Reader’s Digest takes note of special man’s, town’s work

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WTVQ/Signature HealthCare) – It’s said a picture is worth a thousand words. But for resident, Joe Hall of Signature HealthCARE of Elizabethtown, a picture is worth a thousand birds!

That number is a fraction of the pictures Hall has taken of birds with his professional camera, from inside his room.

“When I look through my camera lens and see a bird, squirrel, …flowers and anything of nature that looks interesting, … I compose and hit the shutter,” said Hall. “It gives me a really neat feeling. I edit every picture I take and sometimes shoot a thousand pictures in one day and go through them all and discover that I got some really great shots! It makes me really happy, proud and blessed that I am actually able to do this being a quadriplegic with very little mobility.”

When it comes to taking pictures, Joe Hall rises to the level of extraordinary. His love and fervor for photography began more than 30 years ago after a serious car accident left him paralyzed from the shoulders down and confined him to a wheelchair.

While the accident limited much of his mobility, Joe says it awakened and sharpened other abilities. He went from a teen working in tobacco fields and enjoying his family’s 164-acre farm, to writing poetry, drawing pictures and making art.

Then, in 2003, he discovered photography. To help in this newfound interest, he and his mother made a special platform and tripod they affixed to his wheelchair to mount his first point and shoot camera. With a special mouthpiece and composed precision, he took his breathtaking shots.

As his skills developed, Hall has since upgraded to a professional digital camera, and using a remote shutter release, has been taking stunning pictures, particularly of birds, ever since.

But this March, Joe Hall faced another life-changing challenge. When the global Coronavirus
pandemic hit, requiring restricted visitation for some of the population’s most vulnerable, Joe’s destination trips to catch the amazing birds and nature he loved, ceased.

“It has been very nerve racking, frustrating and heartbreaking that I can’t get out and go places and shoot the excitement out in nature,” said Hall. “It puts a clinching in my stomach and truthfully makes me so wishful. But I love shooting birds so much, and I can do that from my window! If it wasn’t for the birds, I’d be kind of bored.”

While much of the world came to a historical stop due to COVID-19, the nature outside Joe Hall’s window continued. Blue jays, finches, cowbirds, pigeons, cardinals, woodpeckers and a variety of other birds came by in beautiful color, perching themselves on trees, bushes and gutters.

It didn’t take long for Hall to pick up his camera and start shooting the birds from inside his room, with breathtaking results.

“Joe and others like him should be an inspiration to all of us,” said his cousin Tammy Ray. “He has been able to focus on the beauty of life despite his circumstances and hardship. Amidst COVID19, Joe can see an amazing and beautiful world through the lens of a camera.”

Joe’s spirit of resolve moved Tammy Ray to help improve Joe’s view. With the blessing and
cooperation of Signature HealthCARE of Elizabethtown, she and a family friend set up bird feeders outside Joe’s window.

Now, three times a week, she packs up her cleaning rags, window cleaner and seeds and comes by Signature HealthCARE of Elizabethtown to clean Joe’s window until it’s sparkling and to fill the bird feeder to keep Joe’s subjects coming to the window. This simple act doesn’t just brighten Joe’s day.

“As a Christian and a healthcare provider, I feel that showing kindness to everyone is
important,” said Ray. “Being kind not only brings happiness to others but to yourself as well. So, if Joe’s window is dirty, Joe can’t create and if Joe can’t create, Joe can’t be Joe. So, cleaning the window, it heals both of us!”

“We know the safety restrictions we must impose can be difficult for our residents and their
families during this time and we try to be creative in keeping our residents engaged and uplifted,” said Israel Ray, CEO of Signature HealthCARE of Elizabethtown.

“Joe’s pictures surely do that, and in the family atmosphere we have here, the entire facility has rallied around him and his creativity. We can’t wait for his pictures! They bring so much joy.”

In fact, Joe has spread his love for photography to other residents at the facility. One of his dearest protégés has since left, but before his departure, Joe gave him one of his beloved first cameras that started it all.

Those acts of kindness and inspiration from Joe prompted another family  member, Joe’s cousin, Sherry Kenady, to write to Reader’s Digest and nominate the small town of Elizabethtown as one of Reader’s Digests Nicest Places in America.

“I am so glad Signature supports Joe and doesn’t mind the various bird feeders outside
residents’ windows,” said Kenady. “When I heard about the friends and family who had taken the time to do these simple kind gestures, which made Joe’s daily life ever slightly better, it occurred to me how much of a blessing they were to each other. The staff supports him with all of his challenges and… that kindness is a fruit we all need. I think it gives Joe a needed boost to keep plowing forward and it has the same effect on everyone else.”

In her nomination, Kenady not only mentioned the sense of family and the love and support for Joe at Signature HealthCARE of Elizabethtown, but she also wrote of the spirit of volunteerism from the community, its churches, non-profits, and soup kitchens that stepped up in the midst of the pandemic to help Elizabethtown’s residents.

Their local distillery even started making hand sanitizer in place of their famed Bourbon. Out of more than 1,200 submissions, it wasn’t long before Reader’s Digest announced Elizabethtown as a 2020 Finalist for its Nicest Places in America contest.

“Nicest Places in America is about shining a spotlight on places where people are doing
incredible things to make each other’s lives better, where they treat each other with kindness and civility, and where unity is overcoming the great challenges we’re facing as a nation in 2020,” said Bruce Kelley, Reader’s Digest Editor-in-Chief. “What caught our eye about Elizabethtown is how people rally around Joe Hall to help him heal and, in turn, he heals us all.”

“Maybe someone who sees the story will stop and reflect on their own life about what simple gesture they could do to brighten someone’s day or ease their burden,” says Ray. “This is what each and every one of us should be doing as we go about our day.”

The love continues to pay it forward in Elizabethtown. Throughout this pandemic, Signature
HealthCARE of Elizabethtown has received donated IPads, and cards and letters from the
community and the story of Joe Hall is inspiring the town.

If you ask Sherry Kenady, she’d tell you, that’s just the Southern Hospitality that lives in Elizabethtown that’s worth the nomination, the finalist spot it’s gained, and… a win! The winner of the title, “Nicest Place in America” will be announced in October.

To see Joe’s nominated story and the other nominations in Reader’s Digest, go to
https://www.rd.com/nicest-places-contest/.