80,000 MEALS | Servant at Heart: Captain Derick Tisdale
It is no question, Captain Derick Tisdale is committed to serving. He has served in the U.S. National Guard Army, as a police officer, an elder at Cane Creek Missionary Baptist Church and now Tisdale has answered the call of duty to serve as a RIFA Board Member. “Ryan Porter called me up and discussed the possibility of being a board member [at RIFA] and I was intrigued,” Tisdale stated, “then he just told me what is required and some of the things that he talked about I was interested in it because I’m very interested in trying to make a difference in the community.”
As a member of law enforcement, Tisdale sees first hand the impact of food insecurity on the Jackson community both young and old. Moreover, serving with RIFA has allowed him to piece crime and hunger together. “Even though I work in law enforcement, I never considered the hunger side of things the number of people that go without a meal but then it opened my eyes to some realities that there are people who go to bed hungry at night,” Tisdale said.
It’s clear that Tisdale is a law enforcer who seeks to repair and protect his community on all aspects of crime. As a mentor of the Jackson based group founded by Ryan Porter, From Boys to Men, Tisdale seeks out the opportunity to pour into the lives of youth and steer them into the right direction. Serving as a board member at RIFA allows him the opportunity to serve youth and their parents in a different way.
For Tisdale, serving is still a sacrifice for him, but one he enjoys because of the cause it stands for in the world. “The ultimate servant that any of us really recognized was Jesus Himself,” Tisdale said.
More than anything, Tisdale desires to lead in the same way as Christ and serve his community. “It’s not about recognition,” Tisdale stated, “it’s just about being that person that is providing and making a difference.” Tisdale, having served in the Tennessee Army National Guard, in war zones, understands the sacrifice supporting RIFA will take. “I used to say to my soldiers. . .until you draw your last breath I don’t care how bad it hurts. I don’t care how much pressure it feels, you keep moving forward.” Tisdale explained. “I think just sometimes it’s like this in our everyday lives. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes the weight of the world may seem like it’s on my shoulders, but until you draw the last breath you keep trying to make a difference.”
“It hurts. It’s challenging.” Tisdale stated. “You want to go home sit on the couch but sometimes giving your time or kind of digging a little deeper [to] help out [the RIFA] mission because it’s for a good cause.”
