The Foundation of Helen's House, Inc.
Lisa M. Fisher
Founder & CEO
TRAILBLAZER
The Original SIPP:
A Sister in a Powerful Position
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WHY I STARTED HELEN'S HOUSE, INC.
My husband decided that he wanted to take the easy way out and leave our marriage. It was during our marriage that we both felt that God created us for a greater purpose and we dreamed of ministering and helping young men and women. We were going to be the power couple that invested in people. Together we were going to be rising Trailblazers with him leading the effort with helping men and me empowering women to be the best version of themselves. Raising our children made us both realized how important it was to breathe hope into the next generation. However, it took more than just talk to make that a reality, it took faith. It wasn’t the ending I was looking for but out of a failed marriage, came the dream of Helen’s House, Inc. fueled by faith. I was able to turn my talk of what I wanted to do into a reality. My grandfather told me that “Faith is measured by what you do and not by what you talk about doing.” Out of hurt, pain and betrayal, I decided to be the “VICTOR” and not the “VICTIM."
Psalms 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart forever.” My mother use to quote that bible verse to me every time life disappointed me. Her memory and her words of encouragement gave me everything I needed to be the change that I wanted to see in the world. There is God in all of us, he gives us the power to rise above all obstacles and do amazing things in life. It was God’s grace and his mercy along with the memory of my mother that allowed me to rise above a broken marriage, an interrupted career and the betrayal of trust and create my 501 (c) (3) Non-profit, Helen’s House, Inc.
WHY I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT OTHERS
My passion is the foundation for my giving. It isn’t how much I give, but how much love I put into giving. It’s only natural that I care about this and not so much about that, and that’s OK. For me, it’s not just a matter of choosing the right thing, but also a matter of choosing what is right for me. When I do, then the more I give, the more I stand to gain purpose, meaning and happiness—all of the things that I look for in life but are so hard to find.
MORE ABOUT ME..
My life began as one of the smallest victims of domestic violence with scars formed by the memories of my mother being abused. I was homeless at 13, emotionally abused, molested and grew up struggling for love and along the way found a family who embraced me with all my brokenness and took me in. The family of a young woman, who was my best friend became my sister and then my biggest supporter and spiritual cheerleader, she gave me the gift that God so graciously set the example for us, “unconditional love”. To this day, she is still my best friend.
God directed my steps, took me from the streets, shielded me from the rape and hate of poverty, teen pregnancy, drugs and placed people in my life to help me grow along the way. As a result, I am a woman who is beautifully broken and perfectly imperfect. My heart is genuine and God has blessed me with the gift of a smile to spread joy wherever I go. It was under God’s protection that I worked hard and earned a great education that provided an amazing opportunity for me to have a career that I love in Human Resources helping others not just obtain career opportunities and growth but to be able to provide for their families.
Today, I am a mother, a community activist, a friend and an advocate for others. Supporting my dream, vision and passion for Helen’s House, Inc. behind the scenes with unconditional love and endless encouragement are my children: Caitlin and Connor.
I am the CEO who believes in truly being the change that I want to see in the world. But if you never remember anything else about me, remember that I am a person who went from feeling UNLOVABLE to absolutely UNSTOPPABLE! If I can do that, anyone can.
WHY HELEN'S HOUSE, INC.
It’s easy to let rejection or criticism cause you to feel like you aren’t good enough. Even if it’s been a decade since someone said, “You aren’t cut out to do this,” those words might still echo in your head but not at Helen’s House, Inc. I truly believe that strong women don’t allow someone else’s opinion to affect their self-worth. They alone determine how they feel about themselves, and they have healthy relationships with a village of other women that help them bounce back when others try to bring them down. Thus, I founded SIPP – Sisters in Powerful Positions, my gift to the world that “YOU, WE ARE ENOUGH!”
WHY I CHOOSE TO HELP OTHERS IN A WORLD WHERE KINDNESS REALLY DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE
In the words of Maya Angelou, “People will forget what you did, they will forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” Helen’s House, Inc., lives that statement in everything that we do. In today’s world, everyone we meet is fighting a battle that we know nothing about, so we at Helen's House, Inc., choose to be kind. I choose to be different, to help, to have compassion, to give what I want to receive in the world. Every act of kindness creates a ripple effect that spreads with no end in sight. I believe we all should collaborate and run with it!
ABOUT ME...
My black is definitely beautiful. I am a mother, a grandmother and a poet of life. One of the daughters whose mother is the inspiration for Helen’s House, Inc. The big sister who collaborated with the little sister so that her vision could come true in memory of our mother.
Tina Burns
LEGACY
Board Member
The FOUNDER of SIPP:
A Sister in a Powerful Position
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HELEN'S HOUSE INC., IS A SPECIAL PART OF ME
Everything I AM, my mother raised me to be. She told me that I was SMART so smart is what I became! She told me that I could be anything I wanted to be but not without a good education. So, I studied hard and now I saw the benefits of her advice. Helen’s House Inc., is what my mother dreamed about creating and made a reality during one of the toughest times in her life. Homeless at 13, broken and never feeling loved, molested, abused, taken for granted, used and never getting as good as she gave. Seeing and benefiting from her strength, witnessing her AMAZING heart to give while watching her put her words into ACTION made me admire her even more. Helen’s House, Inc., is the heart of my mother, the beauty and confidence, she remembers her mother pouring into her. Her endurance, her beauty and her legacy. I am honored to be a young, black woman fighting a cause dedicated to helping others succeed. The Executive Vice President who is absolutely passionate about WOMEN. I now have a bigger platform and voice to advocate for women of all colors and races EVERYWHERE. With Helen's House, Inc., I am able to be not just my mother’s daughter, but a community activist doing good will. Wow! I represent a non-profit dedicated to helping people live a better life!
WHY ME, WHY NOW?
My mother lives the quote from Nora Ephron, “Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” Because of her past, she worked hard to give me a much better life than the one she started out with. She also told me that everyone shines given the right lighting, so I am going to make her proud and shine as brightly as I can!
ABOUT ME…
My heart is kind and my dreams are big, I got that from my mother, Lisa M. Fisher. I am an advocate for woman rights, I believe in equality. Nothing is more beautiful to me than to see people supporting one another despite the color of their skin. Beauty to me comes in all shades and colors.
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I graduated in the top 20% of my high school class from South Grand Prairie High School Early College, May 2021 with my High School Diploma and my Associates of Science Degree at age 17, all while working a full-time job. I was a member of the National Honor Society, National Society of High School Scholars, Beta Club and a nominee for the Congress of Future Medical Leaders Award of Excellence. I was accepted into 12 Universities with over $750,000 combined in scholarships but my university of choice and new academic home is the University of Houston, where I am majoring in Bio Technology. For all that my mother did not have, she worked tirelessly to ensure that my story was nothing that resembled hers but it is out of her story that I strive to make her see the SHE in ME! RESILIENT.
Caitlin A. Watters
Executive Vice-President
YSIPP:
A Young Sister in a Powerful Position
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Glynis Beckton
Chairwoman
SIPP:
A Sister in a Powerful Position
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WHY MY HEART SERVES AT HELEN’S HOUSE, INC.
I was fortunate to have a home with two parents that poured love and confidence into me consistently. I didn’t have to look for love or acceptance anywhere else because my parents, Johnnie and Tacomma made sure I got it at home. My dad showed me how a man should treat a woman by the way he treated my mother, like a queen. My mother taught me to not be a woman who needs a man but to be a woman a man needs. Not too many young girls get to see upfront, first-hand, the hard work of their parents filling their bucket with so much self-esteem. I DID!
My mother was one of the bravest women I know and she had a heart to serve. Her love was for God and her family. She was a true warrior who fought and beat cancer bravely not just once, not even twice. When it came around a third time, she didn’t give up. She simply embraced it so bravely that God made her an angel. I’ve never had bullets fly by my head but I’ve experienced freedom because of brave men that did. The bravest of them all was my dad, Army Veteran, Johnnie Beckton. And I am forever thankful for his sacrifice not just for me but for our entire country. My mother and my father inspire me to be a giver of service and lover of people. I alone cannot change the world but with Helen’s House, Inc,, we can cast a stone across the water to make many ripples. We truly believe that only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.
MORE ABOUT ME…
I am a daughter, mother, mentor, financial advisor, real-estate investor and servant of God. I am fearlessly devoted to being the best version of myself that God created me to be. My career and my personal life are an incredible blend that I am passionate about and both allow me to be able to help and serve others. I define success on my own terms and achieve it by my own rules, that's why I am building a life that I am proud of by serving as a Chief Operating Officer at Helen's House, Inc.