A Forward Trajectory Of Kindness Leads To A Destination Of Giving Back – Tina Parkhill
“I just don’t have the time.” It’s something that most of us say. And many of us say it quite often. We live in a busy world with a seemingly never-ending to-do list. Sure, we give back in little ways like dropping a few dollars to the homeless person on the corner as we wait for the stoplight to change, teach a Sunday school class, or pick an angel from the Angel Tree during the holidays. But the truth is, most of us are focused on just getting through the day, meeting our responsibilities, and carving out a few minutes for ourselves at the end of the day.
But now and then, the universe provides us with an example to remind us about what life is truly about. We encounter someone who looks at their surroundings and thinks, “there just isn’t enough time in the day to do everything for everyone who needs it.” These rare people have what is known as a servant’s heart… and after knowing someone who has one, we are touched and never quite the same. Allow me to introduce you to someone who spends her time living with a servant’s heart. Her name is Tina Parkhill, and she is one such example.
On A Giving Trajectory
“Much of what drives me comes back to my mother. She instilled in me the desire to give back to the community philanthropically. I grew up very modestly in a small community and we didn’t have much money, but still I was taught through the kindness and willingness to give to others that I saw through my mother. Then in high school, I was fortunate to have mentors who continued to instill in me what my mother always had. Even then, I was beginning to develop a servant’s heart,” Tina said.
She would stay on that trajectory of giving and kindness as she entered into college at Oklahoma State University joining a sorority that focused heavily on philanthropic projects. It was a path she had begun as a child. Though still quite young, but old enough to know the family didn’t have much money, she was able to recognize that she had more than many others. Just knowing this made her want to share when she could and be kind if she couldn’t.
Although the desire to give can be a learned behavior, for her, it always seemed as though it was a part of the fabric from which she was created. A trajectory of charity and kindness is woven into the very fibers of her being, it seems.
A Servant’s Heart
“I get a lot of satisfaction from giving to others. I enjoy seeing the smiles of those I help and bringing joy to others,” she said. This is evident at just a glance at the organizations and projects in which she has been involved. It reads as a resume from a highly accomplished charity foundation. In fact, too many to be listed in this article. And with her sense of humility, she wouldn’t want them listed.
The amount of time it takes to give to others, as Tina does, is astonishing. And she has done this while building and maintaining her successful business, Parkhill’s Liquor & Wine South, and raising a family. For those who do not live with a servant’s heart, this is beyond admirable. But for Tina, each moment was just another opportunity to make someone smile. Each week she provides 10-15 hours in various capacities for the betterment of her community.
For 30 years, Tina has been making a difference in Tulsa. With countless hours and financial contributions, she has donated with no expectation of anything in return. She has been recognized and awarded for her philanthropic endeavors, but these accolades hold little value to her compared to the differences she makes in others’ lives. To Tina, talking about the importance of giving back to a community that has given her so much, and how just a little bit of ourselves can provide so much for others, is what matters most.
A Stitch In Time
From those meager times growing up in Clayton, New Mexico with very little to being a successful business professional, Tina followed a trajectory that has led her to be one of those rare among us who doesn’t claim to “not have time” when someone is in need, but rather the one who says there is always time to make a difference. And for this, she is, without a doubt, a swatch of fabric stitched into the proverbial community blanket and one of the few patches for its holes which blanket us all in the Tulsa community.
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