A capital campaign, renovation, two fires and a global pandemic — any of these stressful situations could be too much for one leader to manage. But thanks to her vision, support system and loyal team, GRACE Grapevine CEO Shonda Schaefer has continued to focus on moving the nonprofit forward, leaving a lasting impact along the way.
Over her tenure, Shonda has dedicated herself to GRACE’s mission, to provide vital necessities to people struggling due to limited income or have undergone recent emergencies. Whether you’ve seen her present at a black-tie event or hand out food to local children, to know Shonda is to know GRACE. And her empathy and passion ensure her work has a ripple effect throughout the community at large.
FINDING GRACE
While Shonda has created a family of supporters in Northeast Tarrant County, she was born in the Midwest. After growing up in central Iowa and meeting her husband Paul at Iowa State University, the couple moved to Texas to pursue their respective careers. With an education degree in hand, Shonda quickly gravitated toward the nonprofit sector, taking a client services position with the World Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA).
While working for other area 501(c)(3)s, Shonda was elected to GRACE’s Board of Directors in 2003. And when the agency’s founder retired in 2006, Shonda stepped into the role of executive director. In her first few years, Shonda says GRACE had a budget of $750,000, a fraction of its current $4.7 million budget.
“Back then, we were reusing garbage bags,” Shonda says while laughing. “It does give you a little room to work on bigger issues.”
GRACE has experienced astronomical growth over the past 14 years.
“Under Shonda’s leadership, the value of resources dedicated to families in need has increased by 66% and is valued at over $3.6 million,” GRACE Director of Programs Stacy Pacholick says.
For the past 10 years, GRACE has served between 4,000 and 5,000 individuals each fiscal year. But during its last cycle, GRACE served more than 11,000 individuals, with the dramatic increase due to COVID’s impact. These individuals benefit from a series of programming categories: client services, transitional housing, seasonal programs, a senior program, the GRACE Pantry and the GRACE Community Health Clinic.
Each of those facets has seen growth thanks to Shonda. Stacy recalls the GRACE Community Clinic’s humble beginnings, taking place one night per week in the basement of a church.
That same clinic now serves more than 900 patients at GRACE’s headquarters on Walnut Street in Grapevine.
Feed Our Kids, a grassroots effort to support children during the summer, has expanded to six different sites, serving more than 32,000 meals to children this past year alone. The mobile pantry served more than 6,000 individuals this summer with fresh produce and perishable food, while the food pantry itself transitioned from a pre-bagged service to a self-select process, giving families autonomy over their food. And Friends & Family, which caters to seniors and individuals with disabilities, originated under her leadership.
Shonda is quick to credit that growth to community support, the GRACE Board of Directors and her staff.
“If you look at our growth spurts, it’s when we’ve had the right people doing things they love, making us unstoppable,” Shonda says.
But those same team members know without Shonda’s commitment, GRACE would not be where it is today.
“Shonda is a leader; she’s very much a visionary,” Texas Health Southlake President and GRACE Board of Directors President Traci Bernard says. “She’s constantly looking where to take the organization, new ways to inspire and motivate her team. Everyone surrounding her, from her support system at home to the board to the team, would do anything for Shonda. That’s the sign of a good leader: when people want to follow you, and people want to help.”
LEADING WITH GRACE
Good leaders delegate tasks to different teams. Great leaders empower others by showing a willingness to put in the work.
“Not every leader at her level takes the time, or would want to take the time, to do more. But she’s hands on,” Grapevine City Council Place 6 and past board member Duff O’Dell says. “When the fire happened, she was the first one there. When we were building the playgrounds, she got down and dirty with all of us. She doesn’t ask anyone to do anything she wouldn’t do herself.”
GRACE’s Director of Administration and Shonda’s Executive Assistant Melissa Simpkins says she earns respect from her team by radiating eagerness with each task put in front of her.
“I think of her as a servant leader,” Melissa says. “I’ve seen her scraping ice on sidewalks getting ready for Christmas Cottage. We’ve all worked at the donation station on New Year’s Eve. She serves alongside us.”
By engaging with her team and pouring her heart into them, Shonda knows she’s inspiring those around her to go out and execute more than she could alone.
While that inspiration often presents itself in work, it also comes through the information Shonda shares. Shonda ensures the entire GRACE team knows what’s happening in each department and can witness the good its services are doing. A silver lining of GRACE’s transitional housing home blessings being converted to Zoom calls means more team members can watch these families celebrate their first homes.
“I don’t care if you are a warehouse guy or a board member, you have to see that every now and then,” Shonda says.
While COVID forced GRACE to make changes, like transitioning its annual gala to a virtual event, Shonda has taken every hurdle in stride.
“She will make [the GRACE Gala] successful, and she will make it fun, because that’s what she does,” Board of Directors Community Representatives and GRACE Community Clinic volunteer Dr. Sara Suttle says.
Shonda does enjoy sharing that fun with others, but she also takes it in when others are hurting. She balances empathy with her analytical skills to keep the bigger picture in mind, which helps steer GRACE in the right direction during challenging moments.
“We have had some really tough times,” Melissa shares. “She feels the pain of the events or the hardship, but she immediately switches into leader mode. She’s good at trying to think above the emotion and think about what we need to do so we can come out of this ahead and take care of who we need to.”
GRACE has expanded its services throughout 2020, even while other nonprofits have had to cut back or shutter their doors.
“The most heartbreaking thing is not all nonprofits are going to survive it,” Shonda shares. “Half of [the usual nonprofits we partner with] are not doing Christmas this year. They just don’t have the staff or funds. The need has gone up, and the resources have gone down. We didn’t miss a beat. We are blessed that our board has spent the last several years putting a little rainy day money away, but no one would have thought we’d have this long of a catastrophe.”
Traci has seen Shonda overcome adversity, even before 2020 struck. When GRACE experienced a fire following its new building renovation, Shonda immediately had the capacity to think methodically about how GRACE would overcome. And the board and staff were standing ready, awaiting word on how they could assist her.
“Even if it’s abstract and unknown, you need to have people who aren’t afraid to follow you,” Traci says.
Dr. Suttle says it was easy to follow Shonda’s leadership, especially when it was trailblazing the CDC during a medical crisis.
“She was a step ahead of the CDC recommendations,” says Dr. Suttle. “When they came out with questionnaires and temperature checks, we were already doing that. Anything they put into effect, we were already doing that. She was on the cutting edge of staying on top of that and keeping the community safe. She has the foresight to make decisions that are going to protect the people who utilize GRACE.”
RIPPLING OUT GRACE
While Shonda’s circle believes she doesn’t sleep because she seems to be everywhere, Shonda says that’s only possible because of her team, busy at work creating a ripple effect of her stewardship.
“I’m a caretaker of the caretakers,” Shonda says.
Shonda sets up her team for success by providing them with resources and educational opportunities. But she also embraces their differences, which she says is the key to GRACE’s achievements.
“If you have a 70-person staff made up of Shondas, that would be a disaster,” Shonda says. “I work better with people who have different looks at things. I get so much energy from our team.”
That same sentiment carries over to her board.
“Our board is made up of some of the most powerful people in Northeast Tarrant County. While every single opinion needs to be heard and there needs to be a discussion, when we walk out of a meeting, we are one unit,” Shonda says. “We are all on the same side of the fence.”
That trust in her board ensures they trust her, even when they know how much her position entails. And they are eager to put in the long hours when they see her commitment, grace and leadership.
“It’s a lot for one person, but she does it so seamlessly,” Dr. Suttle says. “She’s never without a smile, never without an encouraging word. She’s the light of GRACE in every way.”
Once you see that light, it’s easy to get hooked on Shonda’s energy.
“The passion she feels for GRACE, there’s a way she is able to express that where it captures you,” Melissa says. “She has a knack for engaging people and sharing her passion.”
Not only does Shonda share that passion with the public but also she shares it with her team, creating knowledgeable GRACE representatives who will make their own impressions on the community.
“She says everyone who works for GRACE works for the development department,” Stacy says. “Because I may be the only person a person knows who’s affiliated with GRACE, so everyone has to understand fully what we do.”
Some may think that no one can be that gracious or personable organically, but those lucky enough to have her in their corner know that once you meet Shonda, you know her heart.
“She’s a person you want to be friends with,” Traci says. “Who you see is who she is.”
Her character and determination have been recognized through a number of awards, like Grapevine Citizen of the Year, Grapevine Chamber Member of the Year, Legacy of Women Award and the Congressional Leadership Award. Now, we are proud to add another honor to the ranks: Shonda is the recipient of Southlake Style’s 2020 Brian R. Stebbins Award For Community Impact.