It’s September of 2000, and I launched our first program—Advocates Committed Together in Service (ACTS)—becoming a community-based point of contact for collaborative partnerships and programs supporting children, youth, and families, with family reunification as the goal whenever possible. Just weeks later, my own life was
shaken when a fire displaced my family and me. Just like that, homeless, left with only the clothes we were wearing. We lost everything, and the help available to us was minimal. I used what little savings I had to keep my family together in motel rooms; when that money ran out, we faced sleeping in our car. I remain eternally grateful for the friend who found us, reached out, and opened her home—giving us a place to breathe, regroup, and keep going.
It was one of the hardest and most traumatic fights I had ever encountered. To rebuild—mentally, emotionally and financially from nothing—and to secure stable housing again. That season was a brutal turning point—one day we had a roof over our heads; the next, we were learning how to endure without one. I can still remember the nights, silently crying myself to sleep, praying for direction, strength, and one open door. And then, when I had reached the very end of myself, “first responders” arrived in the truest sense—angels on assignment—people who showed up with compassion, encouragement, and practical help at the exact moment we could not carry the weight alone. Their presence did more than meet a need; it restored my hope and reignited my faith. In that fragile place, a conviction took root: if I ever had the ability, I would ACT on behalf of someone else fighting to keep their family together.
As I searched for resources to rebuild—housing leads, referrals, support systems, and any opportunity to move forward—I began sharing every answer I found with others in transition. Step by step, what I learned to survive became what I used to serve. That is when I discovered something powerful: my strength was not only in surviving but in serving.
A seed rooted in chaos, dysfunction and trauma activated by purpose, and the same seed that continues growing into the mission we carry today.