Today we’d like to introduce you to LaSheryl Walker.
Hi LaSheryl, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I actually started off as an Americorp Member. I enjoyed the community work and the sites I was placed. My first year was at Vickery Meadow, and my second year was at the Jubilee Center. I ended up being hired by Jubilee and worked there for 15 years. After that, I transitioned to St. Philip’s School and Community Center, where I worked as the Community Engagement Director. I enjoyed my 10 years at St Philip’s working in the community with children, adults, and senior citizens. I worked with so many neighborhood groups and associations. In 2022 I began working with Forest Forward, and all my community work and relationships have been instrumental in the work for today.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. I’ve learned a lot along the way. I’ve learned that when you are planning for the community to make sure they are included in the planning. You don’t plan for them but with them.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a community change agent, a community advocate, and a community a community champion. I am a voice for the voiceless, a person that the community looks to for answers, for information. I believe that I specialize in building relationships, in networking, and brokering relationships. I am a Connector. I am most proud of being a mom, a wife, and a grandmother. I am proud of being the person in my family that keeps us all together. In my work, I am proud of having had the opportunity to work and learn from 3 amazing organizations that has had a huge impact on the communities they serve, Jubilee Park and St. Philip’s School and Community Center. Now I have the opportunity to continue having an impact on the community through the work taking place at Forest Forward. I believe what sets me apart from others is my passion and my natural ability to interact and communicate with people on all levels. I do not meet strangers. I meet people who like most people love their children, their families, and their communities and want the best for each of those categories.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was the child that always made people laugh. I was the funny one. I always wanted to see people happy. We moved a lot, so I always found myself making new friends. Over the years I have come to see that as an asset which I found making new friends easy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ForestForward.org
- Instagram: @forestforward
