Karin Davis-Thompson

I really attribute my success to my father, who passed away a couple of years ago. He always raised us to be community-minded and to understand that 'that could be you' - just one wrong move, one job loss, and you could be the person needing help. He taught us very early to lead with empathy, understanding that nobody is standing in long lines for food stamps because they like it, they need the help. He showed us not just to have empathy, but to figure out what's causing the problem and see if we can help address the root cause, not just put a band-aid on it. For example, with a woman who texts me every month for a food basket, the real question is how can we help her so she doesn't have to do this every month? My parents, especially my dad, taught us to create a safe space where people feel comfortable sharing their struggles so we can truly help them. He made sure we understood that we're not any better than anyone else, and that it's almost our duty to help when we have the ability to do so. Looking at community service from that lens - that this isn't about making you look good, it's that these people really need help - that's what drives everything I do.

I would encourage young women to really trust their voice. Even at my age, as long as I've been in my field and doing this work, it's easy to doubt yourself. We're very quick to second-guess ourselves - I have this idea and I think it's great, but then you start playing in your own head: is anybody else gonna think it's great? What if nobody likes it? What if I have an event and nobody comes? What if we don't get sponsors? When we first decided to have our luncheon, I almost didn't do it because of all those 'what ifs.' I do think younger women are bolder in some ways than my Gen X generation, because we were raised to play it safe, get the safe job. But I still think there's that inherent voice that makes you doubt yourself, even if it's just for a millisecond, and it's enough to really stumble you and get you off course. So listen to that confidence, that voice saying 'I really can do this.' And never stop advocating for yourself. Never allow anybody to make you feel like you don't have the right to do that. Even if you get pushback, it's okay to ask questions and communicate that you need to know more or don't understand. There's no shame in advocating for what you need and what you want. It's not selfish. Those are the two things: never be afraid to advocate for yourself, and don't doubt that voice that says this is a really good idea and you should do it.

The biggest challenges in my field include securing consistent funding and staffing for a small, volunteer-run nonprofit, alongside rising community needs such as food insecurity and the administrative barriers young people face when navigating processes like college financial aid. At the same time, there are strong opportunities to deepen community partnerships and sponsorships through signature events, expand programs that move families from short-term assistance to long-term stability, and leverage growing recognition to increase visibility and support.

The values most important to me in my work and personal life are community-mindedness, empathy, service to others, and a steadfast commitment to advocating for young women and vulnerable members of our community.