Stepping On and Off the Field of Hope and Transformation with Wendy Adams
Interview Transcript
Hugh Ballou: Greetings to The Nonprofit Exchange listeners. We talk about the important themes that we as leaders step up to the plate as influencers in our arena as community leaders, as religious leaders, as leaders in organizations, no matter where we are. We do influence other people in the organization. My guest today is actually a neighbor in Lynchburg. Her name is Wendy Adams. Wendy, welcome to The Nonprofit Exchange.
Wendy Adams: Hugh, I appreciate the opportunity, especially coming off a holiday weekend, to share.
Hugh: Oh yes. Getting back to work on the Tuesday after Labor Day. It seems like a Monday. Wendy, you are in the sports area, but you really are in the storytelling sweet spot. I am not going to try to describe what you do, but I am going to ask you to tell a snapshot of who this mysterious person called Wendy Adams is. What is it that you’re doing right now? Give us who you are and what you’re doing. I also want to know why you’re doing this.
Wendy: Great questions, Hugh. Again, I appreciate the opportunity to share. I am in the industry of storytelling. My official title is Chief Relationship Officer. I am reminded constantly by my family that I thought I was a chief for a really long time, and now I actually have the title. Really what that comes down to is I work with Sports Outreach. We are a ministry of 30 years. November will be our 30thbirthday. We have used sports as the common language. We serve in four other countries outside the United States, and we don’t all speak the same language, but we all know what to do with a ball or how to perform on a field or on a chess board. Really what it comes down to is if we can open up conversation, then we can be able to influence. We can be an influence, and we can share where we are getting our influence from. As a Christian organization, Sports Outreach has the ability to meet both practical and spiritual needs.
My journey really began with a bout of disobedience. When I get asked, “How did you get to where you are, Wendy?” it’s not a mystery. I am an open book. I was walking one particular path that I was clear the Lord had put me on. In 2007, He said, “I have something different for you. I want you to use those skills, those abilities in a different way.” I quickly answered, “Thanks for sharing. I love what I’m doing. I’m going to keep going.” As 2009, working as a business owner in the area of special events in Tampa, Florida at that time, things came to a screeching halt. Just as He said, He had something different. I decided to take the long route. It not only brought me to a geographical location, but He literally took the skillset of being an influencer and being a connector of people, and He turned it in a way very different, very meaningful, but not what I saw coming. That brought me into the area of what we would officially call fundraising. What it really is is relationship-building: connecting those who have a need with those who have been called to meet that need and having them meet through the story. One telling, the other listening, and how they can connect. That is really what I do: building the bridge in that. In this case, we use the bridge of sports.
Hugh: As you probably know, I use team analogies with the orchestra, but you could use team analogies with any sports team. What we do together has a lot more profound impact if we function together as an ensemble, a musical ensemble, a drama ensemble. My sport is NASCAR. Wouldn’t have guessed that, I’m sure.
Wendy: Not at all.
Hugh: These guys jump over the wall. In 14.2 seconds, every tenth of a second is critical, they put in four new tires, fill the tank, clean the windshield, and they are back over the wall. They have to do it with utmost precision. They rehearse that. There is lots of different cultures of team performance. I guess you know I served mega-churches as 40 years as music director