As kids, we are told we can accomplish anything we set our minds to doing. Kids have infinite dreams, where great ideas and goals abound. But sometime after boxing up our Matchbox cars and getting the dirt out of our fingernails, we grow up, and lose sight of a lot of those dreams. Things seem too hard or too far away and we forget how invincible we once were.

Jeremy Seckman did not forget.

He knew exactly what he wanted to do, and has worked hard to make his dream come true. As a child, he toiled over his glass dome where his toy bees lived. And he ate honey. Lots of honey. It was during this time that Jeremy’s dream was conceived of owning his own beehive and producing his own honey.

Today, over a decade later, Jeremy has saved the money, put in the time, and done the research and is right on the cusp of making his lifelong dream a reality.

Jeremy has been encouraged along the way with the help and support of a lot of people, but especially his mother, Liz Seckman, who is also his cheerleader who shares, “It’s awesome and really, really interesting and [his dream] is coming to life for him. I’m all for it.”

A few years ago, Jeremy still had his dream. He knew what he wanted to do, but really had no way of actually doing it, as opening a beehive is no easy task. He was going to need a lot of things, a little help and some never-ending determination. He needed more information on bees and beekeeping, a place to keep his bees, a lot of equipment and money to make his dream work.

In 1999, after Jeremy graduated high school, he got involved with DSC, and later discovered that it was just the place where his journey to golden, sweet, sticky success could begin. Jeremy has spent the past few years working toward finding his unanswered questions under the guidance of Dick Montgomery, Employment Specialist at DSC. Although Dick is there to support Jeremy when he needs it, Dick finds that Jeremy prefers to be independent, but will always ask for help when he needs it.

While Jeremy knew it would take some time to learn all the aspects about being a beekeeper, he also knew it would take money, so he began saving his money. Jeremy has a part-time job in maintenance at Wal-Mart; a job that Dick helped Jeremy find. For two years now, Jeremy adds a little more money to his “bee fund” with each paycheck he receives.

Along the way, Jeremy has been committed to learning more and more about bees. He started attending beekeeping association meetings where he learned about the process of beekeeping. He has learned how to raise bees as well as other interesting bee facts, such as not wearing the color black because bears are black and the bees get scared. He also receives the American Bee Keeping Journal and has done more research on a variety of websites.

While Jeremy was doing his research, Dick was also doing some research that would help Jeremy experience his dream. Montgomery took Jeremy to the home of Penny Gioja, a local beekeeper who makes her own honey on her farm in western Champaign. Penny gave Jeremy some information on places where he can purchase his own bees locally and also provided an important piece toward Jeremy’s goal: a home for his bees. Penny’s compassion for Jeremy had a huge impact on his continuing success as she offered him her land as a home for his future hive.

With a better understanding of the equipment he needed, Jeremy was able to make some purchases for his beekeeping business from the money he had been saving. Jeremy has made an initial investment of $500 and is now the proud owner of four bee boxes, a bee suit, a smoker and a queen bee excluder, all essential elements in becoming a beekeeper. He only needs a few more items, and the bees and he will be on his way to making his own honey.

The ideal time for bees to start their hives is in February so they can build up enough food to make it through the winter, so Jeremy is planning to purchase his bees in January so the hive is functioning by February. Jeremy will continue working at Wal-Mart for now, but he is looking forward to having other choices. Jeremy states, “Someday, I would love to work on a farm like Penny’s where I can raise bees, make honey and be around animals.”

With Jeremy’s persistence and dedication, the assistance of DSC’s Employment Specialist, Dick Montgomery, and the generous time and space contributions of Penny, Jeremy is turning his sweet idea into real honey.