Giving back to your community is on most people's to-do list, but it takes time, commitment and often an unflappable spirit.
Dr. Edna L. Kingsley has such determination. In 2014 she started the E.L. Kingsley Foundation to focus on assisting the whole family rather than only certain entities like youth, the elderly or singular issues like homelessness.
"I believe God and my determination keeps me on the path in using my success to help other people," she said. "We are in a community that is heavily driven by socially economically disadvantaged groups of people, and so I felt the need to put the foundation there to prevent that continuing cycle."
At local food drives, Dr. Kingsley leads a group of volunteers to package and distribute food and much needed tangible supplies like toiletries to over 500 Houston-area community members. In their aim to serve the whole family, the foundation efforts include holiday gift and food drives in December, a fall festival food drive with a costume contest, spring Easter food drive and an egg hunt as well as additional programming aimed at families like movie nights, community cleanup and youth programming.
Recently Remy Toh, an international celebrity fashion stylist, has partnered with Dr. Kingsley to donate proceeds from his spring The House of Remy Toh Trunk Show and Fall 2021 Fashion Show to further the foundation's goals.
"We are trying to get fundraising so we can build facilities to get them (families) involved in sports and activities and get them engaged and give them opportunities," shared Dr. Kingsley.
Amidst its problems and obstacles, Dr. Kingsley has found that life often is filled with bright spots. She found many "helpers" as a track and field student-athlete at Illinois State under the guidance of Head Coach Joyce Morton and the support of her teammates, classmates, and the ISU community. Her childhood included an unstable home life, homelessness and food scarcity, and unwanted sexual advances. As a young adult she faced single motherhood and in 2014 she suffered a major stroke. Yet despite the many challenges, Dr. Kingsley is determined to stay positive and make a difference.
"We as adults and as educators, we have to be careful as to what we say to kids; be it positive or negative because those words are edible, they are imbedded, they are digested. And that's why I always speak positive things to everyone," say Dr. Kingsley. "Always stay positive and keep positive energy and stay focused on the goals."
Dr. Kingsley knew even as a teenager that there was a better way of life and education was going to give her that better way. She graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Communications in 1991 and a Master of Science Degree in Communications in 1993. After working locally in the Bloomington-Normal community, she briefly moved to California before settling in Houston in 2001 and has made it her home. Dr. Kingsley remained focused to further her education and completed her Doctorate of Education in 2010 from Sam Houston State University. Dr. Kingsley remains actively involved in her community and is the Director of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) at Houston Community College. She recently was awarded her own day in the City of Houston, March 30, 2021 as Dr. Edna L. Kingsley Day, by the Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner. This honor recognizes her commitment as a mentor, advocate, and spokesperson for community needs and the efforts of her foundation.
"The services that ISU offered were outstanding. The support group, the sisterhood and brotherhood, but not only was the track team a family, but the other teams and their students were a family," shared Dr. Kingsley. "Even after 30 years plus, I am still in contact with my teammates and the men's basketball classmates. I didn't just have support from track, but from all over campus; financial aid, study tables, admissions."
The many experiences at ISU are ones Dr. Kingsley hopes to share in a documentary of her life that she has been working on during Covid. Her motivation is not to boast about her accomplishments or dwell on her past. Dr. Kingsley has a deeper motivation — one from which she believes everyone can benefit.
"I want others to know that they can do it when they think they cannot. ISU was a safe haven for me," says Dr. Kingsley. "I want others to know they can do it too."
