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Hometown
Los Angeles
Joie de VIVre
I love playing tennis, skiing, swimming, seeing good theater with my husband and kids and watching miracles happen in my work with Imagine LA.
VIV Moment
Throughout my career, I have always liked to promote causes that I believe in. I have been an entrepreneur, business-development executive and fund-raiser, but I feel most strongly about promoting volunteer empowerment — connecting people to help others and define jobs they feel good about. A few years ago, I had a satisfying consulting job with a nice retainer, and I was busy with many other commitments, especially with my church, my kids’ schools and my family.
Because of my expertise both in launching organizations and in volunteer management, I was asked to join the board of Imagine LA in February 2007. The nonprofit organization had a great vision of trying to unite Los Angeles County’s 8,000 families experiencing homelessness with more than 8,000 faith communities — and to eliminate family homelessness, one family and one faith community at a time. I loved the mission of Imagine LA. I graduated from Smith College in Northampton, MA, and from a civically-minded Master of Business Administration program at the Yale School of Management in New Haven, CT, so my passions always have been women’s issues and homelessness. I think that the idea of homelessness in one of the wealthiest nations in the world is unacceptable, and I’ve always been drawn to figuring out a solution to help homeless families, the majority of whom are headed by single moms.
A number of factors kept Imagine LA from getting off the ground. When the existing leadership was let go, I was asked to step in as interim executive director in September 2007. Though I thought that this would be interesting and challenging work, I worried that I didn’t have time for it.
The following week, however, the company I was working for called and told me they were shutting down my e-commerce project. In the back of my mind I thought, “Maybe, I’m supposed to do this Imagine LA job.” But I hadn’t had a full-time office job in five years, and I treasured being with my family. We were on vacation relaxing at my sister’s house on the lake in South Salem, NY, when I decided to ask my kids, James and Isabelle, who were 8 and 10 ½ at the time, for their opinions. My husband, John, was supportive, but I really felt I needed the kids’ input, since they would be affected the most if I accepted the offer. We sat outside on my sister’s porch and I explained what Imagine LA was all about. I told them about the homeless families in Los Angeles and how I wanted to help them. I remember, as the afternoon sun shone on their faces, they said simultaneously, “Mommy you have to help those kids!” And I realized, they’re right!
From that moment, I plunged in. I am a person of action, whether it is starting new companies, playing competitive sports or organizing faith community volunteers after the L.A. Riots. I am also passionate member of my family, and my time spent with my husband and children is my most cherished. My VIV Moment was when these two worlds collided — or should I say, united?
At Imagine LA we have since created a business plan, raised funds, built an amazing volunteer force and successfully piloted our supportive sustainable family program. We work with transitional housing facilities and nearby faith communities to find people willing to sponsor and mentor a family for a two-year period. The faith community fields a Family Support Team that includes mentors for each member of the family. Resource teams are brought in to help find and furnish an apartment for the family and achieve the family’s goals — not fix them.
Imagine LA guides the “matched” families and faith communities step by step. Little by little, the light in the kids’ eyes begins to shine, and every member of the family begins to thrive. Our first family in the program recently graduated. The mother is steadily employed and loves her job, the eldest son has a scholarship to Sacramento State and the daughter is studying to become a nurse. The youngest son, a junior in high school, recently took his Preliminary SAT and wants to become a doctor. We’re seeing the cycle of poverty broken as families achieve self-sufficiency and exit homelessness.
So far, a dozen families are no longer homeless and these families are functioning. Many more churches, synagogues and mosques are expressing interest in becoming a part of this lasting solution to family homelessness. Talk about meaningful work! I feel like the luckiest person on the planet to be part of this effort.
Tags: Busking, Connecticut, Development, director in September, e-commerce project, entrepreneur business-development executive and fund-raiser, Homelessness, Homelessness in the United States, Imagine LA, interim executive director, Isabelle, James, John, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, New Haven, New York, Northamptonshire, nurse, Poverty, Psychology, Schizophrenia, Smith College, Smith College in Northampton, Socioeconomics, South Salem, volunteer management, Yale School of Management
© 2012, VIV Publishing, LLC., All rights reserved.
One Reader Comment:
We business development folks should always have a go at doing the nontraditional and work with a cause. It builds great dexterity and absolute view of how communities play into reaching and end goal. Congrats on the success at Imagine LA. I enjoyed reading this article.