Men We Love Men We Love – What every woman needs to know about Lee Shainis
May 13, 2009 by Annie Brokaw
Filed under A & E
Know someone we should feature in Men We Love? We’re talking the total package: brains, beauty and a servant’s heart. Yes, believe it or not, there are plenty of good guys out there who are multi-dimensional, and we’re always on the prowl to recognize them. E-mail nominations to speakup@womensmag.com
Lee Shainis
Lee Shainis started early.
He first began volunteering at homeless shelters in high school. At the University of Michigan, Shainis volunteered in the prison system and with people with disabilities.
He decided to pursue a career with a nonprofit when he graduated. En route to Oregon from Michigan in 1999 to seek such a job, Shainis found himself in Boulder. He has been here ever since.
In 2000, Shainis and his friend, Shawn Camden, started Intercambio de Comunidades, a nonprofit to “build respectful communities and increase opportunities for immigrants through language education, cultural exchange and friendship.” Intercambio has since served 4,000 students of all ages from about 50 countries, and with the help of 2,000 volunteers.
Recently Shainis, 31, published a guide called “What Every Immigrant Needs to Know,” which contains 170 essentials for American life — info about laws, health, politics, finances and more.
“I’m pretty passionate about that because it usually takes years for people to learn this stuff, and often times people get in trouble before they learn,” says Shainis.
We wanted to know more about Shainis and his heart of gold, so we asked him five questions, plus one because he’s so fun. Then we posed the same questions to his mother, Susan Freiman, of Potomac, MD.
Oh, and Lee? You might want to watch your back — your mom has a bit of an issue with one of your answers.
If you could have one super power, what would it be and why?
Lee: The ability to influence policymakers whenever and however I wanted. I don’t want to get into politics, but I would like to have heavy influence on issues I feel strongly about.
Susan: I think he would make everyone see things positively. Lee really dislikes negativity and thinks there are just too many people who see the glass half empty and complain instead of doing something to make things better.
What is one thing about you we would never guess?
Lee: People say I look better when I wear dresses.
Susan: He was kind of quiet when he was a little kid
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up and why?
Lee: I wanted to be a doctor because I knew that doctors help people. Then I took organic chemistry in college and decided I didn’t want to be a doctor that badly.
Susan: Lee wanted to be Superman because he loved that little red cape and wore it everywhere.
If you were to live in another country, where would you live and why?
Lee: Mexico maybe. I have some wonderful friends from there, there are many different regions and cultures, I speak the language and the slang, and it’s not too far from the U.S. so I could come back and visit my family and friends often.
Susan: A country in South America, probably Peru. It has a diverse population, a great culture and he has a lot of friends in Peru that he made through his participation with Doctors Without Borders.
What is your favorite travel destination?
Lee: Iquitos, Peru. For the past three years, I’ve gone there and done some cool volunteer work at a non-governmental organization for street kids, translating for doctors on a medical mission, and doing health education clown shows with Shawn Camden at schools in small villages.
Susan: Potomac, Md. It really isn’t but I think he will say that since that is where I live and he knows I will kill him if he doesn’t say that.
What is the most important lesson your mother ever taught you?
Lee: To respect my mother. And she showed me how important it is to give and receive love. I got lucky in the mom category. (Good recovery, Lee.)
Susan: To always dress conservatively. Lee always does the opposite of what I tell him. Just check him out on Facebook and you’ll know what I mean.
On the Web
Learn more about Intercambio — www.intercambioweb.org
