Linda D. KING

I would attribute most of my success to the very strong family foundation that was established for me and the platform that was provided, which helped me recognize my own potential. I recognize the advantage of having had that platform, and it's the exact same experience that I'm hoping to be able to provide for families. I could have been so many different things if I had not had this foundational platform established for me by strong women in my family. It has been so impactful that I have been motivated to duplicate that in some ways for others. That's a strong contributing factor to why I do what I do. They taught me to believe in myself, they taught me to go after my passions, and they taught me not to doubt my intention.

The best career advice I've received is to recognize and give focus to the impacts and the small wins, and then plan for the long haul and be okay with the journey of that long haul, because it takes those small wins to get down the road, and reach the overall goal. I've been one of those people that looked for bigger wins and bigger outcomes to measure my success by, and that perspective often minimized opportunities to celebrate the small wins and achievements I made. I had to learn that every effort and achievement is a win. I had to learn to celebrate my achievements often and frequently. I recognize now that the small wins are equally important, and the big wins are often something that you have to plan a longer journey for.

My advice would be to recognize that every door that opens is an opportunity, and an invitation into a room, where you belong. When you walk through the door, plan to take up space in that room, because you do belong, and you've earned the right to be in that room. Don't shrink yourself, learn to project and expand your presence in those rooms. If that door that opens is connected to or aligns with our passion and our life's mission, then you've arrived at exactly where you were intended to be. Enjoy!

I think the biggest challenge right now in the nonprofit sector is that we're in an administration where there are so many unknowns, that could literally be life threatening for some of the most vulnerable populations we serve, and that weighs very heavy on our hearts, minds, and spirits. We've in a climate where the need, specifically for families, feels unsurmountable, and the resources are more limited than many of us have seen in our lifetimes. We're also working with folks that have all of the right ingredients in place, education, employment, and experience, having invested in the "American Dream", but their wages are just too to low to meet basic needs, and definately too low to bring their dreams of potential homeownership to fruition. The biggest challenge is providing support and resource to meet all these areas of need. It's a challenge for families to keep their heads above water. 50% of the households in Oregon are one missed day of work, or one emergency expense away from losing the greatest support they have, which is often access to a home where they're paying over 60% of their income towards. We need to figure out how to make housing more affordable, and how to prevent families from being pushed into homelessness. We have to mobilize resources to help support these households, until systems are changed and restructured to address the root causes of economic instability that ultimately creates housing instability and homelessness. 

The most important value to me is service to others. I believe we are on this earth to serve others. I often imagine that all of the issues in the world could be completely resolved, if we operated from the act of serving others. My favorite quote is "The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others" ~Mahatma Gandhi