My Story

 

I always say I’m a Southern belle at heart. I was raised in Shaw, Mississippi—the youngest of seven, born right on my father’s birthday on July 25. Life was simple, family-oriented, and predictable. But in 1980, when I was eleven, my parents and I moved to Chicago.

I’ll never forget driving into the big city. First, we saw downtown—the beautiful, soaring skyline. But then, we drove down Madison Street toward the West Side. The view changed. I saw heavy prostitution, and for the first time in my life, I saw a homeless man lying on the bare ground. It shook me.

To make matters more confusing, we got to our relative’s house, and they had dogs living inside the house as pets. Now, coming from the South, animals lived outside in their own houses. So as an eleven-year-old girl, I was completely turned around. I thought: How are animals kept warm inside, while human beings are left to sleep on the concrete?

That confusion didn't just stay with me—it fueled me. That contradiction is the exact moment VASNET was born. I realized early on that my purpose was to change that narrative, to fight for the people left outside, and to build a community where everyone has a safe place to call home.