Stacey Schultz had a successful and satisfying career with the American Cancer Society.
Working with a committee of dedicated volunteers, she had built the 10th largest Relay For Life in the nation, and for 12 years she was able to help give people hope: hope for a cancer-free world; hope that each person could make a difference.
Ultimately, it was hope that led her to a new position in July 2005: operations manager for Project HOPE - Hear Our Prayer Emanuel.
The Springfield-based organization is an interdenominational Christian service organization dedicated to meeting the immediate physical needs of impoverished people in Nicaragua while bringing them the good news of Jesus Christ.
"Walking away from a successful career with the American Cancer Society to work full time as unpaid staff for Project HOPE was hard, but I know God was in control," Schultz says.
While there were benefits to working for a locally based, internationally focused organization, there was a downside, too.
She felt disconnected from the business community that she'd previously been in contact with daily. But a comment from her college freshman son to his dad gave her a new perspective on what she was doing.
"He says, 'No offense, Dad, but when I tell people I meet my dad is a salesman for a trucking company and my mom and stepdad are college professors, it's not that impressive. But when I say my stepmom does mission work and organizes short-term trips to Nicaragua, people want to know more. People think that is so cool, which then allows me to talk about my own experiences in Nicaragua and share a bit about my personal faith. What (she) does is way more important than working in the for-profit world,'" Schultz recalls.
Earlier this year, Schultz's 65-year-old father joined a 47-person team she was co-leading to build 25 homes in Bosques de Xiloa outside of Managua.
"He saw why I was so passionate about my work - passionate enough to leave a successful career and comfortable income to make a difference," she says. "On the last night in country, he stood before the group and says, through tears, 'For those of you who don't know, I am Stacey's father. Sweetheart, I am so proud of you. I love you.'"
Having her son and her father express such pride in her, she says, is her proudest accomplishment.
Schultz, who still is an unpaid volunteer with Project HOPE, is a firm believer in the idea that everyone has something to offer, and through her work with the Cancer Society and Project HOPE, she has been able to help others find those strengths in themselves.
Active in Fellowship Bible Church, Schultz also continues to volunteer with the American Cancer Society, and she is regularly contacted by people seeking advice on organizing and planning special events and fundraisers.
"It's always nice to be needed," she says. "And I'm always willing to offer my two cents!"[[In-content Ad]]
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