Life Styles exec. director finds joy in giving back
Washington: ‘I think I’m here for a reason and I’m not sure what it is yet’
Sandy Washington thinks she may be addicted to helping other people.
The Philadelphia native moved to Waldorf with her husband 37 years ago and got involved with her community through her kids’ schools which is where she said she met people from all different backgrounds and learned about services that were missing in the county.
In 1998 she began Life Styles of Maryland Foundation Inc. in an effort to address that need she saw. After working for the Charles County Office on Aging for a time and then the regional office for the National Alzheimer’s Association, Washington found herself calling multiple agencies in the area for services her clients needed.
“Life Styles started with one family with one need at a time, then we helped another family with another need and from that point on it just kept growing. Twenty years later, we’re still tr ying to fill the gaps,” Washington said.
As the organization grew, Washington added the expertise of social workers and nonprofit management professionals.
Today, Life Styles runs or is associated with dozens of programs, including the Robert J. Fuller Transitional House for men, Martha’s Place Transitional Home and Gayle’s House for women and children survivors of domestic violence, Southern Crossing transitional supportive housing, Haven of Hope and Safe Nights for homeless individuals. Life Styles offers laundr y ser vices, daily showers, a food pantr y along with clothing and accessories, phone and internet access, transportation services, employment and housing assistance, advocacy and case management among many others at its La Plata building which serves as a mailing address and warming and cooling station for those on the streets.
Though the list of offerings seems endless, Washington said there is more work to be done. Over 15,000 individuals were served throughout the tri-county area last year, compared to between 700 and 1,000 ser ved when the organization began.
“This summer is worse than ever,” Washington said, unable to pinpoint the cause of the uptick. “We’ve just had more folks that are homeless and displaced than we’ve ever had before.”
Despite the outreach, Washington said she’s seen the need in the county grow, which could be a result of increased awareness of the services Life Styles offers, or simply an increase in need. The biggest challenge she said she faces is finding funding — which she said wouldn’t be difficult if people knew the whole stor y behind her clients’ situations. But because she doesn’t want to exploit her clients, and many of them prefer privacy, the whole story is often untold.
“It’s gotten beyond where I used to be able to say that I knew each family and person, and now there’s just so many and I’m not able to know them all and that’s kind of disheartening to me a little bit,” Washington said. “It shows the growth when you don’t know each of these people. I guess it’s a sign of the times. The economy is supposed to be doing well but I guess it hasn’t trickled down to the people we’re ser ving yet.”
The knowledge that someone is being helped and the little miracles she sees every day keep her coming back.
“Nobody comes here because they’re having a good day,” Washington said. “Everyone’s in crisis. But every single night is like Christmas Eve because I can’t wait to see what will be unwrapped the next day. I know at some point someone’s life is going to be changed in some way … what drives me is to see what happens when you give people the respect that you want and see how it lifts them up.”
She has success stories from clients she’s helped get on their feet and then turn around and give back to Life Styles directly or other clients.
Though she admits there are some individuals who won’t accept help, she said the important thing is to always try to reach everyone.
“I’ve seen people who are not willing to work with anyone but when they come here they know they’re welcome and safe and we can eventually connect them to services because that level of trust is there,” Washington said.
The executive director faced two serious medical setbacks within the last five years. In 2012 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through a year of chemotherapy treatment. Then in February 2016 she had a stroke and was told she would never walk or talk again. She keeps the cane she used during that time as a reminder of how far she’s come. She credits her recover y to the meaning she finds in her work.
“I think I’m here for a reason and I’m not sure what it is yet,” Washington said. “I joke with my friends that God won’t take me yet because I haven’t gotten it right yet. As soon as I get it right, that’s it. I’m done,” she laughed.