I get asked all the time why I decided to start a non-profit.  This picture

right here is my why, these three humans.  I want to raise my kids with

a giving heart and together with my family, I want to help others. 

 

I am a mother of three, which is by far the most rewarding and most

exhausting job in the world.  My oldest son, Carter, is 7, in first grade

and loves all sports.  I also have 4-year-old twins, Greyson and Harper. 

Greyson loves my little ponies, superheros and his tablet. Harper loves

all things puppies.  My husband Jeremiah and I married in 2009 and

have planted our Hoosier and Buckeye roots in Clearwater, FL. 

Jeremiah is on the board of Lotz of Blessings, but he does so much

more behind the scenes.  He is the best spouse a person could ask for

and is 100% supportive of me and my crazy ideas.  He has an MBA from

Franklin University and currently works for PSCU as the VP of Product.  Fun fact: He came up with our organization’s name!  I’d love to take the credit from him because it’s so perfect, but I can’t.

 

But, before all that, I moved from Indiana to Florida in 2003 to study nursing. I received my LPN license in 2007 and my Registered Nurse license from St. Petersburg College in 2010.

 

In 2014, after a few years as a dialysis nurse, I decided to stay home with our kids. I had just had the twins and my oldest was headed to preschool.  Around that time, when Carter was about 4, I started looking at places to have him go volunteer with me.  I wanted to show him that he needed to be the “good” and I wanted to use my time and resources to help others.   We have built a family on strong faith and love and we have received many blessings, it’s in our hearts to pass those blessings on and show our kids how to do the same.  I investigated and didn’t find many local options where families with young kids could volunteer together, but I found many needs, many families that needed help.  As a result, we started doing small projects on our own, but we knew we wanted to do more and to ensure our kids had the opportunities to understand and respond to needs and make a difference where they could, yet we hadn’t made any bold moves. 

 

In July 2018 I went to my first Thirty-One conference in Columbus, Ohio.  I was in my first year as a consultant and had heard that this conference was more about you than selling a bag, that it was more personal and even life changing.  It turns out those descriptions were exactly right.  I sat in the stadium and listened to a woman who had received the “Gives Award” and I knew right then, that’s exactly why God had put me in this place.  I needed to do more, I needed to make that bold move.  If I wanted to see better things in this world, and for my kids to experience better things in this world, I needed to do more. 

 

I immediately started talking to people about my ideas.  First, it was my friend and weekend roommate that had to participate in brainstorming my idea, then I came home and told my husband.  They were both all in, and Jeremiah said if I was going to do it, I needed to do it 150%.  So I started researching, he started researching and we continued to share our ideas with friends and family.  And sure enough, in a leap of faith, we jumped in feet first with a network of supporters, believers and change makers.

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Our mission is to inspire families to work together to help others within our communities.  My dream is to create a network of families that work together for years to come to bless thousands of families when they need it the most, in selfless acts of love and giving.  As we begin, our program is project based, and throughout the year we will partner with different organizations and other charities to help where needed.  We will find both short-term and long-term initiatives to engage in and focus our efforts on ensuring that families with kids of all ages can actively participate.

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We thank you and all of our amazing friends for the support, encouragement and partnership to make a difference and help others.

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Heather Lotz

President, Lotz of Blessings

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originally posted - 2018