Doing Good
As a young girl, Shannon was taught the importance of serving others and showing kindness. As an adult, she uses her teaching and cooking skills to improve the lives of others, whether it’s in the jungles of Dominican Republic and Rwanda, the beaches of Honduras, or her home state of Oklahoma.
At Hope Haven Rwanda, a school in the impoverished community of Murindi, Shannon taught the cooks how to creatively prepare the fruits and vegetables grown in gardens on the school grounds. In addition, she donated dozens of her “Around The World” dinners in Denver to Hope Haven Rwanda’s charity event, Fabric of Hope. To date, Shannon has raised over $600k for charitable causes through donations of cooking classes and dinners.
For over 10 years Shannon has invested her time, money, and talents with microfinance organizations, a banking system that provides loans to people living in extreme poverty so they can start their own business. While working with Hope International, Shannon traveled to the Dominican Republic and Kigali, Rwanda, where she taught cooking and nutrition to over 200 women who owned businesses from selling eggs to growing tomatoes.
Shannon works with numerous charity organizations in her hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, including Eastern Oklahoma Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, Inside Out, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Vizivance, Tulsa Girls Art School, Catholic Charities, and many others.
“It gives me joy knowing I can teach just one person a skill that will positively change his or her life. If that person teaches the skill to another, and another, just think of the good that could change the world.”
Hope Haven Rwanda is transforming Rwandan families through a holistic approach to education and discipleship, actively demonstrating the love, hope, and truth of Jesus Christ. Hope Haven Rwanda’s philosophy is rooted in two words: Engage and Invest.
25% of school-aged children have vision problems that impact their learning. Fortunately, many vision problems can be prevented or corrected with early intervention.
Established in 1965, Vizavance serves all 77 counties in Oklahoma and provides free vision screenings for children at public and private schools, preschools, Head Starts, and daycare centers. Vizavance intervention does not stop there; if financial assistance is needed for these children, they provide the resources necessary for free eye exams and prescription glasses by an eye care professional.
Stories about Doing Good
