Aunt Leah’s Donor: Lois Walker

Lois Walker is a long-time supporter of Aunt Leah’s Independent Lifeskills Society. Aunt Leah’s Society values that support very much, and wanted to ask Lois the reasons that she has continued to donate to Aunt Leah’s so consistently over the years.

Lois Walker is a long-time supporter of Aunt Leah's

“I’ve been watching Aunt Leah’s for a long time,” she says. “I have always appreciated the creativity, the spirit that says we can find our way through difficult things.”

“I enjoy all of the ideas that germinate-from the mobile coffee carts, to the tree lot to the art studio or the drama program.” Lois is a Marriage and Family Therapist with an office in St. Augustine’s Church. From this office she saw the beginnings of the Aunt Leah’s Restaurant Training and Community Meal program, as well as the drama program that was held in the church.

She remembers the growth of the community meal and how it contributed to the community as a whole. “A wonderful mix of strength and frailty,” is how she remembers the atmosphere of the meals. “I appreciated the hospitality and the effort to make this a welcoming environment to people.”

“Aunt Leah’s is the best of non-profit. They are both entrepreneurial and they experience all of the avenues and resources to stay viable,” she says.

In her work, Lois sees a range of people including those who are really struggling to those who are just trying to see their way through a marriage or how to raise a child. Her work allows her to see the struggle that many vulnerable youth have within their families.

“I have also appreciated the kind of respect Aunt Leah’s has for people with pretty rough stories who work right alongside the others,” Lois says. “Everybody has something to contribute.”

“What I find remarkable about Aunt Leah’s is the leadership,” she says. “Part of what I think has set Aunt Leah’s apart is a very clear vision and a very committed group of people who have supported that vision.

They bring such a solid commitment to that, and their children and their spouses are also bringing that vision.” “There’s a lot of laughter in this organization,” she remembers. “I think that is a sign of a healthy organization, and that is not to say there haven’t been a lot of challenges. You are working with the most impoverished people and it can be very hard to keep hope and perspective.”

“That’s why I support Aunt Leah’s-it’s tangible, I know these people, the work they do and the good that has come out of it,” she says. “Aunt Leah’s stays in excellent contact with the community and that keeps me in a personal relationship with these folks.”

By Tracy Sherlock