Shawn Smith pushes youths to reach their potential

  • The Herald Business Journal
  • Wednesday, April 13, 2016 12:19pm
  • BusinessEverett

On April 21, The Herald Business Journal will announce the 2016 recipient of the Emerging Leaders Award. This week and next, we are profiling 12 finalists, who were chosen by a panel of judges from among dozens of nominees.

Someone saw something in Shawn Smith that he didn’t see himself.

He had dropped out of high school and college seemed like an impossibility.

At 18, Smith met a teacher for Portland Public Schools and a youth leader at St. John’s Christian Church. She talked him into getting a GED and later helped him enroll in college.

“This is what I want for the kids I have the privilege of working with daily,” Smith writes in his nomination form. “I want them to see what I see in them and push their personal limits and personal expectations.”

He’s had opportunity to accomplish this both with his volunteer work in the community and his job as a youth and community pastor with New Hope Christian Church in Everett.

As a volunteer, Smith spends most of his time working at Voyager Middle School or Olivia Park Elementary School in the Mukilteo School District. He’s helped with the Homework Club at the elementary school, providing a safe environment for children to learn.

He’s also worked on the Kid’s Night Out/Parent’s Night Off event, the first of which occurred at his church in December and attracted 50 kids.

This year, he’s helping with a volunteer project called Lighthouse that will be provide clothing, food, and hygiene products free of cost for students and families. Counselors will help them pick those in need. He’s also been involved with two separate backpack drives, helping get kids school supplies and food over weekends.

Smith also regularly volunteers with the Casino Road Kids Ministry.As a youth pastor, Smith meets with high school and middle school kids offering them a safe place to talk about their pain, frustration and often anger.

One of his favorite volunteer activities is serving as the lunch supervisor at Voyager Middle School every Thursday.

“I love this time as it allows me to have intentional conversations with students that often don’t feel very comfortable talking to adults,” Smith writes. “Through this time I have been able to share advice, mentor, and show students that I care about them. Every week I meet someone new, every week I hear a new story, every week I get the opportunity to speak into the lives of these awesome kids.”

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