We recently connected with Dawn Shapley and have shared our conversation below.
Dawn, we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?
Generosity was modeled well to me growing up. My parents and both sets of grandparents were generous people and ensured they always shared what the Lord had given them with others in need. My paternal grandfather worked with individuals experiencing homelessness and families with financial difficulties. He always had one of us grandkids tag along with him, so we met and talked directly with people in tough situations. Grandpa always had a kind word, a smile, and something tangible to give away to meet their needs. My parents modeled generosity by sharing our home with various family members who needed a place to stay without any strings. My final impact of generosity was from my work at Valley Creek Church. One of our values is that we want to be a generous church, which strongly resonated with me. God’s Kingdom holds everything we need, and you can not out-give God, the more you give, the more He will give and entrust you with.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. I am dedicated to being strategic and ensuring that processes are continually improved. 2. I take time to appreciate the people around me and not just the work we do.
3. My education and experiences include IT, large-scale movement of people, and non-profit work. It has proven to be a unique combination that allows us to mobile an army of people each month to serve in the community in various ways. Over the past seven years, we have completed over 1000 service projects and mobilized over 15K people.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
The book Mind Shift by Erwin Raphael McManus provides insights into how changing our thinking can allow us to be a better version of ourselves by making better choices throughout our lives. Erwin McManus focused on several topics, three of which ministered to me. The three are that you need to have the character for the weight of success; second, you cannot take everyone with you; and third, you are your ceiling.
