Meet Jody Luke | Wife, Mom & Non Profit Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jody Luke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jody, how do you think about risk?
I’ve never been a huge risk taker in the ways most people think of the term. I’ve never gone skydiving. I avoid running trails off the beaten path and I don’t eat salads in most of the foreign countries where our non-profit has schools and resource centers. That said, taking risks with my time and energy in the face of uncertain outcomes, especially when propelled by deep conviction, has always proven worth-while. I’ve always championed kids both personally and professionally if it was an ocean away or in my own backyard. After watching kids struggle especially with their mental health, I started a parent committee to recreate events including prom for high school seniors at my daughter’s school during the covid shutdown. Risking criticism and scrutiny for things you believe in will always be worth it. As I write this, the organization I lead, Love Does, is in the midst of our most ambitious project yet. We are building a university and adjacent giraffe sanctuary in Northern Uganda. I believe with all my heart our project will succeed, but the amount of funding, time, and energy it will take to cross the finish line makes this anything but a slam dunk. I’ve heard it said the purpose of life isn’t to arrive safely at the end of it. This means taking risks with your time, talents, relationships, and hard-earned dollars. You don’t have to bungee jump off a bridge to be a risk taker, but you can say yes to some uphill climbs and feel confident the journey will be worth it, even if you don’t make it to the top.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am a CPA and CFO turned non profit Executive Director for Love Does, an organization founded by Bob Goff over 20 years ago, who wrote the best selling book with the same title. Love Does cares for the vulnerable, fights for human rights and provides education in conflict zones. We operate in 14 countries with safe houses, school and women’s resource centers. We also launched refugee, food, single mom and prison programs domestically. Love Does is a simple but powerful commitment to love your neighbor well and we are really aggressive on the doing part. We’ve learned that providing education in conflict zones yields the biggest opportunity for change. Whether it’s starting the first girl’s leadership academy in Mogadishu, Somalia, opening a women’s resource center in the Dominican Republic or our latest project, building a University in Northern Uganda at ground zero of the 20 year civil war that education wrapped in love is a powerful motivator to radically change the course of women and children’s lives. But in the end, we’ve also found that going where the hungry, thirsty, sick, incarcerated and refugees are that Jesus is also there and that’s where I want to be because that’s what love does.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
San Diego is a beautiful city! We would go straight from the airport across the street to Harbor Island and start with appetizers overlooking downtown at one of the restaurants on the east end. We’d finish the evening with dinner in Little Italy.
Our days would feature a hike through the Torrey Pines State Natural Preserve, a beach day in Coronado, a trip to Julian to go apple picking (during the fall), and a day exploring Balboa Park with a trip to the world famous San Diego Zoo.
San Diego is known for its breweries and fish tacos, so there would be plenty of stops for a pint of IPA and fresh mexican food throughout the week. Our nights would have to include a Padres game at Petco Park (during baseball season of course) and a few dinners in La Jolla, Del Mar, and Point Loma with evening strolls along the water.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
It’s always about the people. I was blessed to grow up with parents who made me believe I could do anything, and even if I failed, they would always be in my corner. I have a husband and three kids who seem to think that family time is loads of fun for which gives me infinite amounts of energy and joy. I work with a team of humble and generous people at Love Does who make the impossible possible. They believe whole heartedly in including whimsy, wonder and fun, which most often involves balloons, in all we do! And most of all, I’m grateful to God that through Him my life has great purpose in loving Him and serving others.

Website: https://lovedoes.org

Instagram: @lovedoes

Linkedin: @lovedoes

Twitter: @lovedoes

Facebook: @lovedoes

Youtube: @lovedoesorg

Image Credits
Halle Project