Jessica knew what she wanted to do with her life to help others from the young age of 13 following a church mission trip to the inner city of Brooklyn, New York. It was there she learned the impact a single decision had on a person’s life.
At the age of 17, she took her first job working for a nonprofit in an impoverished area with active gang activity. She witnessed daily the aftermath of sexual abuse of teenage girls and gained an early education about the importance of intervention, and that it takes a collaborative effort to help victims heal from trauma. She became determined to make positive decisions to benefit others, much like her parents who she credits for being strong influences in her life.
“My parents are incredible! They are the most down-to-earth, kind, caring, Midwest people I could ever imagine,” she said.
Jessica recounted how her mom began taking her and her brother to serve at homeless shelters and elderly care homes at a young age; so young that she admits she can’t remember a time in her childhood where they weren’t serving vulnerable adults. And serving others didn’t matter if they were wealthy or completely destitute. Her mom treated everyone equally with genuine love and kindness.
“My mom inspires me in so many ways. It’s so genuine, too! She never has a hidden agenda in how she treats people,” Jessica said. “She talks to everyone, and by this I mean she literally treats everyone as equal. It doesn't matter if she’s talking with Warren Buffet or the women who is living at the homeless shelter. If all you could do was hear audio of these two types of conversations, you probably would not be able to tell if she was talking to a billionaire or someone who did not have enough money to buy lunch.”
Jessica also grew up watching her dad help others. He cultivated a garden to specifically give the neighbors – and even strangers – the fruits of his labor, literally. He also became the friendly neighborhood mechanic by choice.
“He has fixed so many people’s cars I could never count them all, and it’s always at no charge,” Jessica said. “Having strangers at family holidays and get-togethers is so 'normal’ that it’s alarming if there is not a new person sitting around the table playing cards with us.”
And those table gatherings have also been opportunities for conversation about what Jessica does for a living. She has been often asked how she views men since they are mainly the perpetrators of abuse on children and youth she assists.
FAMILY INFLUENCE
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