Mt. Pleasant resident Kelly Hudson loves to watch things bloom and grow.
For example, each year she carefully tends to a dozen lavender bushes at her home—the fulfillment of an idea planted during her college years and an unlikely friendship she shared with a middle-aged mother.
“She had this walkway that was just lined on both sides with these giant lavender bushes,” Hudson recalls. “She and I were harvesting the lavender and tying them into little bundles. And I just thought it was such a peaceful experience. I just loved the smell and the look. And she had it hanging in her kitchen. And I was like, ‘I really someday want to have a walkway that's lined with lavender.’”
Fast forward to today where Hudson creates dried lavender bookmarks, satchels, and wreaths through her
Hudson Lavender Co. business—although she confesses that she also simply
gives a lot of the harvest away to friends, family, and worthy causes like the annual
Heart of Michigan Paul Siers Legacy Gift Boxes.
“I have so much lavender,” she says. “I might as well share it!”
But for Hudson, that sharing philosophy doesn’t end with her yearly lavender harvest. When chatting with her, it becomes very clear that she
also shares a lot of her
time.
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Photo Credit: Courtney Jerome / Epicenter Mt. Pleasant
“I have a really hard time sitting still,” she jokes as she recounts a list of her involvement as a volunteer in the community that includes the
Rotary Club, the
Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation, and the
Girl Scouts—among others. Not to mention being a third-generation employee at
Mt. Pleasant Agency where she explains she is able to give back to the community through
various initiatives.
“I just want to be useful. And I want to help people,” she adds.
Hudson says that investing in the community where she and her family have their roots is important to her.
“I grew up here. My kids are growing up here. We've had generations growing up in this town, and I think, ‘What do I want to leave my kids?” she says. “And I'm not talking about an inheritance. I'm talking about, ‘What can I do here in the community where they'll say, ‘Mom did that.’’”
This has meant spending long hours helping to raise money for
causes through the Rotary Club, working on
restoration projects in the area, participating in events that benefit the
local arts community … The list goes on and on.
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Photo Credit: Courtney Jerome / Epicenter Mt. Pleasant
For Hudson, her work in the community is about leaving behind a legacy.
“‘Legacy is planting seeds in a garden you never get to see,’” she says, quoting her favorite lyrics from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” musical. “Sometimes if you're lucky, I think you
do get to see the garden—or a piece of the garden. But I think it's just contributing what you can.”
When it comes to advice on creating
your own legacy of volunteerism in the Mt. Pleasant community, Hudson says it’s important to find a place where you can grow, all the while using your personal skills and strengths.
“Figure out what you're good at,” she recommends. “Are you really good at organizing? Do you know a lot of people? Are you someone who can kind of think outside the box? Are you a good problem solver? Get yourself around like-minded people. For me, that was
Rotary, and surrounding myself with people who are service-oriented. But there are so many great
service organizations in the
community, too.”
“Get involved in some volunteer type organization where you're going to meet people, because half the passion is in the people,” Hudson concludes. “At the end of the day, you're not doing it for yourself; you're doing it for others; you're doing it to make our community a better place.”
“And I think if you're around the people that can help inspire that, the creativity is just going to bloom and grow.”
Learn more about opportunities to get involved as a volunteer in the Mt. Pleasant community by visiting https://meetmtp.com/meet-here/volunteer/.
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