Winter Garden resident featured in 'Unselfish' book

WINTER GARDEN — In a world where selfies run rampant and success is measured by “likes” and “follows” on social media, it is easy to get caught up in a self-seeking lifestyle.

Paul Parkinson, an author and editor from Utah, wanted to publicly respond to such a world. He published a book this May called “Unselfish: Love Thy Neighbor As Thy Selfie,” which was released the same day as Kim Kardashian’s book, “Selfish.”

“We feel there needs to be a counterbalance,” Parkinson said. “This is not a campaign against any individual or group of individuals. It is a campaign to address the growing culture of selfishness.”

“Unselfish” is a coffee-table book comprising color photos and 99 stories of people who act kindly and make sacrifices for others. Some of these stories are about a Hollywood producer who left his career to help the poor in Cambodia, an artist who creates mobile houses for the homeless and a high school football team that committed to protecting a disabled student from being bullied. 

But one of the heroes in “Unselfish” started his work right here in Central Florida. Jim Hukill, a resident of Winter Garden, has used his own experiences as a disabled person for the betterment of others in similar situations, by founding Lift Disability Network with his wife, Rhonette, in 1998. 

“We’re just really grateful that we have received such good recognition for the work we’ve been doing,” Hukill said.

When Hukill was a toddler, his family discovered that he had a form of muscular dystrophy. Over the years, it has weakened his muscles and left him dependent on a wheelchair. His initial life expectancy was about 10 years.

“I couldn’t understand why I had to carry this,” Hukill said. “And then the fear of what could happen was there. But as I progressed into my later teens, a lot of that was just lifted, and I began to focus more on where I was going for the future. If I was going to be left with this, then I couldn’t just stay in my despair of it — I had to move beyond that.”

Hukill went to college with plans of becoming an architect, but he passed up a full ride to a four-year university to go to Bible college and study pastoral ministries instead.

“My whole life was in the church, and so I was raised with that understanding and perspective,” Hukill said. “Through a variety of circumstances and people, I became really aware that that was where I was supposed to be going.”

Jim and Rhonette Hukill were married in 1994, and they started learning more deeply about the needs of the disability community — especially in the church.

“What we saw was the real need was with the family unit — how could we come alongside the family and make them stronger, giving them opportunities for success, and thereby creating success for the person with the disability?” Jim Hukill said.

Their response was to start Lift Disability Network, a nonprofit organization that plans events, retreats, educational opportunities and more for people with disabilities and their families.

“We come from a perspective of, ‘Can we make the family successful?’ Hukill said. “And the byproduct of that is that the individual with the disability is successful.”

Lift Disability Network isn’t just limited to the greater Orlando area. Next week, for the first time, there will be a Lift Disability Network retreat near St. Louis, Missouri. In August, there will be a similar event in Minnesota. The goal is to create new networks of families in these locations.

Locally and beyond, the organization has been growing significantly in the last five years.

One of Lift Disability Network’s main annual events is a Christmas donation program called GiveBack. The Hukills now work alongside more than 250 volunteers during GiveBack to fill 2,000 boxes of donated toys, hygiene products and school supplies for children in more than 100 developing nations.

“We find a place for anybody to serve and everybody to serve,” Hukill said. “That’s why our GiveBack in the fall is so important to us. We want people who typically are recipients to be seen and view themselves as contributors, not just recipients.”

Next March, Hukill expects to launch a day program for disabled adults in Lakeland. They will learn daily living skills and financial responsibility, while their families are also strengthened and equipped to help them be even more successful.

Another goal for Lift Disability Network is to build a family life center in West Orange. The Hukills currently are seeking funding for this project.

“Eventually, we would like to see that grow into a large venue that would help us accomplish everything that we want to do,” Hukill said. “Everything from community areas where people can just meet — moms and dads can meet other parents over a cup of coffee — to professional spaces where we’d have counselors and adapted recreation opportunities.”

For more information about Lift Disability Network, go to liftdisability.net.

Contact Catherine Sinclair at [email protected].