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Leadership Values – Consistency in Change

Change is real. This year has been full of change. Whatever you walked into 2020 expecting it to be, things drastically changed. Expectations kept falling short of reality, because aren't able to see the future. As much as we can prepare, we have learned that flexibility is key in maintaining both our health and sanity. But where there is flexibility, there must also be consistency. Flexibility allows us to make the most of the short-term circumstances. Yet consistency is key in maintaining effectiveness across circumstances as we grow over the months, years, and decades. Yet beyond this year and its impact on each person's individual life... we still experience shifts and changes every day in each aspect of our life. On a recent call with our team of interns, we discussed the different trends they each subscribed to. Answers ranged from diets to celebrity workouts, monthly fashion trends, social media interactions, to trying different daily schedules and routines. Needless … [Read more...] about Leadership Values – Consistency in Change

Partner Spotlight: One More Child

One More Child and Third Lens Ministries have been partners for many years. They have worked together to build homes, schools and other buildings in many countries. One big project has been centered in Uganda. “One of the greatest impacts between Third Lens and One More Child is what's happened in Uganda,” said Andrew Tattrie, the VP of the Global Childcare Division for One More Child. “We’ve been able to build several school buildings, missionary housing, and a dining hall. So quite a few different buildings that have had a huge impact on the community. It has allowed the Christian school to really expand, allow more students come to the school to receive education and receive biblical education as well. It's been a great partnership.  We really enjoy our partnership with Third Lens and really appreciate the hard work and Christ centeredness to their ministry as well.” The two organizations not only work together, but also act as middle men to help each other find new … [Read more...] about Partner Spotlight: One More Child

Partner Spotlight: RAD

In 2015, Michael Rickman started Rickman Architecture and Design. Rickman wanted RAD to have a bigger focus on social impact work compared to what he had seen during his time working with other architecture firms in the past.  While RAD does work on for-profit projects as well as limited-profit and pro-bono projects, a lot of their projects tie back to that social impact vision.  “We've had enough work where a good portion of our work is really tied to social impact work,” Rickman said. “There is some just for profit stuff that we still use to take a lot of profits from and reinvest it in the projects that we can donate to.” Rickman connected with Third Lens through Plywood People. RAD tries to work with Third Lens on at least one project a year. RAD has contributed to the Hope Smiles dental clinic project, the Jonestown, Mississippi, community project and the Friends of Refugees project in Clarkston, Georgia. Currently, RAD is helping with the planning stages … [Read more...] about Partner Spotlight: RAD

Hope Builders Newsletter

A Community of Startups Doing Good I first heard Jeff Shinabarger speak at Catalyst Conference in 2013. Jeff is a social entrepreneur and author. His projects and books have been featured on national forums and media outlets. He has spoken at conferences like TedX and Q Ideas.  Because of his work in the social entrepreneurship space, Jeff found that people were always telling him about their ideas or introducing him to someone with an idea that was ready to launch. He started referring to this group of problem solvers as “Plywood People,” as plywood - often used to cover broken windows or potholes - always found itself solving a problem. He formalized this community of start-ups doing good in 2010 with the launch of Plywood People, a non-profit organization. Jeff’s vision is to make Plywood and Atlanta centers for social innovation. Since 2010, Plywood People has walked alongside hundreds of people and projects doing good: offering content, curriculum, … [Read more...] about Hope Builders Newsletter

Partner Spotlight: Hope Smiles

Hope Smiles was founded in 2005 by Dr. Phillip Kemp. It started as a way to provide dental care to under-served communities in Middle Tennessee. Since then, the non-profit has expanded its operations to other parts of the United States, Haiti and Uganda. Hope Smiles utilizes a combination of mobile and permanent clinics to provide dental care to those in need. People can also receive training and education in dental hygienics at these clinics.  A key component of Hope Smiles’ mission is a focus on a sustainable solution. This starts with creating a dental center in an area that previously did not have access to dental care. Local professionals and international specialists work together to provide a variety of dental care ranging from teeth cleanings to providing braces. Hope Smiles provides local professionals with access to the most up-to-date literature on dental practices and technology. It also hosts educational seminars that are open to all dental … [Read more...] about Partner Spotlight: Hope Smiles

Partner Spotlight: Just One Africa

After traveling to Kenya in 2012 and visiting an orphanage, Amy and her husband Clay Churchill decided they would start an organization helping high capacity local leaders in Kenya who were working hard to improve their communities. After returning home from their trip, Amy and Clay, partnered with another couple, Alastair and Geanna Wilde, to start Just One Africa. One of the biggest focuses of the organization is to provide clean water access to communities in Kenya. The idea formed during that initial Kenya trip when community leaders shared their ongoing struggle with water borne diseases.  While helping build a hut for a woman in Western Kenya, Churchill realized that a very sick baby was living there. The mother of the baby had HIV and was very also very sick and unable to nurse the child. The baby’s father had died of HIV and the grandfather of the baby was also deceased. The owner of the hut was the baby’s grandmother, and she was doing the best she could to … [Read more...] about Partner Spotlight: Just One Africa

Board of Directors Spotlight: Lee Carroll

Leading up to the 2007 economic recession, Lee Carroll was working in the hard-hit industry of real estate. This time of struggle allowed Carroll to take a step back and reevaluate how he could apply the construction and real estate skills he had learned through work and school. This reevaluation led him to create Third Lens Ministries, granting him a way to combine his faith and construction skills into an organization that aides others.  “Leading up to the economic fallout of 2007 &2008, I was in the real estate business and lost a lot of materialistic possessions and financial standing,” Carroll said. “It was a very difficult time, which prompted me to reflect on my prior financial successes, followed by losing everything and having very little to show for it aside from perspective and life experience. I believed that a better way to go forward with my career was to align myself with something that would allow me to leverage my profession and contribute to generational impact … [Read more...] about Board of Directors Spotlight: Lee Carroll