By Michigan Family Support Conference Board Members and Erin Lincoln, Wayne County Friend of the Court Director
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| Lisa Robinson being congratulated by former Chief Judge Robert J. Colombo at the 2018 Third Circuit Court Employee Recognition ceremony. |
From Monica Morris-Moats,
Calhoun County Prosecutor’s Office and Past President of the MFSC Board:
I first met Lisa when I joined the
Michigan Family Support Council (MFSC) board.
From the beginning, I knew Lisa was a force of nature. She was articulate, kind, stern, hilarious,
but most of all, giving. She took me
under her wing and mentored me both prior to and during my MFSC
Presidency. Lisa gave selflessly to MFSC
with her dedication to every aspect of the organization. In addition to her “8 to 5” job, she gave
countless hours to the planning and executing of our yearly conferences. She held various offices on both the regional
and state boards.
Lisa made me laugh every time I was
around her. Some of those times were
tough, but she had a way about her. She
had a wicked sense of humor that no one understood…unless you did. Her smile was contagious and lit up any room
and when she laughed, it was all in. There
was no holding back her mirth.
Family was everything to Lisa. The joy she took in spending time with her
siblings and her nieces and nephews, as well as the extended families she
created with her work in the Wayne County Court system and the regional and
state councils. She partook in many
community activities and held various positions. She was a dog mom who spoiled her fur
babies. Her passion for her beekeeping
was amazing and interesting. When Lisa
retired from Wayne County, the office lost a valuable asset and hard
worker. Lisa did nothing in half
measure. If she could help, she
would. If you needed it “straight up,”
Lisa was your woman. If Lisa had a
point…she got it across.
There are no words that can possibly
describe what the world, and myself personally, lost when Lisa left us so
suddenly. Her experience and dedication
made MFSC a better place. Her friendship
and perspective made me a better person to help serve the child support community
in Michigan and beyond.
From Erin Lincoln, Friend of
the Court/Deputy Court Administrator Wayne County Friend of the Court:
Lisa Robinson was one of the most
passionate people I have known in the child support system. She was knowledgeable about the program and
about the work to which she was assigned.
I loved that she would speak up in meetings and never let anyone
railroad her. Her contributions to the
child support program are many, and I am thankful I had the privilege of
knowing her.
From Joy Anderson,
Enforcement Officer/Intergovernmental Specialist Chippewa County Friend of the
Court:
I had known Lisa for a few years, but
didn’t really KNOW Lisa, and to be honest, she sort of intimidated me at
times. She was such a strong woman and
great leader.
However, my views forever changed
about Lisa one MFSC fall conference. My
young adult daughter who was in her first year of college came to the
conference to visit with me for a couple nights. My family is diverse, as five of my six
children are adopted. My daughter, one
of my adopted children, is African American, and grew up in a Caucasian family.
Lisa asked me who she was over
breakfast buffet one morning, and I introduced her to my daughter. Later, Lisa took it upon herself to make a
point to seek out my daughter and have a very heartfelt conversation with her. I was not present and can’t speak about the
whole conversation, but I do know that my daughter was very touched and felt
like she had an ally after that encounter.
They discussed some difficult times and then good times, like her sports
and when she was voted prom queen. Lisa
encouraged her to seek out positive role models and not be ashamed of who she
was. She gave her hair advice and even
told her that if she needed anything to call her. My daughter is a resilient, beautiful, kind,
and generous young woman today at a month shy of 29 years old, but Lisa’s
conversation really stuck with her.
Later, after hearing my daughter
share a bit of the conversation with me, I sought out Lisa and thanked
her. I never did tell her what a HUGE
thing she did for my daughter and my family that day, and I regret not doing
that. She was a very special person,
indeed.
From Jennifer Granzow,
Kalamazoo Child Support Prosecutor and MFSC Past President:
Lisa Robinson was a woman of great
heart. She was a supportive
presence. Lisa devoted her time to
others. This is exemplified by the
leadership roles she held within the IV-D program, her office, her community,
and family. She served many years in
various roles within the MFSC: President; Vice President; Secretary; and Coordinator
extraordinaire! She became the matriarch
of the family, providing a home base for her siblings, nieces, and
nephews. She believed in the value of
giving back to her community and was always involved in community events and
programs to promote the health and wellbeing of the neighborhood. She supported HOPE Village, community
gardening, and activities for youth. She
was a participant in the Celebrating Science Program with the Detroit Zoo and
spoke of her beekeeping and the critical role of honeybees. The bees were an example of the interlocking
nature of community and how the bees worked together to keep the hive alive and
healthy. This was a fundamental tenant
of Lisa’s philosophy in life: everyone working together can do great things. Lisa applied this philosophy to all she did,
cultivating a common goal and working to bring everyone together to get the
best result.
. . .
The MFSC Board has established the Lisa Robinson MFSC Legacy Award. In memoriam, Lisa will be the first recipient. The award will recognize child support professionals who have embodied the true mission of the MFSC and continue acting upon its core values in giving their talents to the community. The award will include a “bumblebee” insignia to represent giving, community, friendship, and all of the wonderful things Lisa shared with those who knew her.
