Helping others is in her DNA
There are a lot of moving parts in the busy life and career of Lisa Hawkins. Trained as a nurse, Hawkins is a hands-on business owner and active community advocate who serves as a volunteer and board member for variety of organizations.
Her full calendar springs from dedication and devotion to her hometown of Tupelo and a caring nature. “I love North Mississippi and the people here. This is my home,” she declares.
After graduating from Tupelo High, Hawkins went to the Mississippi University for Women, where she received a master’s degree in nursing. She worked as a nurse practitioner in the early 80s. She also worked for the Mississippi Health Department and as a critical care nurse in the intensive care unit at the hospital. That nursing background is evident in everything she has done.
“My family always said I was made to be a nurse because a nurse is somebody that cares about other people,” she said. “I believe it’s a calling. I believe that those same traits for nursing, especially the caring, go along with almost anything that you can do in life.”
Her career continued as a nursing instructor at Itawamba Community College. During that time she and her husband Jim, along with their two young children, started a business called The Velveteen Rabbit on the side for extra income. “That little business turned into a pretty big business,” she said.
The children’s and ladies’ clothing store was so successful that Lisa decided to leave teaching and work at the store full time. They owned and operated the venture for 14 years before closing.
For Hawkins, a self-described workaholic, retirement from retail was short lived. “I became involved in every nonprofit in our community,” she said. “My husband says I do a lot of different things because I’m easily bored.”
In 2003, another venture presented itself and the couple began their current business, Room to Room Furniture. The national award-winning home furnishings business, housed in a 100,000-square-foot building in Tupelo, draws customers from the entire region and as far away as Memphis. In 2022, Room to Room was recognized as National Retailer of the Year by the Home Furnishings Association. “We’re very blessed,” Hawkins said of their success. She shares credit with her team of 40 employees who keep Room to Room running smoothly. “It’s not us, it’s them. I have the best people you could ever imagine.”
Jim Hawkins retired from handling Room to Room’s daily finances. While she misses having Jim at work every day, Lisa remains very hands-on. She is “in and out,” doing marketing and going to market several times a year to buy furniture, mattresses, accessories and gifts. Her volunteer work schedule is also full—all while balancing precious time traveling and making memories with Jim.
Hawkins, who received a North Mississippi Medical Center scholarship to attend nursing school, believes in giving back to the community. “That is our way of life here. It’s called the Tupelo Spirit but it’s not just Tupelo, it’s really regional,” she said. “We want to help pull everybody up. A really important part of our community is community service.”
Helping neighbors is rooted in Tupelo and Lee County, she said. “Back in the 1940s, this was the poorest county in the poorest state in the nation, but we had great business leaders in the community who lifted the region to new heights.”
Hawkins cited Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Publisher, George McLean, and his wife, Anna Keirsey McLean, for establishing the Community Development Foundation, for the purpose of recruiting economic opportunities to continue growing Lee County. Later, the McLeans established CREATE, a community foundation, to improve the lives of residents and provide a means for charitable giving in 17 Mississippi counties. “The McLeans really wanted to help raise the level of resources and opportunities for our community,” she said.
Hawkins also credits a group of leaders who made a lasting impression on the community and in her life. They include Jack Reed Sr., who worked to improve education in the state; bank president Jim Ingram, a National Guard general who started the local Salvation Army chapter; businessmen Mickey Holloman and Hassell Franklin, furniture industry leaders; and Bank of Mississippi president Aubrey Patterson. She affectionately calls them “The Godfathers”.
Another influence from Hawkins’ high school years was Joyce Johnston, “a teacher who believed in me in my young years and encouraged me.”
Hawkins said, “My father was killed when I was three years old so I didn’t have a lot of men in my life. But these men were wise businessmen and community leaders that evidently saw something in me and helped me to grow and allowed me to serve on a lot of different boards. I am so blessed to know those people.”
Hawkins has served as chairman of the Community Development Foundation and the CREATE board. She also was president of the Junior Auxiliary and Boys & Girls Club, United Way campaign chair, and a member of the Northeast Mississippi Medical Center and Renasant Bank community boards.
Hawkins said one of her proudest moments was being part of a group of women who established the nonprofit Sanctuary Hospice House.
This group of local women came together in 2000 to create the nation’s first freestanding hospice facility. Creating the unique hospice was a monumental challenge, Hawkins said. “We had to lobby Congress to get a waiver to be able to create this pilot project,” she said. “It’s a miracle.”
The 24-bed facility in Tupelo cares for patients regardless of their ability to pay. Sanctuary Hospice’s nursing staff also provides end-of-life care for patients who choose to stay home for hospice care. To keep operating, Sanctuary Hospice must raise around $1.8 million a year.