Meet Robyn Fleming

We were lucky to catch up with Robyn Fleming recently and have shared our conversation below.

Robyn, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

My optimism comes from my determination to live life to the fullest despite the obstacles that are thrown my way. As a child, I experienced homelessness and poverty. My father passed away when I was nine years old, but he taught me to value education. I admire his ability to co-found Wabash College’s Malcolm X Institute in Crawfordsville, Indiana and obtain a Master’s degree in the late 70’s, even when very few African American men had one. His accomplishments encouraged me to fight to succeed and never give up. I also learned to care for others from my mother. No matter what we were going through, she taught me to always share with others.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am the founder and president of Share The Love Outreach Organization, Inc. It is a nonprofit focused on minimizing the effects of poverty in the lives of children. I know from personal experience the challenges families can face in their effort to provide for their children. The programs we offer are tailored to alleviate the stress from parents and help guide the children successfully from childhood to adulthood.

For example, our annual Christmas Gift Giveaway is not just about giving children toys. It is about bringing dignity to the parents and joy to children on one of the most celebrated holidays of the year. For children that experience poverty and frequently have to sacrifice their wants for their needs, Christmas is the one time they hope to get the one thing they’ve wished for all year.

What is so special about our program is that we ensure that the children receive at least one or two items from their Christmas list. We also place the gifts, unwrapped, in gift bags for the parents to pick up, so the children don’t see the gifts before Christmas! The parents can then present the gifts to the children as if they bought them themselves, subsequently fostering within the parents a sense of dignity. For the children that attend the event with their parents, we have a table set aside with unwrapped gifts for them to grab and play with. We also provide the parents with grocery and clothing store gift cards so the children will have their necessities met without having to sacrifice what they really want.

Another program that we launched this year is our Grow & Glow Experience for Teen Girls which was created and taught by pediatrician, Dr. Charnetta Colton-Poole of Paint the Town Pediatrics. (She is also a board member of our organization.) This program provides education on self-esteem, depression, feminine hygiene and sexual health. It also serves as an outlet for young girls to ask questions they may not feel comfortable asking of their parents. It started as a virtual class, but we are planning an in-person workshop soon.

And lastly, a program that I am really passionate about is our annual Summer Sacks Full of Books Giveaway. At the end of the school year, we host a book fair with free and primarily new books for the children and teens to select from. We also have children book authors there to meet the children and give away their books alongside other raffle prizes. This is done so the children can meet real life authors and see writing as an option for themselves. Also, this initiative allows us to give children and teens a positive outlet during summer months, especially when many families can’t afford to send them to summer camp.

Although I am currently a full-time Project Coordinator and have worked in administration for over 20 years, Share the Love Outreach Organization is my life’s work and passion that I am determined to develop to its fullest potential.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Prepare & Plan
One of my greatest skills is that of administration and organization. Because I am very detailed oriented, I am able to plan our programs to run as smoothly as possible. I learned early on that there is no such thing as too much preparation. Taking the time needed to fully prepare, will give you the best results in the end. There is always something unexpected that happens on the day of an event, but if you eliminate the problems you can foresee, it will make things a lot easier for yourself as well as for your team.

Own Your Mistakes
In my career, I’ve learned it is important to own your mistakes and then fix them. Coming up with excuses or trying to hide what has been done is a waste of time. We’re all human and we make mistakes. The quicker you accept the error, the quicker you can solve it.

Be Kind
My grandmother would always say, “You catch more bees with honey.” (Although, I don’t want to catch any bees, lol) Sometimes you have to pick and choose your battles. Being kind can calm someone down when they’re angry and ease the way for you to get what you need.

Developing these skills are essential to being a successful leader.

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?

One of the most impactful people that helped me become the leader that I am is my former pastor, William Hudson III of the Powerhouse Chicago in Chicago, IL. He allowed me to lead while I was still learning. He also taught me that leaders don’t know everything and to accept that. The key to overcoming that ignorance is to learn about what you don’t know and recruit the people who do know onto your team! Providing me the freedom to try my hand at anything I was interested in and allowing me to learn on the job as a program leader, helped prepare me to lead my own nonprofit organization.

Another person who inspired me is David Sinski, President of Heartland Human Care Services in Chicago, IL. He taught me to own my mistakes and believe in my abilities; I didn’t only have to be a team member, but I could also run my own organization. He helped plant the seed in my mind, that running my own nonprofit was possible.

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