Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer McNeal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Jennifer thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
I never knew my mother Denise Marie Turner. I am the youngest and last of her children and I was a preachers kid as she and my dad were pastor and co pastor of Liberty Temple Full Gospel Church. Growing up I heard many stories about her from my church family and my siblings who sometimes recalled how she was as a mom. My siblings would often tell me I resembled her in the way she was in her character and so I turned my pain into purpose when I came up with the name of Denise’s Home. I wanted something that could just be mine that I had of her like my siblings so I created Denise’s Home so other young people could feel the love, encouragement and support my mother gave to others in their time of need. We are dedicated to providing foster care young adults aged 13-21 with a supportive and empowering home. Our mission is to help these young adults find a sense of belonging and purpose by providing them with the resources and tools they need to succeed in life.
What got me most excited is that I didn’t see it anywhere else and I wanted young people who are in foster care who most often fall through the cracks to have a place that they can be loved and grow into who GOD made then to be. Seeing who they will become is what keeps me motivated. I know Denise’s Home would work because my kids will be the ones to gain everything. I just want to help be the bridge that will get them there.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Jennifer McNeal and I am the youngest of 9 children 7 from my mom. I have always loved nonprofit work and knew at a young age of seven that was where I wanted to leave my mark. My parents started Liberty Temple Full Gospel Church and World Outreach Ministries over 41 years ago and I fell in love with nonprofit work and made it my passion to pursue. After watching tv programs such as Feed The Children, WorldVision and Samaritans Purse I wanted to help young people with their learning and so Denise’s Home was birthed out of how I wish I was learning when I was young. Denise’s Home provides young people with mentors in their field of study so that they can learn what they want to study and not the other way around. They will learn first hand with a mentor in their field who have made the mistakes and have the full knowledge of what it takes to succeed in that field of study. The problem I solve for my clients are that they will not waste time but will gain their time back to live and pursue their God given gifts in their area of interest.
What I think sets me apart from others is my perseverance and determination to make sure that young people who are in foster care continue to have a seat at the table and they are just as loved and valued as anyone else.
What I am most proud of is my story and how Jesus is shaping it for His glory alone. I am proud that I didn’t quit and persevered through life’s challenges and valleys and what I want anyone to know about me is that what you see is who I am and I pray that as I live out my authentic self I give others permission to do the same.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
When my Father Apostle Clifford E Turner passed away in 2018 I had already dealt with suicide ideations a few years ago and so when he passed I spiraled really bad and I felt like there was no point to go on living at that time. I was midway through my bachelors degree and when he passed I felt the whole world had stopped spinning. I cried for months and had to turn off social media for a few months because his face was everywhere. I went through 2 1/2 years of therapy and I dedicated my bachelors degree to him because I know he would have been proud of me.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn was that I was not good enough. The backstory of that statement derived from my childhood wanting to be like my siblings and not me. Who I was as Jennifer was that I am loving, caring and thoughtful of others which is not a bad thing but when it came to grades and school I didn’t measure up even though I tried so hard to be at the top like my siblings mostly like my sister Victoria. I loved the way she was always a straight A student and I admired and wanted to be her for so long because when she arrived she made it look easy. I learned every thing she did all her methods of studying and taking notes but I still never measured up and so it lead to a dark depression and wanting to be her instead of myself. So fast forward at the age of 28 I was still believing this misconception that i wasn’t good enough because I didn’t make straight A’s like her. I had an important conversation with my sister that day and she helped me reevaluate why was I trying to be her when I was already being validated as myself. She surprised me as she told me she admired and looked up to me as someone who went through her bachelors in the midst of a pandemic, took a semester off and still came back and finished her degree before the age of 30. I had to learn to give myself credit and be proud of Jennifer at that moment.
Contact Info:
- Website: Denise’sHome.org
- Instagram: Jenmcneal0603
- Facebook: Jennifer McNeal
- Linkedin: Jennifer McNeal