20 under 40: Elizabeth Greenlee-Wight (formerly Greenlee-Harrison)

Favorite quote or saying, why?

“She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” – Proverbs 31:25

When I read that, I picture a woman standing firm, radiating power and grace from within, living in the moment, overflowing with joy, fortified with faith, courage and the innate nobility of womanhood. I’m inspired by this portrait of a woman with such integrity and grace that she’d be described as “clothed in dignity” and reminded that strength and courage do not require worry and control, but can be characterized by internal joy that isn’t dependent upon external circumstances.

Community or professional highlights:

Conceived, developed and implemented the Free Mobile Farmers Market program, bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to low-income families in food desert neighborhoods beginning in February 2015; redesigned the IFM food pantry program to incorporate more fresh, healthy foods and to work toward eliminating processed foods, set nutritional guidelines and incorporated nutrition education, which was relaunched as the Feed Modesto Pantry in January 2016; founded the Artsy Folks collective and annual event and fundraiser which is in its 10th year; delivered an empowerment seminar on wage and workplace equality to young women at the Stanislaus County Fair EmpowerHer Lounge in July on behalf of the Women’s Education and Leadership League; 2015 Association of Fundraising Professionals Chamberlain Scholar; 2016 recipient of the Oakdale Soroptimist Live Your Dreams Award, Leadership Modesto class of 2015.

Your life changed when:

It is so hard to pinpoint a moment. I’m here today because of a series of events that were at times unfathomably cruel and at other times full of lavish mercy. Five years ago, I clawed my way out of a toxic and dangerous relationship and found myself a single mother. I lost my home and my emotional well-being. It wasn’t one specific thing that led me out of it, but there was a time when it felt like the entire universe was conspiring to show me that I was worth saving and I guess I listened. Someone asked me in that time what I’d do if I could do anything in the world, and for some reason I said, “I think I’d like to run a nonprofit one day.” I may as well have said I’d like to be an astronaut, but it turned out the skills and relationships that led me to this job were already beginning to be forged. Eventually I applied for a marketing position at Interfaith, and five months later I was entrusted with the helm. My life changed the most when I was empowered to help others in a tangible way. The financial and emotional health that I was able to build on that foundation of service put me in a position to build a healthy relationship with my now-husband. It was love that changed my life every time. Love based on faith, love forged in the community, love expressed in service, love resulting in trust.

What do you want people to know most about you?

I think the most important thing for people to know about me is that this really isn’t about me. I’ve been put in a position to help others and to achieve a modest degree of success because of the people around me. In my work, I am literally useless without a network of deeply loving, highly motivated people. Ideas and even ambition are nothing in my world without donors, volunteers, staff, my board and the incredible network of collaborators I have found in this community.

In my personal life, this is also profoundly true. I sincerely believe that if I had had to walk this path alone, I wouldn’t be alive today. My family, friends, church, and neighbors literally sustained me – emotionally, physically and spiritually. In the worst times, my kids and I had people around who fed us, clothed us, looked after us, and even pursued us when I didn’t know how to ask for help.

Even now, I don’t do anything alone, and don’t do it all perfectly. It is a myth that one can work like they don’t have children, and parent like they don’t have a job. I cannot give everything 100 percent because I am only one human. I leave work at 4:30 or earlier almost every day. I take days off for field trips. I have learned to say no to a lot of commitments, even those that might benefit my career or community, because I have seen firsthand that the community is only as strong as its families. Sometimes I’m not there to tuck in the kids, or to help with homework, and that’s when I’m reminded that it is all about the people I have in my life – my husband, parents, siblings and friends – who fill in the gaps I leave behind.

What do you like most about living here?

The people! We have the warmest people; we are good neighbors; we serve one another in love; we build lives together. We have music and art and good food and wine and the strongest sense of community I’ve ever witnessed.

Why is community involvement important?

I connect with this personally because I am product of my community. I often think of women who experience what I did without the safety net of family, friends and neighbors that I had. It is so important that we take an active role in the community because that may be the only safety net some folks have. Community involvement is more than sitting on a committee or selling raffle tickets (although those things matter, too). It’s about forging relationships with people who have different needs and struggles than ourselves and about being there for our friends and neighbors when their circumstances become difficult. It’s about showing radical grace to the meek and fighting for folks who can’t fight for themselves. Without it, we are not a community but a bunch of lonely people who just happen to live in the same area code.

This story was originally published August 21, 2016 at 5:24 AM with the headline "20 under 40: Elizabeth Greenlee-Wight (formerly Greenlee-Harrison)."