Interfaith Young Professionals
In 2017, shortly after the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, I was presented an opportunity to get involved with Interfaith of The Woodlands in a MAJOR way. I was coming off of two years running The Woodlands Young Entrepreneurs Network and after seeing the impact Interfaith made in the community after Harvey, I was immediately interested in how I could begin volunteering for the many opportunities that Interfaith provides. I had built a relationship with Missy Herndon, Interfaith's CEO, through my years co-founding TWYEN. She had been a guest speaker and long-time supporter of our young entrepreneurs network. Upon hearing her thoughts on spearheading a young professionals group for Interfaith, I let her know I was ALL-IN. With my prior experience growing a young entrepreneurs organization and hosting monthly events, I knew this opportunity would provide the greatest community impact with what I could bring to the table. So I applied and was accepted as a founding board member of Interfaith Young Professionals. Our mission is to
Over the last two years, I have had the great honor of serving as Board VP for IYP. This is NOT your typical "networking group" however, networking and relationship building is a byproduct of serving. We are a Service based organization with a mission of building a more loving and caring community by Educating, Cultivating, and Motivating the next generations of volunteers.
Little did I know at the time, but I had just teamed up on a 2 year term with some of the top young professionals in the area. The bonds I formed with the founding board members will last a lifetime. I continue to find myself in awe of how driven and involved each one of them are. To be given the chance to strengthen the legacy of the founding nonprofit of The Woodlands is such an honor to not only me, but all of us involved.
Interfaith is filled with many like-minded individuals who have a passion for service, community, and helping their fellow neighbor in need. The leadership I have witnessed from the top is a true testament of the structure, longevity, and success Interfaith has experienced. With so many people relocating to the area for work, we launched an awareness campaign across Montgomery County for young professionals in the area to “Get Plugged In.”
This included collaborations with The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce and conducting an Executive Speaker Series Campaign that highlighted keynote speakers such as Alex Sutton and Jim Carman with The Howard Hughes Corporation, Sallie Rainer, CEO of Entergy, Reverend Don Gebert, founding CEO of Interfaith of The Woodlands and Hometown Hero, George Lindahl, former VP for Anadarko Petroleum.
A few personal goals were accomplished in the first year. I never posted about this, but I was proud to be the only IYP member to earn awards leading in 2 Categories:
Top Recruiter and Most Volunteer Hours Served. That last one meant a lot to me. :)
As we head into the new year, Parker and I will be stepping into IYP Advisor roles as we pass the torch to the new board and look forward to supporting #IYP2020. I want to send a special thank you to Missy Herndon and the staff, leadership, and advisors of Interfaith of The Woodlands. To our founding board members, Parker Kink, Ashley Byers, Ian Ramirez, Jessica Musselman, and Alane Atchley (you too Karen Moreno), we all feel a special bond, and will be connected from the good works of Interfaith for years to come. Thank you for your investment in this organization. And thank you for representing exactly what Interfaith stands for.
Interfaith's mission is to build a more loving and caring community through Service.
If you live in The Woodlands area and would like to learn more about Interfaith, visit www.WoodlandsInterfaith.org and for IYP, Get Plugged In @ www.woodlandsinterfaith.org/IYP
Thank you for the opportunity, and I look forward to growing with Interfaith through the decades.
