July 18 always gives me reason to pause.
Today I remember the incorporation of a visionary idea that became the Greater Ocala Community Development Corporation (GOCDC).
Long before I became an employee, I was a young female board member who simply said yes—yes to the work, the vision, and yes to believing our community deserved greater opportunity.
It was a season filled with faith, friendship, long planning meetings, and people who believed that working together could make a difference.
Today, I remember with gratitude the late Jimmi Griffin, whose vision inspired so many of us, the late Ossie Richardson, whose leadership carried that vision forward, along with the passion of Whitfield Jenkins, Don Powell, J.B. Browning,
I remember Janet Griffin, who wrote this article, and our financial partners like Jim Anthony, Jim McGuire, Barbara Trow, Austin Long (pictured), city officials, and others whose lives became part of GOCDC’s origin story. I’m also thankful for NYT journalist Harriet Daniels, who covered our progress in the early years.
What began as an idea became an organization that helped expand access to capital for entrepreneurs, encouraged investment in underserved neighborhoods, and created opportunities and homes for families who simply needed someone to believe in them.
Of all the memories from those years, one has stayed with me more than any other, and I have quite a few.
It was a newspaper headline that read “A Dream Come True.”
It told the story of a single mom purchasing her first home through GOCDC’s homeownership program. I still remember her excitement. And Mary Jacob. She was already an entrepreneur but we were able to help her expand her services to the larger community.
That article reminded me that GOCDC’s work was never really about meetings or paperwork. It was about people, hope, and believing that a community’s future could be fundamentally better.
Looking back, I am pleased to be a part of a community’s success, but I don’t dwell there—I give thanks.
Those experiences taught me how vision becomes reality, how partnerships transform communities, and how God often prepares us through one calling for the next.
There’s a saying that reminds us:
“When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near.”
So today I honor the memories with gratitude…
…but I have greater expectation for what is still to come.✨
Because I know God’s best is never behind us when we’re still willing to follow Him.
📖 “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal…” — Philippians 3:13–14
Note: I thank everyone who was part of that early journey. You helped shape my life in ways you may never know. I’ll always be grateful for where we’ve been together—and even more excited about where God is leading next.
The best is yet to come.
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