The Importance of Community and Finding A Place to Call Home
When I first met Tiesa Hollaway — as we sat face to face in her modest back office — she pointed down the hall and said to me, “Let me tell you something, one of the most humbling things you can do in life is to walk through those doors.”
The doors she was referring to, were the front doors of Hill Country Community Ministries — a Leander-based nonprofit that provides services to more than 2000 people in need, across ten zip codes. It’s a ministry that Hollaway has shepherded for the past two years. A community that has seen explosive growth, rapidly expanding its reach, by any number of important measures.
And with those words, mind you, she was not simply paying lip-service. No, in fact, it wasn’t all that long ago that Tiesa found herself in the same shoes as many of the clients that she has the privilege to serve, as Executive Director, today.
As she explained in our interview, “I moved to Central Texas in 1999 with my two children (at the time) and I was starting over. I was a single mom — broke, bankrupt and divorced. All I wanted was something different; an opportunity to provide my kids with a place to call home.”
You see, growing up a self-identified “military brat,” the concept of having a place to call ‘home’ was quite foreign. As her mother pursued a career of distinguished service in the United States Army, the family of seven was often uprooted once, if not twice, every year.
Better said, about the only predictable aspect of young Tiesa’s life was its unpredictable nature.
Because of that experience, Hollaway prescribes to the philosophy that the events in our lives are always stepping stones, preparing us for what is yet to come. As the eldest of six children, to a single mother — a military officer — the writing was on the wall from an early age.
“I was forced to grow up and accept responsibility from a young age,” she explained. “I had to learn to be a caretaker, a protector, and a second mother by the age of 15. I was grocery shopping in the commissary for a family of seven and taking siblings to doctors appointments.”
At the same time, she told me, having a front row seat to watch her mother’s ascension through the military ranks as female officer in the 70’s, was extremely influential in her own life’s path. “My mother instilled in me a huge sense of drive, work ethic and ambition.”
And so, when the stars aligned, a little over two years ago, for Hollaway to accept the Executive position at Hill Country Community Ministries (HCCM), life had undoubtedly prepared her to respond with an uncomfortable “Yes.”
A caretaker with ambition was exactly what the organization needed and the results have been staggering.
Since her arrival, HCCM has increased the measure of families served by 34 percent. Thus far in 2017, they’ve distributed over 500,000 pounds of food — a 74% year over year increase. They’ve partnered with Starbucks, rescuing food from 28 locations in North Austin and their Laces for Leander initiative collected over 600 pairs of new athletic shoes to give to local students in need.
And to be completely honest, that’s only scratching the surface.
Tiesa’s story is a testament to the fact that the only person that we need permission from is ourselves. A reminder that backed by a strong community, the ability to make impact knows no bounds.
Interview Post & Transcript: http://www.voicesofimpact.com/tiesa-hollaway
