Joy in Service, Cindy Funkhouser at She is Fierce! Women's Wednesdays

by Jennifer Yarbrough

Cindy Funkhouser, President and CEO of the Sulzbacher Center in Jacksonville was the speaker for the third “Women’s Wednesdays,” presented by “She is Fierce.” And she is fierce! She brought her sense of humor and her business experience together to implore women to find their purpose and then use their skills to achieve that purpose.  She explained her story of coming from a sales background in corporate America to the moment that changed everything---August 24, 1992, the day that 175,000 people in southern Florida became homeless because of Hurricane Andrew.  She recounts going into the hurricane ravaged areas with her church group and being struck by how people were living in horrible conditions.  It was through that experience that she realized she wanted to be a homeless advocate.  Many years, a relocation, and a lot of hard work later, she is now the President and CEO of the Sulzbacher Center in Jacksonville.  The Sulzbacher Center is the largest homeless shelter and outreach in NE Florida, they help feed, educate and house hundreds of needy families every year. 

Cindy Funkhouser has found joy in serving and that joy was evident in her demeanor and the excitement with which she described the things happening at the Sulzbacher Center to help the homeless.  She encouraged the women in the audience to serve, saying that everyone can serve, wherever they are, that there are people around us that need help.  We must figure out what our interests are and use our skills and gifts to help others.

It’s no surprise that her favorite quote is from Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” she is changing the world for many people in our area every day and calling on us to do the same.

Next week’s talk (June 24th) will be presented by Kate Taylor founder of Taylor Made Coaching.  The “Women’s Wednesdays” talks take place at “The Treasury,” in downtown St. Augustine.  Free tickets can be obtained at SheIsFierceHQ.com/Events.  Please note that Kate Taylor will also present a workshop after her talk for a fee, please see the She Is Fierce website above for more information.