Unbelievable: A passion for people

From Chaps to Rwanda in service of others. 

Serving others leads to entrepreneurial success.

What do baking, entrepreneurship and providing surgical care to heart patients in Africa have in common? Celeste Shaw.

Celeste brought a treasure chest with her to Gonzaga where she studied to be a registered nurse. It was packed with wisdom and passion. Add to it the inspiration to be a voice for others (the core of Jesuit education), and a lifelong journey for creative care for others was born.

As an entrepreneur, Celeste owns two eateries in Spokane and a skyrocketing magazine for enthusiasts of reclaimed vintage treasures called Flea Market Style. Her flagship restaurant, Chaps, is in an authentic farmhouse, serving farm-fresh foods, mouth-watering baked goods and strong coffee, all of which have been featured on the Food Network. Even more important, it's a welcoming place where friends and family come together in community.

But this is only one kind of service Celeste provides. Another puts her nursing skills to work. She makes regular trips to Rwanda with locally-run Healing Hearts Northwest to provide life-saving post-surgical care to people suffering from rheumatic heart disease.

That treasure chest she brought to Gonzaga was filled by her grandparents who raised her on a farm in eastern Montana. Celeste saw how hard her grandfather worked, and she helped her grandmother in the garden and the kitchen. Her grandmother taught her to "serve herself to others," or share her gifts for the greater good.

What's next for Celeste – a community garden in a low-income neighborhood? A book? Stay tuned. Because she may just be getting warmed up…