When Lisa Bradford, our new Director of Philanthropy, was being considered for the job, she made it a point to spend a few moments in the lobby, seeing what The Sharon at SouthPark is all about. What she witnessed was the warmth, kindness and joy that marks life in the community.
“I went home that night,” Lisa recalls, “and said, ‘If I don’t get this job, I’m going to cry.’”
Hold the tears.
Lisa is settling into her office a few steps from that very same lobby. She has begun meeting residents and staff and embracing her full-time assignment: Telling the The Sharon at SouthPark story in a way that inspires annual giving and major and planned gifts; expands our community’s charitable involvement; supports the The Sharon at SouthPark Foundation and grows the Residents’ Assistance Fund. She will also oversee the annual report, which can be found here.
A Background of Service
Lisa arrives with a servant’s heart. Growing up on a farm in upstate New York, she saw her mom, a nurse, care for Alzheimer’s patients. She is determined to pass on to her daughter, Julianna, the spirit of compassion that runs in the family.
Lisa comes to The Sharon at SouthPark from NC MedAssist, where she helped raise money and support for the only statewide nonprofit pharmacy that provides free prescription and over-the-counter medicine to neighbors in need. Before that, she was Director of Development for Charlotte Family Housing, which provides shelter, housing, supportive services and advocacy for the homeless.
She isn’t shy about asking for support. Her colleagues came to call her “Ted Williams,” one of baseball’s greatest hitters. That’s because, as Lisa puts it (proudly!), “I’d always go up to bat.”
First, though, she appreciates that the best and most important part of the job is to build relationships. That means she may be calling her fiancée, Ryan, to say she will be late getting home to Belmont. She’s going to share a bit of fellowship after work hours in the Wolfe Lounge.
Whether you are a prospective supporter, resident or work colleague, Lisa wants to hear your story. Then she’s eager to tell the story of how this community wowed her the first time she sat in the lobby. Only then will she invite you to support the family she now calls her own.
