Adrienne Krejci is an interesting woman: gentle, articulate, creative, and artistic. She’s a fantastic mom to Grace, who’s 19, 8-year-old Mary Jo, and Norah, who’s 6, and she’s everything her husband John would ask for in a wife and partner. She would be the first to tell you that her family — in fact, the last 22 years of her life — have been an extraordinary gift, one she almost didn’t get to open. Adrienne was badly injured 22 years ago when the car she was riding in was struck by a drunk driver. That brief ride changed Adrienne’s life irrevocably and killed her best friend, who was the night’s designated driver. Adrienne sustained multiple injuries: 10 broken bones, hundreds of stitches and staples, and a brain injury. The effects of the brain injury haunt her still, as does the guilt of surviving that night, when the friend who took her turn behind the wheel of Adrienne’s car didn’t make it, didn’t have a chance at all the things Adrienne holds so dear. Adrienne is passionate about advocating against drunk driving; telling her story, as she did in this 2020 KLKN news story, gives purpose to what happened that night, and she hopes it helps to save others from a similar fate. Jamie Kramer and Julia Merrill, two of Adrienne’s closest friends, have watched Adrienne’s life unfold since that fatal night, and think Adrienne and her family are deserving of something special. The Magic Moments team agreed; we think Adrienne sounds incredible.

Creating their own destiny

Adrienne took up painting some time ago, and most recently has been painting with dots and exploring batik. When her mother passed away in October, she left Adrienne a batik quilt — that’s been her inspiration for batik painting, as a connection to her mom. She lost both her mother and grandmother this last year, and it’s been so very tough — she was extremely close to them, and they meant so much to her family. But she’ll get through it. She knows she comes from a line of incredible, strong women who create their own destiny. She sees this strength in her own girls: Grace will be off to college soon, forging her own path, and Mary Jo and Norah are becoming incredible individuals.

The Krejci family loves to create together — it’s their thing, and Adrienne loves that they bond over art. They’re into drawing, painting, and crafting together, although John occasionally slips off to play golf! Family activities and game nights are also big, as are movie nights with Indian food, and snuggling with Flower, their senior cat. They’ve been getting by on one income, so there’s not a lot of extra money for entertainment, or even a new TV, but they’re pretty resourceful and make it work. Just being together is enough.

The brightest of holidays

UBT, our incredible partners, and the Magic Moments team wanted Adrienne and her family to have the brightest of holidays, so they’ll be enjoying a generous gift of LUX BUX for art classes from LUX Center for the Arts, and thanks to Schaefer’s TV & Appliance and Ashley Furniture, a new smart TV and media console will make movie nights so much better. Passes, memberships, gift certificates, and crafting kits will provide an entire year of family togetherness, gas cards will ensure transportation is covered, and hand-picked gifts for each family member (we’ve got you, John) are sure to light up the faces of this tight-knit crew.

Adrienne, thank you for educating our community, and for making it more beautiful with your art. UBT wishes you and yours the happiest of holidays.