sure to include your name and contact information, the name of individual you are nominating and the reason you feel they would make a good profile. We welcome your suggestions.