The innate feeling that I am supposed to help other people in some way has been a deeply-rooted belief of mine since childhood. I mean it wasn’t super obvious in that way; however, I knew that I felt my heart a pull towards supporting those who were suffering in any type of way. When time passed and adulthood brought new revelations about myself, my faith grew and I felt God instilled in me a servant’s heart.
Real Value in Community Service Learned
In my early twenties, I embarked on a journey into what would be my first exposure toward collaborative efforts to better humanity. I entered a two year commitment into the Americorps program, which is known as the domestic Peace Corps. Throughout my first year, I was given the opportunity to provide childcare services at a local daycare center for infants and toddlers. In my second year, I had the privilege to work with survivors of abuse at a local Domestic Violence Agency. It was through these experiences that I really began to understand the significance of helping those in more vulnerable periods of life.
This became an essential growth period in my life where I was able to step outside of myself, and really see the needs of the local community from a variety of circumstances. The AmeriCorps leaders also set up days where we volunteered to complete service projects around different places in the community. We planted trees and flowers at nursing homes to beautify the area for the residents, helped to paint a mural on the outside of a children’s center and cleaned trash on the side of a highly littered road. These were just some of the projects we accomplished as doers in our community. Being part of a team really made a difference in how much we were able to achieve. The feel good component to this work is just a bonus for why I would advocate joining others to make things better in our world. It was in that involvement with a team that I learned the strength in collaboration.
13 Global Sisterhood Official Members Pictured: Ricki McKissock, Raelynn Brown-White, Laura Bright, Kara Peters, Lori Paul, Dr. Shellie Hipsky, Marta Sauret-Greca, Nettie Jorinda Bullitt, Caroline Martin, Eva Dixon, Lady Jen Du Plessis, Dr. Emily Letran, and Cheri Armstrong
My New Life Chapter in Service
My early twenties and the times that I served in AmeriCorps definitely laid the foundation for enhancing my perspective on impact through service. Four years ago, in January of 2020, I began to volunteer with the Global Sisterhood 501(C)(3) nonprofit, while interning as a writer for this very publication (Inspiring Lives Magazine)! When I tell you the difference this has made in my life, I do not know how to emphasize the impact enough. I started out not really knowing what to expect, or knowing what I really could contribute within the nonprofit, (as I am not the most tech savvy person in the world). I know much of what many of the positions required involved knowledge that is based in tech-related areas. However, the founder of the Global Sisterhood, Dr. Shellie Hipsky saw beyond that, she saw my heartfelt desire to want to make a positive change in the world. She saw my passion for it. And so did the members on the Exec. Board at the time, at least I believe so because they all voted to have me come on as the Assistant Secretary of the Global Sisterhood! What I didn’t realize was that the change that was about to take place inside me was going to be vast due to this nonprofit.
Recognizing Authenticity
It takes real determination and consistency to create and run a nonprofit, and even more so to encourage others to be just as motivated to work toward the cause one is focused on at the time. Dr. Shellie Hipsky is the CEO and is one such leader who provides each member who serves on her board with confidence in their abilities, task delegation to the right individuals based on their preferences and areas of expertise, and inspiration for working together to help the women and children of the world. After years of observation, team meetings, completed tasks, mistakes on my end (and figuring out resolutions to those mistakes), I have learned that each and every person within the Global Sisterhood is like an extended family, and genuinely are there for one another. These are women I have grown to trust, and this was not easy for me. I never really felt like I truly fit in anywhere (outside of my blood family), and for the first time, I felt a sort of home with these women who accepted me exactly for who I was, and what I brought to the table. Everyone is more than willing to roll up their sleeves and put in the hard work, whether it’s planning for a large scale and extravagantly beautiful fundraising event to benefit a charitable cause, or to partner with a company or agency to bring awareness to a prevalent issue such as human trafficking or homelessness. Whether local or global, each volunteer is fully dedicated to the project at hand and hopeful for a promising outcome. The goal is always that we can help more people than before. Because as unfortunate as it is, there are heartbreaking scenarios in our own backyards, and worldwide of women and children who are in need of wholehearted humanitarian efforts to step in and lend a helping hand, with whatever resources possible.
The True Blessing
Working with this nonprofit is really intriguing, as you are learning so much about various cultures, that I know I probably never would have come to awareness about otherwise. The really incredible revelation in helping others through the Global Sisterhood is that I realized it isn’t at all about what I am doing that is impacting me. It is what I am learning from others – the lessons, the selfless acts of giving – that are transforming me from the inside and helping to restore my faith in humanity when it was wavering there for a while. I honestly do not know that there are any words to state how grateful I truly am for this experience, it is a priceless life journey to behold.
I have been recognized by Dr. Shellie Hipsky who is not only the founder of the Global Sisterhood, but is also the Editor and Chief of Inspiring Lives Magazine, gave me the great honor of being her Top Journalist for this amazing uplifting publication. This did not come without years of hardwork and I credit this to all the powerhouse women and men, and even young people that I have had the true privilege to interview and write about over the years. Without them telling their stories, this magazine would not be where it is today.
I want everyone to know through my story being told in this article about my experience volunteering for the Global Sisterhood nonprofit, and writing for Inspiring Lives Magazine, that the message I want you the reader to take away from this is that YOUR STORY MATTERS! Tell it when you are ready, through the written word, singing it, speaking it, in whatever form you choose just tell it. Because your story is important and someone can be helped because of it.
The Global Sisterhood extends a helping hand to women and children from the streets of Pittsburgh, to Nepal, Pakistan, Tanzania, and beyond. Just recently our nonprofit has acquired an office (our “Global Sisterhood Headquarters” as its often referred to), where we can come together to meet and strategize effective ways to ensure we are staying at the forefront of ethical and dynamic ways to reach the people who need our help the most urgently.
If you would like more information on how you can be involved with the efforts of the Global Sisterhood you can find us on Facebook or at www.GlobalSisterhoodOnline.org.
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