Meet Lila – WCF Board Member

Lila Ashmore is a style consultant and dressing room coach for Vesta’s Boutique in Little Rock. Prior to her position at Vesta’s, Lila was at the editor’s desk of Inviting Arkansas. It was during her tenure at the magazine when she first became involved with WCF.

Lila was interviewing WCF board member Cindy Murphy and former board member Cherylon Reid for a feature article for the magazine. “I became so entranced by their stories of the guests that they assist that I knew the organization was one I wanted to be involved with,” she said. Lila began serving on the board over 10 years ago with a year hiatus before re-joining the mission.

Looking back over her years of involvement, one moment sticks out in her memory that has impacted her the most. She was asked by the WCF director to pick up a guest at the train station who was making her way to safety from St. Louis. “The look of terror on her face when she departed the train was an emotion I will not soon forget,” says Lila. “However, the look of relief that came across her face when she was reassured of her safety was an emotion forever etched in my heart.”

Another moment of clarity for Lila was when she was delivering Christmas gifts to one of WCF’s Transitional Housing clients. She was delivering them with Cindy Murphy, several years after Cindy had been honored as Woman of the Year and graced the cover of Inviting Arkansas. The client looked at Cindy and told her “I know you. You were on the cover of the magazine. You’re the reason I went to the shelter to begin with.” It was the defining moment that Lila knew she was indeed in the right place to give back.

Serving on the board and various committees has been and continues to be a highlight for Lila. “To see hard work pay off and to watch the lives of others change truly is a great gift.”