Lexington, KY - In addition to having a thriving business on Nicholasville Road, Debra Hensley still finds time for community. Her commitment extends from serving on numerous boards and commissions to serving on the City Council from 1986-1992. She's often given credit for starting the Hope House, but she hastens to add that she alone could get nothing done: "It takes a village, a community to bring any large project to fruition. Dozens were instrumental in taking the Hope Center to the first stage and many others have made it even better."
When former Mayor Scotty Baesler asked her to chair the Task Force on Homelessness, Hensley agreed and says she gained enormous insight and experience by working with multiple constituencies and individuals toward a common goal. For this work, she received the NCCJ Humanitarian Award, now called the Lauren K. Weinberg Humanitarian Award.
Hensley also has taken time to have fun and go on stage, starring in a handful of theatrical productions, including the lead role in "The Vagina Monologues," which performed to a sold-out crowd at the Singletary Center. She jokes that she got her start in theatre by serving on the city council.
One of Hensley's newer projects is Debra's Social Stimulus, focusing on food, friends, neighborhoods and good conversation. Each event is held in a different location and brings attention to the neighborhoods, local businesses and people living in each area giving participants a chance to see people and parts of the city they might otherwise never experience
Today, her heart and much of her time are invested in a long-term project called the Plantory, which she hopes will become a multi-tenant non-profit center addressing the community's needs and social mission. The Plantory will be an incubator of sorts, housing several service organizations, thus lowering administrative costs, improving communication, and strengthening common outreach missions. Hensley and others envision the Plantory as containing 20,000 square feet of residential, retail and office space, as well as a public market, community garden and green space.
Again, Hensley emphasizes that nothing happens without the support of those who believe in the project.
"We need more good people who can make this happen and especially people who understand complex finances," she said. "We believe we can make it happen in phases over the next few years. It's exciting!"