“What I love about Sharing Prince George’s is that they are humans in service of humans,” Keisha Hawkins shared when I asked her about her Sharing Prince George’s experience.
“I think sometimes in life, we lose sight of our humanity,” she added. “Sharing Prince George’s helped me see the beauty and humanity in my community.”
As long-time residents of Prince George’s County, Keisha and David Hawkins joined Sharing Prince George’s in 2022 – bringing with them a tremendous amount of energy and experience in community engagement.
“I am the Community, He’s the Foundation,” Keisha said when describing the couple’s approach to giving back. “I’m passionate about getting my feet on the ground and getting involved in the logistics of community work in action. He is great at the critical, work behind-the-scenes like networking and connecting people.”
David and Keisha met while studying at Howard University. Early on in their relationship, the couple enjoyed making time to get involved in community through volunteer work with organizations like the Red Cross and Capital Area Food Bank, while pursuing their respective careers – David in Banking Investments and Keisha in project management. Both have enjoyed finding ways to leverage those careers to give back to the community they love.
David provides monthly workshops with Medicare to educate people on how to manage their finances and achieve their financial goals, while Keisha is heavily involved with Meadows House Foundation – an organization that teaches aviation to youth through youth empowerment, workforce development, and STEM trainings in College Park. Both share a passion for helping others obtain valuable experiences and perspective beyond their current circumstances– helping them broaden their horizons and access their fullest and brightest potential for their future.
“It bothers us that people are forced into environments and situations where they don’t have the resources to change their circumstances,” the couple shared. “We believe it’s important to step up and be the change we want to see in our community.”
The couple was first introduced to The Community Foundation in 2016 through David’s colleague, Virginia Chueng -- a Trustee on The Community Foundation’s Board of Directors and a former member of the advisory board for The Community Foundation in Montgomery County.
At the time, David was working in Montgomery County and was often asked to attend events for nonprofits doing work in the area, including events for The Community Foundation. However, when he was invited to join Sharing Montgomery in 2019, he quickly realized that the initiative was a whole different story.
“I’d never seen this level of organization and collaboration in grantmaking,” David shared. “I was introduced to so many great organizations through the Sharing initiative that were doing incredible work in the community. It really made me want to be more involved.”
Over time, David realized that what he really wanted was to give back in the community where he and his family live – in Prince George’s County.
“Neither of the banks I work for have a presence in Prince George’s County,” David explained. “So I don’t get as many chances to learn about the people who are doing the work in my own backyard.”
So when David had an opportunity to join Sharing Prince George’s a few years later, he was excited to bring Keisha in on the action. Now in their second year on Sharing Prince George’s, the couple say they have thoroughly enjoyed being able to use their knowledge gained through Sharing Prince George’s to benefit their community.”
“We love contributing to these local organizations, however we can,” David shared. “Just knowing about the work that they do helps us to strengthen our community.”
In addition to making monetary and in-kind donations, David and Keisha have also referred friends and family members to some of the nonprofit partners – allowing them to access much needed services that they otherwise might not have known about.
“Sharing Prince George’s helped me to understand the larger scale impact of philanthropic work through a community lens,” Keisha shared. “It allowed me to interact with people from across my community, coming together to give back to the community they live in.”
“I believe in the ‘community’ part of the ‘The Community Foundation’,” she continued. “Sharing Prince George’s allowed me to see that in action.”
Keisha recently joined the advisory board for The Community Foundation in Prince George’s County, where she says she’s excited to be a force for change and an advocate for change in her community – in addition to continuing her involvement in Sharing Prince George’s with David and many of her fellow advisory board members.
“If you live in Prince George’s County and want to see improvements in your community – this is the organization to be a part of.”
Want to get involved? The Sharing Prince George’s Fund Committee welcomes new members! Contact Eliza Tolbert-Howard ([email protected]) to find out more about how you can be a part of this impactful fund!