It Started With an Idea: Mary’s Story

I first met Mary and Patty together while they were visiting in Hawai'i and happened to stumble upon the very small art fair I happened to be sharing my artwork at that day. I had no idea that my life would be forever changed but I do think I felt magic in the air. I remember feeling really warm inside and lit up with that feeling of childhood delight, where you are so sure that the world is good, you're untouchable. 

While Patty and I stayed in very close contact through many projects and a blossoming friendship, I didn't have the chance to reconnect with Mary until we were in Uganda together last summer. She was instantly smiling, loving, and ready to share. She has been such a huge part of Empower and Shine, even before it was Empower and Shine, and before I was lucky enough to know her and Patty. I feel honored to be able to now share a snippet of Mary's story. 

Mary didn’t set out to build a library. She just wanted to ask a question.

In 2018, Mary joined Patty in Uganda, where she was going to be touring Shalom, the school Patty and Steve had been helping build, for the very first time. Before they even made it to the school, over breakfast at the Protea Hotel in Uganda, she sat across from Justine, the passionate teacher and leader of Shalom School, and asked, “Do the children need books to read?”

That question planted a seed.

Mary had always loved libraries. From a young age, they had been her safe space, her spark, her doorway into new worlds. Back home in Washington, libraries were everywhere, and she realized for the first time what a privilege that was. It struck her that the children at Shalom School didn’t have that same access. So Mary had an idea.

She returned home, unpacked her bags, and told her husband, Steve, “I want to build a library at Shalom School. I have no idea how. But I’m going to do it.”

With her heart set, Mary reached out to Siwi, Justine's husband and a leader at the school. He responded immediately, and after many conversations and lots of dreaming, Mary and Steve made the decision that they would be funding the building with savings. Her love for kids and reading kept them both focused despite obstacles that may have scared many of us away. 

Through photos and updates from Uganda, she watched the foundation get laid and the walls go up. And a couple of years later, she returned to see it with her own eyes. She stood at the entrance of the new library, surrounded by joyful students, and helped cut the ribbon. Then she planted a tree in front of the building as a symbol of growth and possibility. That moment lives on, not just in Mary’s heart, but in a photo she keeps framed on her desk. A reminder that big change often begins with a small question and the courage to say yes to an idea. 

Because Mary said "yes," the children at Shalom School now have access to a library filled with stories, knowledge, and wonder. They can dream even bigger. A world of books is a world of knowledge, wonder, compassion, and growth. Books are an art form that perhaps changes more lives than any other. This isn't a story that Mary shares often, despite it being one that changed her life and that of those around her that were able to be apart of the story and help build the library. When I asked Mary if she had seen the magic return to her she said "when we give to others with our love, it fills the world with love, which comes back to us."