Kathy Lewis is unwavering in her pursuit to open hearts and homes through what she calls a "Gospel Rich Lifestyle." As we sat in her Mt. Pleasant office, it became clear to me just how much her commitment to impacting the community is working, and how it is transforming lives.
Grounded in Kathy's own faith and spirituality, the mission of her non-profit organization, Why Not Charleston (WNC), is to engage participants in activities that help them cultivate a spiritually-driven lifestyle that serves to be a catalyst for daily growth and enrichment. But from what I gathered after my time with her, the mission even goes beyond that ... deeper, to places that tend to defy explanation. Through her work, Kathy also seeks to create experiences and resources that equip community members to discover, develop, and deploy their inherent talents for the greater good.
As a career educator, thought leader, and executive coach, she knows how to shape lives. But Kathy is the first to admit that her own former direction in life needed clarification, which ultimately came in the form of an epiphany of sorts, in her own driveway.
“I was standing there one morning thinking of all the reasons why I should be mad at my husband, and then I heard God tell me that I had no honor.” She goes on to say that up until then she had never actually considered honor, the roots of which lie in humility and sacrifice. Since, she has sought to carry those same principles to other women, teaching them about honor and how it could “sharpen the saw of their spiritual muscles.”
During my time with Kathy at WNC, I overheard ripples of conversation and laughter in the hallway. It was a women's lifestyle leadership group, the Firestarters, one of many programs and social gatherings offered by WNC. Others include the Elevate28 Challenge, BROS, and the G-Team, whose goal is to build youth confidence through community, while helping them discover their individual voices.
Kathy walks me through the offices, and it is apparent that there are signs of transformation and thankfulness represented everywhere. There is also a presence that is hard to put a finger on. It is an intangible something that makes me believe that if the walls could talk, they would tell great stories of how the work of WNC has touched lives. In that moment, I'm thankful there're people like Kathy who dedicate their passions to meaningful, community-driven change.
But from what I gathered after my time with her, the mission even goes beyond that ... deeper, to places that tend to defy explanation.
