Lisa DeLight

Meet Lisa DeLight. And she truly IS a delight!  She is Director of Donor Relations and /Fund Development at Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity.

Q:  Tell us about yourself and what you do here in Sedona.

A: I grew up in a little town called Saratoga in Wyoming. I graduated from the University of Wyoming and majored in theater. I finished up in Gillette, where I was a speech coach and the drama director. I moved to Arizona in 2000. I am the Director of Donor Relations and Fund Development at Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity. We just built our first-ever Triplex here in Sedona. Our Verde Valley Habitat is in Cottonwood, but we service all of the Sedona-Verde Valley areas. I have also joined the Sedona Women’s group, and I’ve been working with them to get to know the area.

Q: How long have you lived or worked in Sedona?

A: I have lived here for 20 years.

Q: What is one trait that you attribute to your success?

A: I think it’s about loving people from all walks of life. I was a single mom on welfare, raising four daughters. There was this huge gap that I had to cross to become successful. I felt that if I could do it, I could lead other people to be successful.

Q: What keeps you motivated?

A: I am a storyteller. Listening to people’s stories and finding out who they are, I get to be a part of those stories, which keeps me going.

Q: Who is the most exciting person you’ve met here in Sedona?

A: Tonya June Moore. She is very personable. I even called her one time and asked if she could emcee the fundraiser we were doing at the Verde Drive-In. She was getting ready to go on vacation but said, “For you and your homeowners, I’ll leave late. I’m coming, so don’t leave without me!”

Q: What advice would you give to someone?

A: That anything you put your mind to doing, if you believe you can do it, you can do it! There’s absolutely no reason why you can’t.

Q:  What is your favorite restaurant in Sedona or the Verde Valley?

A: I don’t eat out that much because I have a particular eating plan.

Q:  What is your favorite music or band?

A: I often said that Pink is my spirit animal. I love her! She has said that she goes by the name Pink because we’re all pink on the inside. Her shows are the biggest and most glamorous concerts that I’ve ever attended. She’s just a powerhouse of a woman, and she’s unstoppable.

Q:  How did you get through last year when life in the Verde Valley changed?

A: I created my own experiences. I am an avid coffee lover. I love coffee, cold or hot, and from morning to night. I found some books on Instagram, and I brought one here today, “Untamed” by Glennon Doyle. It’s one of those life-changing books.

Q: What kind of coffee do you drink?

A: My favorite coffee is an Americano with sugar-free hazelnut or cinnamon dolce and cream. I can spend all day in a coffee shop. When I was working for myself, I would take my computer and do work at the coffee shops to smell the coffee.

Q:  What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?

A: That’s a hard one because I can be very transparent. I’m a hope lifter. Hope lifters are people who go through things to help others who may be going through similar circumstances. That’s like my secret-hidden specialty. I don’t believe that there is anything without a purpose.

Q: Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?

A: I have four wonderful daughters, and I have 11 amazing grandkids under the age of 8. My daughter is a foster to adopt mom. She had three biological children and had two fosters that we adopted. In five years from now, I will be creating adventures for those little people. My grandkids call me “Yaya,” and my license plate says, “Groovy Yaya!”

Q:  Is there anything that I haven’t asked you that you want us to know?

A: My life mantra is not to settle for anything less than something magnificent. I wish I could teach everyone how to be unstoppable and find beauty in everyday life.

From the interview with Jonelle Klein,.

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