Get to know Elizabeth Stanford, our Director of Prevention and Youth Services!
How long have you worked at Tri-County? 3 months
What do you like to do in your free time? Watch sports, attend sporting events and/or live music! Go Royals!!! I also love to go for trail walks with my basset hounds Harvey and Jolene.
Who do you look up to and why? My grandmother. She gave up everything in Japan to immigrate to America for the chance to have freedom. She was to have an arranged marriage as she was upper class, but she gave all that up for opportunity to make her own life. She spent a large part of her life dealing with racism, being treated as less than because of her heavy accent, and being lonely because she was disowned by her family for over 30 years. She raised me to be very independent and appreciative of opportunities put in front of me. She also taught me the importance of being strong and having passion in whatever you do.
Tell us about an interesting brush with fame or amazing truth about yourself. When I was in college, I played rugby. John Goodman was at St Louis Ruggerfest tournament as a fan of the sport. I convinced my teammates that he was my uncle as a joke. They did not believe me, so while on the rugby pitch, we were huddled up and I waved at John Goodman like he was family. He waved back and my entire team lost it and talked the rest of the afternoon about my “uncle”. I couldn’t stop laughing and finally fessed up.
Do you have a favorite book or movie and why? I love to read. I have lots of favorite books, but the newest favorites are Finding Me by Viola Davis and Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile. I love learning about people’s stories and how they become who they are today (good and bad). It’s very courageous to share your journey with so many.
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