Profile - Willie Lightfoot

The following profile of Willie Lightfoot, an active member of our Board of Directors, is taken from the Monroe County Legislature website:

Legislator Willie Joe Lightfoot represents the 27th District, which includes Rochester’s 19th Ward neighborhood, the Greater Rochester International Airport, and Genesee Valley Park. Willie was appointed to the Monroe County Legislator in 2006. He is the son of the late Honorable Willie Walker Lightfoot who was the 25th District County Legislator for over 20 years. Willie currently is the ranking Democrat on the Public Safety Committee and also serves on the Human Services Committee.

A lifelong resident of the City of Rochester, Willie often refers to himself as “Home Grown”. Willie has had a long history of civic service. He is a 12-year Veteran of the United States Air force. He has served in two wars, Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom. Willie also currently works for the City of Rochester Fire Department. He holds the position of Fireman at Engine 7, which is located in his Legislative District. Willie is a Peer Reviewer for the Federal Government and reads and evaluates Federal Grants written all over the United States. Willie is a 2005 graduate of the African American Leadership Development Program and is a Center for Dispute Settlement Board Member. Willie has numerous community awards and recognitions.

Willie is the owner of a Real Estate Investment company called OHAD, LLC. He is the developer of a 4500 square foot mixed-use building called LIGHTFOOT SQUARE. Willie is also a NYS licensed Barber and a NYS Barber Examiner. He owns and operates his own Unisex shop called New Creations Unisex shop. Willie is an Ordained Minister and works with the youth at his church the Greater Adams Street Church of God By Faith. He has two Associates one from Monroe Community College for Business Administration and the other from the Community College of the Air Force for Fire Science. He also has a Bachelor Degree from Empire State College.

He is married to wife Verdina and has two children, daughter Precious and son Willie Joe Jr.

We are privileged to have Willie on our Board and living in our neighborhood with his family.

Willie in "about...time"

In the most recent issue of "about...time" magazine, our very own Willie Lightfoot was featured in a delightful cover article about his role in the community as a barber at New Creations Unisex Barbershop. He is quoted:

"New Creations is tailored after the expression that when you come into Christ you are a new creature: old things are passed away ~ behold all things are created new," explains Lightfoot. "We are a Christian shop. Anybody should be able to walk in here and get respect and feel comfortable. Our shop is always clean. We really believe in maintaining a positive atmosphere for the family. The sign in our shop that says 'No negativity allowed,' is taken from our understanding of Philippians 4:13. that we can do positive work through our faith in Christ."

Click here to download and read the entire article in PDF format.

Jessica Speares Joins Staff

Please join us in welcoming Jessica Speares to our staff as a full-time youth worker under the auspices of the Rochester Youth Year (RYY) program. After developing Rochester Youth Outreach (RYO) this year with Greg Lewis and a team of volunteers from Roberts Wesleyan College and Elim Bible Institute, Jessica applied for the opportunity to serve with RYY this spring and received one of the 3 awards offered to area college students. She'll be spending her summer lining up next fall's team for an expanded RYO program, working with Sandi Clawson and Embracing Options developing a screening outreach for sexually transmitted illness (STI), and preparing a presentation at City Hall as part of RYY's summer Urban Fellows Program.

Last summer Jessica conducted a neighborhood health care survey that identified youth ministry as a primary need in our community. Further evaluation of health care statistics has revealed that youth STI and abortion rates are among the nation's highest in Rochester's inner-city communities.

After completing her work with His Branches next year, Jessica is planning to go on to become a Physicians Assistant with the goal of working as a missionary in underserved communities.