{"id":15412,"date":"2019-07-22T11:00:38","date_gmt":"2019-07-22T15:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/?p=15412"},"modified":"2023-11-02T11:27:15","modified_gmt":"2023-11-02T15:27:15","slug":"inside-the-generous-heart-of-rev-vanessa-tinsley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/real-life\/inside-the-generous-heart-of-rev-vanessa-tinsley\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Generous Heart of Rev. Vanessa Tinsley"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Rev<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is one of a series of stories we are\nsharing to show what’s inside CubeSmart. You not only get a peek inside our\ncustomer’s storage unit, but also a peek inside what is important to them.\nThank you to Vanessa, a customer of our CubeSmart store in Cutler Bay, FL, for\nsharing her story with us.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rev. Vanessa Tinsley arrives in a t-shirt\nbearing the logo of Bridge to Hope, after having just served 700 people lunch.\nShe\u2019s also wearing braces on her ankles from ripped tendons. She says she\u2019s not\nsupposed to be on her feet, but she can\u2019t let her clients down. She\u2019s the\nexecutive director of a Miami-based nonprofit that she founded in 1988, Bridge\nto Hope, and The Community Kitchen is just one of the programs her organization\noffers to the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being born in England as an only child, and spending some time in Spain as a missionary before coming to the US, have helped Vanessa view culture from a variety of perspectives. Bearing no discernible accent, she reports that she is \u201cculturally ambiguous\u201d on the visual side as well, with many people mistakenly attributing her heritage to various countries. She likes keeping things that way because she doesn\u2019t seek to be labeled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also says she has a \u201cblended family\u201d with her husband that includes seven kids, 18 grandkids, and 1 great-grandchild. One of her children, a daughter, just left on her third tour in Iraq with the Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa, an ordained minister, says that her life\u2019s mission is \u201cto leave people better than I found them.\u201d She\u2019s dedicated her life to service of others; obtaining numerous degrees, certifications, and accolades. She\u2019s also served as a teacher for over 30 years, as well as a Public and Motivational Speaker since 1994; speaking in the US, Spain, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Vanessa stores some of her own personal items in a personal unit, she primarily uses her storage units located at 19395 SW 106th Ave, Cutler Bay, FL 33157<\/a> to store items for the organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s been a customer for years, and she reports being so happy with her units that she actually moved the organization to be closer to the storage facility. She said, \u201cEverything is within a 5-mile radius; client services is right down the street.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she first acquired a unit there, the organization\u2019s annual revenue was just $25,000 and now the organization brings in $650,000 a year. Because of the flexibility that CubeSmart offers her, expanding and contracting when needed, she is able to ensure that more of that revenue goes into directly serving their client\u2019s needs. She says they need more space for back to school and the holidays, but they do have a large unit that they keep all year round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organization works with CarrFour to provide basic necessities like food, clothing, housewares, and furniture for clients going from homeless to housing. The units serve as a \u201cone-stop shop to pick up what you need,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the expected services, Bridge to Hope has also provided services for unexpected situations like Hurricane Irma Relief. They served 32,000 people who live outside of Marathon; right out of their storage units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa says she comes in to pay the bill in person, which gives her the chance to connect with the other customers; some of which leave donations for her clients. She also enjoys speaking with the staff.  She said, \u201cIt\u2019s one of the few places where you spend your money and feel appreciated. Some places act like they are doing you a service to take your money. CubeSmart is like a family, so coming in is like visiting family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’d love to hear how self storage has positively impacted your life. Share your #HumansofSelfStorage story in the comments.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is one of a series of stories we are sharing to show what’s inside CubeSmart. You not only get a peek inside our customer’s storage unit, but also a peek inside what is important to them. Thank you to Vanessa, a customer of our CubeSmart store in Cutler Bay, FL, for sharing her story […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":15413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1938],"tags":[924,232,1150],"class_list":["post-15412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-life","tag-humansofselfstorage","tag-inside-self-storage","tag-south-florida-storage"],"yoast_head":"\r\nInside the Generous Heart of Rev. Vanessa Tinsley | The Storage Space<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Take a look as we explore what's inside the stories of our customers. Meet Rev. 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