We recently connected with Mike Conaway and have shared our conversation below.

Mike, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

I learned that weak leadership leads to dysfunction and chaos. Was part of a staff that had oversight of a board who made really poor decisions. Those poor decision lead to a tremendous financial burden being put on organization. Board thought bringing in new leaders would fix problem (even though problem was the board) and all leaders failed.

One leader was so set on changing things he comes in and begins to make massive staff changes, leaving himself exposed showing his weak leadership. 18 months later, after letting three key staff leaders go, he too gets fired by the board that thought he was a great leader.

Leadership is everything to an organization. You don’t have to be perfect, you need to be consistent. In his book, 15 Laws of Invaluable Growth, John Maxwell stresses the idea that in order to make significant change, consistency has to be one of the main ingredients. He concluded that “Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing.”

Mike, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My bio: Take a servant’s heart, an innate talent for organization and the energy to make things happen. The result is Peachtree City, GA, charity executive Mike Conaway. Mike spent 20 years in the corrugated industry in the U.S. and Central America, first as an engineer, then in sales and finally, as a business owner. The leadership skills he gained through sales and business were put to greater use when he became an ordained minister and coordinated a Peachtree City congregation’s outreach programs that included a “car care” that performed basic automotive services for needy individuals with many donated materials recruited by him. Another program provided after-school backpacks filled with food and necessities program to children of working or absent parents.
Conaway’s community outreach led to a 501c3 nonprofit community health service, Healing Bridge Clinic, that provides healthcare to the underserved communities of central Georgia. First recruited to the board of directors, he became full time executive director in 2018. Since taking leadership of the HBC the value of medical care provided to the community has increased from $241,400 in 2017 to $1,200,000 in 2020. Tirelessly championing the cause, Conaway led the organization through the 2020 pandemic shutdown while sustaining needed funding and increasing the impact made on the local community. Not hesitating to join forces with other financially stretched charitable organizations, he co-founded the Fore Our Community Charity Golf Classic – a partnership between two nonprofits serving the same community, coming together to raise money for both. Proving his creativity and flexibility, the Healing Bridge Clinic transformed its annual fundraising dinner to a virtual event that saved expenses while generating substantial monies for the organization. Additionally, the HBC’s services continued to expand while the pandemic provided a pause that allowed more creative administration of free medical services.
Mike Conaway believes that independent charitable institutions can serve communities as well or better than bureaucracies with appropriate support; that a helping hand at an appropriate time in an individual’s life can lead them to greater control of their future and perhaps, to financial independence and an opportunity to pay it forward to others.
Mike Conaway has been married for 38 years to wife Shirley and has one adult son, Shawn. He as an A.S. degree in industrial technologies from Vincennes University.

Healing Bridge Clinic – Our mission is to care for the residents of Fayette and surrounding counties by providing free health care to those who would otherwise be unable to afford these medical services. We serve the underserved population, those who live at or below 200% poverty level. Our services are offered to many who work in fast-food or other service industries but are not paid a reasonable wage. Our team of volunteer providers give of their time to provide the care these people need. Services cover general medicine, chronic care (diabetes, high blood pressure) Orthopedic, Cardiology, Dermatology, Chiropractic, Women’s wellness, Behavioral Health and Addiction Counseling. We also offer dental and vision on a limited basis. We care about the overall health of a patient. How are they doing physically, emotionally, spiritually how can we help them with their next step to health? We are here for them and do what we can to help them take a step toward a better life.

Our team of over 75 volunteers see that we can open our doors 10-12 times per month to serve as many as we can. We love this community and seek to provide resources to anyone in need.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

It wasn’t long into taking leadership of this nonprofit in January 2018 that I realized how financial fragile we were. Focusing on raising awareness and increasing support we worked hard to get grants and other funding to grow. As growth began, the COVID pandemic shuts down the economy, forcing many volunteers to stop serving, and drying up our stream of promised funding. We shifted our model and began serving through telehealth to continue the care that was needed. This change, while difficult for us, we didn’t have the best internet services or the equipment needed for telehealth, was a huge success and what we saw next was astonishing.

This shift of service opened up new streams of funding, allowed us to evaluate our staff, add new or replace those unable to continue serving with us and we survived! Today, while we still offer some telehealth, we are back to “hands on” care, open more days/month than ever before, growing our staff, and patient base.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Leading a nonprofit one needs to be well connected to the community and know who they can count on. Having relationships in all forms of local government, businesses, and churches is vital to a nonprofits success. While leadership is demanding and requires many hours of work on a weekly basis, it is also important to spend time in the community meeting others and networking. Share your story! The more you tell, the more others will know of your work. It is amazing, not matter what the mission of a nonprofit, if the story is told accurately, compellingly, the community will support you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.healingbridgeclinic.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healingbridgeclinic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healingbridgeclinic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzp8ECxFtnMKVPc5wD9rcUw