Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Lisa Jenkins Is Helping To Change Our World

Know when to step away — I have always been someone who has been a fixer and tried to take on everything. Getting older, I realized that I am the most important person in my life, and it is only 1 of me. So when I have those long weeks and have reached my limit, I know when to take off and disconnect myself from it all.

As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lisa Jenkins.

Mrs. Lisa Jenkins is an African American woman and survivor of domestic abuse. Lisa has advocated for Domestic Violence Victims and underserved youth for over 25 years and spent countless hours volunteering, assisting in the empowerment of others. It is her mission to change the narrative around issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

My 1st marriage was very abusive, and I was in that marriage for five years. At age 24, I finally broke free with my three small children, and I left and never looked back. That was back in 1996, and I have been advocating for Domestic Violence Victims and underserved youth for over 25 years since and have spent countless hours volunteering, assisting in the empowerment of her mission to change the narrative around family violence and childhood and adulthood.

I promised myself and GOD the night he tried to kill me that if he saved me, I would spend the rest of my life serving others and helping those in similar situations.

Before I was ready to start Kingdom Builders, I experienced all the struggles and challenges that life presented and overcame them. I eventually stepped out on faith and began my journey.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?

I have had many interesting stories, but the most profound is when I knew I needed to resign from a full-time job to focus on Kingdom Builders full-time.

If you know about nonprofits, you know people do not work for or start a nonprofit for money. It takes a lot to get started and even more to get funding to pay staff, so when I founded the organization, I had no idea what I was doing. I did not have a road map on how to get enough money to hire staff, but I desired to make a difference. It took several years of me working full-time at my paid government job and working on building the organization full-time unpaid. In 2018, 5 years after I started the organization, I secured enough funding to resign from the government and was the 1st full-time employee of the organization.

Once I could focus on the organization, with no other distractions, I really began to work and build the organization. The following year I was able to apply for more funding and hire more staff. Now, here we are another five years later with federal, state, & local funding and ten staff members.

Nothing short of amazing, and while this is the most interesting story, I am sure it won’t be the last.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I can’t think of any funny mistakes when I first started but definitely mistakes.

1. Operating from my heart — I am an empath who always wanted to do for everyone and make everyone happy. I learned that running a nonprofit is still a business, and no matter how much you want to help, it must be financially feasible; And if it is not in the budget, then you have to say NO.
2. All money is not good money — We have had funders who wanted to give us funds, but when we accepted, it was more work than the funds were worth. I learned that sometimes it is better to turn it down than accepting it.
3. Partnering with organizations that don’t have the same values — I learned that if missions and values are not aligned, those partnerships will cause more issues than needed.

Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?

I met a young mom several years ago, and I was her assigned advocate when I worked at my government job. She came to me because of a Domestic violence incident with her husband. She had four children. She had experienced all sorts of trauma her entire life. I worked with her weekly and was able to support her on her journey. She eventually decided to leave the relationship, and she is definitely thriving. She has a full-time job and her own transportation, and recently brought a home for herself and her children. She is just 1 of many female and male victims that I have had the honor to support who have taken the tools I have shared with them and now are on a journey of healing and never looking back at their past lives of abuse.

Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?

Kingdom Builders Family Life Center (“KBFLC” or “Kingdom Builders”) was founded in 2013 in Colorado Springs, CO, by Mrs. Lisa Jenkins, an African American woman and survivor of domestic abuse. KBLFC’s mission is “to change the narrative of under-served individuals, families and youth who have been impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking”.

KBFLC offers a domestic violence program, My Brother’s / Sister’s Keeper (“MBSK”), that provides a wide range of victims’ services. This program provides a crisis hotline, emergency housing, needs assessment, case management, life skills training, advocacy, accompaniment, peer support groups, individual therapy, and some transitional housing / rapid rehousing. Operating since 2013, the program served 133 adult survivors and 213 children of survivors in 2022. We also run an intervention and prevention program for at-risk youth, Project Right Direction (“PRD”), which served 51 youth in 2022.

Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?

1. Acceptance- Domestic violence is a dirty little secret, and although there have been changes in recent years, it still does not get the same exposure as other issues. On average, nearly 20 people are physically abused per minute by an intimate partner in the United States. One year equates to more than 10 million women and men.
2. Teach the next generation and learn from them- The examples we set for the younger generation shape how they think about gender, respect, and human rights. Start conversations about gender roles early on, and challenge the traditional features and characteristics assigned to men and women. Point out the stereotypes children constantly encounter, whether in the media, on the street, or at school, and let them know that it’s OK to be different. Encourage a culture of acceptance. Talk about consent, bodily autonomy, and accountability to boys and girls. Also, listen to what they have to say about their experience of the world. By empowering young advocates with information and educating them about rights, we can build a better future for all.
3. Call for responses and services fit for purpose- Services for survivors of violence and services for survivors are essential services, meaning that shelters, hotlines, counseling, and all support for survivors of gender-based violence must be available for those in need.
4. I know you said 3, but the 4th would be Accountability- Make penalties for domestic violence consistent and firm. We should offer all the treatment in the world in case it helps, but not instead of punishment as we tend to do now. Swift and serious sentencing is important to decrease incidents of domestic abuse.

How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?

Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal.

Leadership captures the essentials of being able and prepared to inspire others. Effective leadership derives from original and borrowed ideas communicated to others in a way that engages them enough to act as the leader wants them to.

A leader inspires others to act while simultaneously directing how they perform. They must be personable enough for others to follow their lead and must have the critical thinking skills to know the best way to use the resources at an organization’s disposal.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Trust your instinct — I have had several occasions where people gave me a bad feeling, but I chose to ignore it. After some time, I realized I felt the Holy Spirit guiding me, and I should have listened. I would have avoided a lot of bad situations.
2. Support will not come easy — When I started the journey, I really thought my mission and the things I was trying to accomplish would warrant more support from my family and those who knew me; But it was the total opposite. The support I have received over the years, besides my immediate family, has come from complete strangers.
3. Your vision is not your family’s vision — when I first started, it was a lot of start-up time, and I mean a lot. My family was there to support me, but I often put so much pressure on them that they started complaining about how I interacted with them and that I put too much pressure on them. One day, my husband told me that GOD gave me that the vision was not theirs, and I should not expect them to have the same enthusiasm. After that, I realized I was being selfish, which was unfair to them.
4. Starting an organization is a lot of work and time — I can easily work a 12-hour day every day, and I go to sleep thinking about what I need to do the next day. Even after ten years, I still have long hours and am constantly making notes of things that need to get done; But I have learned how to balance it all and still make sure that I take time for my family and have self-care. It is important for longevity.
5. Know when to step away — I have always been someone who has been a fixer and tried to take on everything. Getting older, I realized that I am the most important person in my life, and it is only 1 of me. So when I have those long weeks and have reached my limit, I know when to take off and disconnect myself from it all.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Family violence, including Domestic violence and child abuse, is an epidemic that has plagued homes for so many years. Violence in homes has produced a lot of violent acts that we see in the world, including gang violence, mass shootings, racial crimes, and so much more. If I could inspire a movement, it would be to provide families with the tools they need to heal. Early childhood trauma plays a huge role. If education starts early, we provide resources earlier, and we hold parents accountable earlier, we have a chance to see narratives changing.

If I can get more support as far as funding support from those who make policy changes and people who are passionate about these issues, then we can get way more done. I have no problem using my voice, but it will take so much more support from others for change to occur.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“I AM ENOUGH”

Growing up, I considered myself the black sheep of my family. I had a lot of childhood trauma that I experienced at an early age. I never understood why things were happening to me and why my mom treated me the way she did. I never felt like I was enough and felt unloved by her. I married my first husband at 19, and although red flags were present in our relationship, I stayed in it. I didn’t love myself enough to just leave. It took me five years to get out of that HELL of a relationship, but I did with my three blessings and the only good things that came out of it.

For several years after that relationship, I struggled to raise my three children, but I managed to start focusing on being the best person I could be, not only as their mother, but the best woman I could be. So, after so many years of feeling like I am not enough, I worked on loving myself to live my life, and I AM ENOUGH has become my favorite quote.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey- Both stars experienced trauma at a young age and overcame it, becoming exceptional at navigating through life and becoming the best person of themselves.

So, I would love to have breakfast or lunch with them to share and maybe discuss my organization and the services we provide to see if this is an opportunity for them to become champions of the organization, allowing more exposure and possible resources for us to expand and reach more.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Our website is www.kbflc.org, and our social media is KBFLC2 on Facebook and Instagram. I am now starting to use my voice more, and my “I AM LISA JENKINS” brand has launched. You can get information about my personal journey at www.iamlisajenkins.com, on Facebook at I Am Lisa Jenkins, and on Instagram at iamlisajenkins07.

This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!