Leisa A. Williams, doctoral candidate in the School of Education, has a heart for helping people and she makes a difference by mobilizing people to impact a common goal.
Williams is a senior pastor at the Mission Christian Center Church in Rockaway Beach, New York, and works full-time in the non-profit sector while pursuing her Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership here at Northcentral. To the many people whose lives she touches, Williams is better known as the super volunteer who tirelessly makes a difference in the world through outreach and community service.
“I have a heart for helping people,” relates an incredibly humble Williams. “Deep down, I think everyone on some level wants to help others. Some people are hands-on, while others would rather just write a check. I believe that my mission is to create opportunities - mobilizing people to impact a common goal.”
One such activity is serving as the Director of the Sigma Theta Rho Fraternity in Brooklyn, NY, which was formed to provide a continuum of support for college-bound youth and adults. It provides opportunities for social networking, community service, professional development and social action. The organization involves 50 adults nationwide and a developing chapter in Nigeria. After many inquiries from teens requesting the chance to perform community service projects without the requirement for fraternity membership, Williams formed the SYSTAHS of Sigma Theta (Sophisticated Young Sisters Taking Action Helping Society). The group is now comprised of 50 young ladies between the ages of 12 and 19, from three countries, and in more than 10 states.
“We’ve run small ads on sites like Craigslist, looking for community service projects that can be done virtually, and through the power of social media and the efforts of our compassionate and highly committed young ladies, our group has grown rapidly,” beams Williams. “I’ve recently received calls from Pakistan and Malaysia from teens seeking to make a difference virtually.”
One project the SYSTAHS recently took on was sending cards and well-wishes to three children in a family in upstate New York suffering from Mitochondrial Myopathy, a disease that primarily affects the brain, heart and muscles. The girls are now also in the process of collecting as many signatures as they can on posters to go along with the Sigma t-shirts and teddy bears that they’ll be sending to the kids as a care package.
“The family told me that the kids really look forward to receiving these positive messages of hope,” relates Williams. “The fact that people care about their horrible plight helps to keep them going,” she adds.
Other projects include adopting soldiers overseas serving in the military and inmates in juvenile justice facilities – people who often suffer from loneliness and boredom, where a note from a caring person can make all the difference in the world.
Some of Williams’ virtual projects are as simple as liking a particular organization on their social media channels. A company in Michigan donated turkeys at Thanksgiving to the charity with the most likes on its Facebook page, and Chase Bank in New York is currently running a promotion where they’ll support the five charities with the highest votes. By simply mobilizing forces for a common good, Leisa can help obtain powerful results.
Williams is studying at Northcentral and would like to open a charter school for high school students, plus a Christian junior high school. She believes her advanced degree will help to prepare her for these undertakings. She has already established a charity to help create resources for the schools. “It’s exhausting, but a lot of fun,” smiles Williams.
The secret to her success? Williams recommends expert time management along with a sense of humor. She also strongly believes in completely “unplugging” at least one day per week: no e-mail, no phone calls and no surfing the Web.
“My services are on Saturday evening, so Sunday is my quiet day,” explains Williams. “Our first ministry should really be to ourselves. If you’re good to yourself, you’ll find even more time and energy to help others.”
For more information on how to become involved in Leisa’s virtual community service activities, please visit: www.sigmathetaro.webs.com.
And if you have community service project ideas, please e-mail Leisa at: strnyc2012@yahoo.com.
Leisa A. Williams, Doctoral candidate
in the School
of Education
“I have a
heart for
helping
people.”