Congratulations to Judy Wise, one of our 2017 Wonder Women.
Though Judy Wise was not born in Plant City, she quickly became a foundation in the community.
Wise has made it her goal to impact as many lives as possible in the time she is given on Earth. She equates her purpose to the markings on a tombstone. She said everything in life is summed up in the dash between when you are born and when you die.
“It’s all about the dash,” Wise said. “All about what you do in the time between.”
One of Wise’s current roles is as the veterans chairman for the Elks Lodge. She became involved with the organization because she said the lodge was a “very benevolent group of people” and that veterans were close to her heart.
Outside of the Elks, Wise has volunteered her time with multiple organizations and events in town, including the Liberty Manor for Veterans, Meals on Wheels, Republican Women’s Club, American Legion Auxiliary, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, Woman’s Club of Plant City and more.
Wise’s parents taught her the importance of giving back to the community at a young age. Every year her mother would raise a garden, can the vegetables and give the food to the needy. Her father ran a country grocery store and, when he died, the family found a large box full of bills he had never collected. Wise said she felt obligated to carry on their love of others and hopes to continue to do so for years to come.
“I personally have been blessed,” Wise said. “I’ve had tragedies just like everybody else in their life but I feel so blessed and I want to give back.”
She said staying home all day and watching the news, regardless of what station is on, will overwhelm you with the amount of “bad” happening in the world. She said she wants to do something good to help balance out the bad, to make this world a better place.
Wise said part of her drive is the fact that for years she was unable to serve others the way she wanted to because of her demanding job. She often found herself driving through Plant City on her way to work and quickly fell in love with the town. When it came time to move, she knew exactly where she wanted to call home.
“I would drive through it and I would get this feeling of peace, of generosity and home,” Wise said. “This was a Norman Rockwell town. It’s proved to be everything I thought it would be and more.”
Though Wise moved here in 1998, it wasn’t until 2005, when she ended her career, that she was able to dedicate the time she wanted to all of the civic organizations and clubs that captured her interest.
She jumped headfirst into multiple groups and over the years has chaired, run and been on boards of many of the major organizations in town. Wise said she’s not a sewer and not a knitter, so volunteering was her preferred way of spending her time.
“I don’t have much free time,” Wise said. “My husband says, ‘I see you swish in and I see you swish out.’ I hope I never regret that, spending so much time away from home. But I have this drive to help others and I know I wouldn’t be happy just sitting around all day.”
Wise said the joy that comes from helping others is contagious and hopes others in the community who haven’t gotten involved yet will dive in and “get their feet wet.” She said there are lots of ways for even busy people to make a difference if they feel the call to service and recommended they volunteer with an event that only happens once a year, like the Empty Bowls drive for the United Food Bank of Plant City, or the Florida Strawberry Festival.
If everyone were to get involved with something, there would be no limit to what the city could do, Wise said. She said she hopes her granddaughter and the younger generation growing up in Plant City will see their elders taking time to help others and carry on in their footsteps.
“Whatever legacy I can help leave for this city I’m leaving for them, for my granddaughter and my family and everybody else’s grandchildren and family,” Wise said. “If I can do something to help, or improve, or move ahead I want to do it and I think that’s what drives me.”
