Written by: Natasha Lee, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
If President and CEO of Macomb County Habitat for Humanity, Helen Hicks, had to choose one word to define herself, it would be an enigma. From a young age, Helen was taught by her parents to care for the less fortunate, which has grown into her life passion. She strongly believes that every person can lift others up and always receives it back in a great way. Every position Helen held has been non-profit. She and her husband have strived to teach their children (biological and adopted) the importance of treating all human beings with respect and dignity. Helen finds living in diverse urban settings, being able to network with people from different cultures, creating sustainable programs, and thanking people for doing their part in making the world a better place very rewarding.
Helen has been the president and CEO of Macomb County Habitat for Humanity since August 2012 and enjoys many aspects of her job, but her favorite part is reaching the goal of providing the community homes as well as hope to low-income families and individuals. When people come to Habitat, they often are discouraged by learning their credit is too low or they do not have enough income to qualify for a mortgage to buy a home. Helen finds it very fulfilling to make them knowledgeable about budgeting and repairing their credit so they can become eligible for a mortgage within months.
“Nothing moves my heart as much as handing a family the keys to their new home!” Helen remarks.
Although Helen mostly finds her job very rewarding, she has had to overcome some challenges. When she first began her position at Macomb Habitat, there was a rule stating the only way one could qualify for a home was if they were significantly tied to Macomb County. The rule was illegal and was immediately ended. Another rule that was overturned was only traditional families (father, mother, children and pets) were only considered for a home. Helen strongly encouraged different types of families (single people and non-traditional families) to be eligible.
Even though Helen came to Habitat of Humanity in 2012, over a decade after 9/11, she witnessed many feelings of hatred and prejudice towards anyone who even resembled a Muslim. She solved this issue by providing tolerance training and making sure this despicable behavior was not to be tolerated in the workplace!
As the president and CEO, Helen has many duties. She says her position requires the skill to build positive relationships with the community, establish trust in the staff, display much appreciation to the board and volunteers, and extend genuine thanks to donors.
“I work closely with the board to find new ways to meet the mission of Macomb County Habitat and inspire others to do the same,” Helen says, “while being a leader, I am, at the exact same time, a member of a large team.”
Helen has been working alongside with Natasha Lee, CEO of That Girl and says it has been a wonderful experience.
“Natasha Lee inspires me because she goes after life. She is determined not to let the world pass her by and she wants to create joy and happiness in her work, fashion, and other endeavors,” Helen says. “I like that. She inspires me. Plus, she is really different, and that reminds me of me!”
Helen’s upcoming plans include showing her board of volunteers her gratitude and appreciation by presenting them with awards and thanking them in minor ways that matter. Secondly, Helen would like to become more educated on ways to resolve affordable housing issues.
“This is a hairy issue,” she says, “and I am looking at it as an adaptive learning process. Small strides. Bite-size manageable efforts!”
Another goal Helen would like to accomplish is changing the way physically and mentally challenged individuals are viewed by others.
“Our son has Down Syndrome, and yet, he is the most perfect human I know,” she remarks.
Helen is currently re-embracing her faith and as a Catholic, she may not believe in all the rules, but believes in the values the church teaches about serving the poor and loving one another.
“I am focusing on those values and asking God for forgiveness anytime I slip and fall,” Helen says.
Other goals for Helen include retiring in seven years and also writing a book about how to be a leader for non-profit organizations.
Looking back on her career, Helen loves the fact she has bettered so many people’s lives and has influenced them to believe in themselves. She recalls being a “Baldwin Buddy” (a mentor) for a young girl. During weekends, she would spend time at Helen’s house, doing activities with Helen’s children, and having experiences she may not have without the mentoring of Helen.
“Today, she is the only person in her family to graduate from high school, get a Bachelors’ degree, and get a Masters’ Degree,” Helen says, “she has given me credit for this, but I always tell her she took the step by believing in herself.”
Helen also influenced a young leader to achieve his degrees, which led him to a leadership position many years later. He ended up taking Helen to lunch to thank her for her encouragement which led him to the right path.
Other accomplishments Helen is proud of include working with an asylee from Africa recently to acquire a home for his family to join him in this upcoming summer and starting a Laundromat Program for those who do not own washers or dryers. Today, a local soup kitchen still runs this program.
Throughout her career, Helen has received many prestigious awards. However, she feels her staff also played a big role in achieving these endowments.
“Behind every award are a team of staff who have worked just as hard – maybe harder than me,”
Helen remarks, “Behind every award are members of my family who waited up late at night to see me because my work kept me out. The I is really a WE, and WE won those awards!”
Helen has worked with many non-profit organizations, and finds it more rewarding than earning money to help change people’s lives as much as they have affected hers. She also learned not to judge anyone. By working at the Baldwin Center, she learned people such as alcoholics, drug abusers, prostitutes and others who are often ridiculed by society, also have feelings, hopes and dreams just like anyone else, but had faced obstacles in life that led them down different paths. Helen will never forget speaking with a homeless man named Chief!
When she worked at the Food Bank of Oakland County, Helen was taught how to be an administrator. Even though she had made some mistakes along the way, those mistakes taught her valuable lessons that helped her turn into a powerful leader.
“I remember James, my predecessor, who taught me how to be kind and forgiving!”
Helen remarks.
Helen was taught how influential mentoring is essential at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Detroit. She had an enormous admiration of mothers who permitted their children to be paired up with a mentor, and even bonded with other leaders, some whom she still keeps in touch with today. She remembers her “little sister” Quel, and still loves her today!
She then worked at the Michigan AIDS Coalition, where she learned how an entire community can be affected by HIV/AIDS. She gained an understanding of the LGBTQ community and truly learned to respect people who have life choices that may differ from her own preferences. Helen grew to love and admire these people, and even has hired them many times to educate her staff on equality, diversity, and inclusion.
“I will forever be a better human because of Royale and others!”
Helen speaks of the members of the Michigan AIDS Coalition.
Lastly, being the president and CEO of Macomb Habitat for Humanity has been a great learning experience for Helen.
“There, I have learned that owning a home is a great way for low-income families and individuals to build wealth, ensure security, and change the future,” Helen says. “Children do better in school. Parents often return to school. People eat better, recreate more, and enjoy their lives. I remember standing on the front porch with Patrick N’golo, our legal asylee, who narrowly escaped death and landed on our front porch!”
Helen’s encounters with Chief, James, Quel, Royale, and Patrick are only five of 500 people who have helped influence her work with non-profit organizations.
She says,
“They have touched my heart and inspired me as much as I may have inspired them.”
Helen’s outlook on the rest of 2022 includes a goal of meeting three people a week professionally, and discover new ways for networking and helping one another. She would also like to additionally recruit several new donors who could help build at least 20 new homes within one year instead of eight. Helen would also like to thank all of the supporters for their encouragement, and display support for them in return. In her personal life, Helen hopes to see the health of her husband continue to improve, spend more time with grandchildren and her siblings.
“Life is short,” Helen says, “family is everything!”
Helen’s advice to those aspiring to follow their career path:
Start out working for a non-profit and learn the mission and all the roles.
Attempt to move up the ladder by always doing more and being more. Learn everything from everyone you can.
Read as many leadership books as you can. Get to know other leaders and observe their styles.
Learn to listen. Be kind. Forgive easily. Start over each day.
Embrace change. Look at every facet of the organization and seek ways to improve. Throw out ways of doing business that aren’t effective. Try new things. Never stop trying. Never stop learning!
It’s not a 9-5 job. You live it.
Be prepared to have people change how you think and feel. Be prepared to do the same for others.
Your word is your bond.
Be trustworthy.
Do, don’t say.
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Natasha Lee, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Natasha Lee, a Business Enthusiast, Thought Leader, Speaker, Influencer, Philanthropist, Editor, Educator, and serial entrepreneur, is the proud Founder & CEO of Make Your Dreams Come True (MYDCT) & Being That Girl (That Girl). Make Your Dreams Come True (mydct.net) is an internationally known outsourcing firm. Professionals, Aspiring Entrepreneurs, Innovators, Fortune 50 and 500 companies outsource their business needs to the firm, and Natasha makes sure that it gets done! There is no project too small or too big for the firm. Now in regards to Being That Girl, the agency encourages, supports, and celebrates the success of women. The collaborative partnerships stretch from the USA to the UK. It's been a tremendous experience for Natasha to serve countless business owners and organizations over the last 15 years. Wearing many hats when servicing her clients and community, she's identified as a consultant, a mentor, coach, and cheerleader, and described as a Shero by many. Natasha and her team assist individuals and organizations daily, offering services that promote self-esteem and creating companies daily from idea to conception. When executing dreams, she is the missing antidote to business success. Services include call center, procurement and fulfillment, marketing, strategy, business development, sales, technical support, design, seo, training, programming, recruitment, pr/media, and new processes and services implementation. Natasha is always on the call; though complex, it keeps her busy doing good things. Natasha Lee continues to mentor individuals of all ages, helping them build self-esteem, chance their dreams, celebrate one another and create together.
