Nonprofit, Warrior for Children, Ignited by a Leap of Faith After Leader Attends GLS

The Global Leadership Network’s premier two-day leadership event of the year has been held annually in August for the last 25+ years, convening leaders of various backgrounds from all over the world. Over time, The Global Leadership Summit (GLS) has become more than just an event—what makes it what it is today are incredible leaders like Jenn Corbett, who are part of a diverse audience of curious, growth-minded, change-driven people with a vision for positive transformation in their organizations and communities.

Through the GLS, leaders are equipped and empowered to take action toward creating a better world. In fact, Jenn was so significantly impacted and inspired by the GLS, she took a risk and started the nonprofit Warrior for Children in 2018. As of 2021, they have served more than 12,000 children facing trauma, including 3,300 children during their Christmas Gift the Joy campaign. This is just one of the beautiful outcomes from leaders who are inspired by the GLS.

After suggestions from attendees to get her story out there, including this one from Joseph Gray, we knew it had to be shared with the rest of our audience. “Warrior for Children is especially deserving of your attention,” said Joseph. “Typically, when children are removed from homes by Child Protective Services, they leave with nothing. Jenn has created a structure to get immediate support to these children for everything from clothes and backpacks, but also medical, emotional, and psychological support. As an orthodontist, I have seen first-hand the devastating emotional impact this activity can have on a child if not addressed immediately in the way Jenn’s team responds. I believe she has a model that can be replicated everywhere with the right people in place to promote this most precious service for ‘the kiddos’ as she calls them.”

What led Jenn to where she is today? Her journey started with a passion for caring for others. “Growing up I always knew I wanted to be a nurse,” said Jenn. “I always assumed that would mean working in a hospital my whole career. But after years of working in acute care, I made the leap to independent contract work to eventually owning my own consulting business.”

Warrior for Children passes out backpacks to children in need

It was while working as a consultant when Jenn’s pastor invited her to attend the GLS for the first time about nine years ago. My pastor knew I had just started my own consulting company and thought it would be a great opportunity to dig a little bit deeper into leadership,” said Jenn. “The GLS has impacted me in ways I cannot even express. The one area the GLS has hammered home for me is that leadership is about caring for your team—it is about how you show up for them.”

The GLS has impacted me in ways I cannot even express.

It was also at the GLS where Jenn was inspired to take a risk to start her nonprofit in 2018. “After working as a registered nurse for more than 23 years, I realized there are very limited resources for children navigating trauma and those resources are often difficult to attain,” said Jenn. “I realized that if you continue to find roadblocks or challenges sometimes the only answer is to create something that alleviates that.”

With tools and inspiration, she gained through the GLS, Jenn set out to create a solution. “The GLS has made me who I am as a leader,” said Jenn. “It is the one conference that I feel is fully created to pour into us without an ulterior motive. It is the fuel I need every year and what inspired me to take a leap of faith to start a nonprofit to bring hope and light to children navigating trauma. I cannot believe how much I love working in the nonprofit sector. I get to use all the leadership skills I gathered as a nurse in the hospital and apply them to my leadership now.

I realized that if you continue to find roadblocks or challenges sometimes the only answer is to create something that alleviates that.

“The piece that excites me the most is watching it grow right before my eyes. We spent three challenging years building, and now to watch all that hard work begin to grow and morph is incredible. We went from serving our warriors with a skeleton crew of 99% volunteers to now a staff of five and hundreds of volunteers. It is exciting every day. My dream is that one day Warrior for Children will be in every county serving children who need support.”

What might happen in your life when you attend The Global Leadership Summit? “The Summit inspires and motivates,” said Jenn. “The day-to-day of leadership is so incredibly challenging, but the GLS refuels us, gives us additional tools, and brings leaders from all walks of life together.”

Join Jenn Corbett and others at one of the Global Leadership Network’s upcoming events in 2022. Learn more and get your tickets at GlobalLeadership.org/Events.