Today we’d like to introduce you to Willie Rankin.
Willie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My name is Willie Rankin, and I became the Executive Director of LVTRise, August of 2019. I describe myself as a community servant. I spent the past seven years working in the nonprofit world, helping community members navigate nonprofit and government resources to receive assistance. I have also been involved with consulting work, helping entrepreneurs with business development and strategy.
I slowly built a reputation in the Tarrant County community by building strong collaborative relationships by encouraging new community partnership opportunities and cultivating individuals for fundraising and engagement. I volunteer on the Board of Leadership Fort Worth, BRIDGE Fort Worth, BoardBuild, West Fort Worth Chamber, and the Zoning Commission for District 2. I served on committees for Blue Zone Project, Veterans Coalition of Tarrant County (VETCO), and the 2017 City of Arlington Transportation Advisory Committee.
In 2006 I joined the Marine Corps and deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom War veteran. I worked as a diesel mechanic and specialized in electrical systems. I received my Executive MBA from the University of Texas in Arlington and am married with one four-year-old son, with a daughter due in August of 2020. In my free time, I enjoy obstacle course races, shooting at the range, and gaming with friends from the Marine Corps.
My professional skills are in strategic planning, coordinating, and evaluating the actions required to support partnerships to improve the impact of client outcomes. My passion for serving neighbors helps in raising funds, growing programs, and engaging communities. My faith-based compassion, my neighbor, mixed with my competitive Marine Corps leadership style, makes me a noticeable advocate for social services.
LVTRise, with Willie Rankin, plans to revitalize the Las Vegas Trail neighborhood in West Fort Worth. Willie plans to collaborate with several agencies to increase community member’s access to social services. LVTRise will create programs and events that will empower community members and businesses to work together to improve the community. He also will bring his nonprofit experience to create a database to measure the impact of the partnerships and services in the community to duplicate in other neighborhoods
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I am 33 years old, so I am usually the youngest person in the room in my line of work. Every day is a challenge because of the experience curve I have compared to my colleagues. I feel like I work twice as hard to overcome the gap and do the work that I do today.
I grew up as an Army Brat. My father deployed five times and worked a dangerous job. There were times we didn’t think he would come back home or didn’t feel like he came back home when he was there, so I learned to be the man of the house. I lived with my mom, Japanese grandmother, and my sister with physical disabilities when my father was deployed. I had to learn how to solve problems for a world that did not cater to their needs. I wasn’t exactly a rule follower growing up either. I am glad the Marine Corps help me break some bad habits. This experience helped me serve in the nonprofit world. Many people can’t navigate some of society’s obstacles. Having someone compassionate enough to care and brave enough to fight for them becomes my driving force to get better in my work.
Please tell us about LVTRise.
My company is called LVTRise. We formed after the Las Vegas Trail Revitalization Project that was conducted in 2017 in response to the Star-Telegram articles covering the violence and human trafficking going on in that community. Our company is a collaborative effort from the City of Fort Worth and several nonprofits to help make the community safer and give residents access to social services. We are renovating an old YMCA to make it a community center in the heart of the low-income neighborhood of Las Vegas Trail.
As the Executive Director, I serve as the visionary and fundraiser of the organization. We use a collaborative model used by Jubilee Park in Dallas. By partnering with companies that specialize in certain services, our company can focus on building relationships with residents to help them navigate the social service industry.
I am most proud of how far we came so far. My company is made up of only myself and one other staff member. We have been able to grow our services this past year significantly due to our wonderful volunteers and support from the surrounding community. Although our building isn’t finished with its renovations, we have still been able to feed hundreds of families every week during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many nonprofits had to close their doors, our small team and group of young volunteers have been able to make sure community members have access to food stay in the know of new resources as the economy takes a downturn. When we finish our capital campaign, we hope we can open our doors to the community to be a safe place for kids to learn, and parents can get resources.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Optimism. I think that a common trait with most entrepreneurs or people working on a new venture. Having faith and looking on the bright side encourages others to do the same. It helps me open my eyes to possibilities and opportunities that other people don’t always see. My strategic mindset helps me process the different opportunities that I encounter, but my positive attitude is one of the driving forces behind my success.
Pricing:
- $600,000 left on our capital campaign to build our community center
- $80,000 left to help us launch our afterschool tutoring program
- $100 can help a family who is having trouble finding employment during this pandemic
Contact Info:
- Address: 8210 Calmont Ave
Fort Worth TX, 76116 - Website: www.lvtrise.org
- Phone: 817-420-9741
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/lvt_rise/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/LVTRise
Image Credit:
SR Photography
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