We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Malkia Fielder-Hayes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Malkia, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I found my purpose in life through experiencing unfair treatment while trying to help and care for everyone around me. I found out that you can’t help everyone, everyone don’t want help and most of all I can’t save everybody. However, that did not take away the extreme desire to help as many people I could that I encountered daily. So in order to continue to be who I am naturally and avoid the ungratefulness of the world, I redirected my giving. I now focus on helping those who are trying to help themselves.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am the Founder and President of Angels Encamped Foundation. We are a Kansas City, Missouri based non profit organization that focus on assisting the houseless and less fortunate residents in our area. We enjoy cooking home cooked meals, preparing “blessing in the bags”, operating our community clothing closet and working hard in our community gardens. We have strived hard to expand our programs and services to cover the essential needs of our community, the urban core of Kansas City, Missouri. We also provide community service opportunities for all individuals interested/required to do so. We have had an awesome experience collaborating with our sponsors E-light LLC and IMH Brand for our fundraising events/efforts.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I believe that experience, tenacity and being genuine are very important qualities to have in life and business. The experience of being borderline homeless in a state far away from home, family and friends opened my eyes to the depth of the life of the houseless. I was blessed to encounter people that helped me thru that time and am forever grateful for that. Tenacity is required because even though a process may seem simple and easy, it may flourish slowly and inconsistently. Most industries have several businesses doing the same services so I always suggest being consistent to stand out and become known as a dependable source. Being genuine helps takes some of the stress away of business. When you are yourself people tend to accept and deal with your struggles and hard days a little better. Be honest with tact.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
In life and in business the people who have helped me overcome challenges and cultivate skills and qualities to become successful are my mother (Shelita Fielder-Leverette), my dad (Steven Leverette Sr.), my husband (Isaac Hayes) and my baby brother (Caleb Leverette). They have been a consistent, strong source of encouragement and support for all of my endeavors. When I need help, they are who I call on. When I feel like giving up, they push me and refuse to let me do so.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.angelsencampedfoundationkcmo.org
- Instagram: Angels_encamped_foundationkcmo
- Facebook: Angels Encamped Foundation
