“She’d look at me and say, ‘there’s something about you.’” – Lisa Smith, Women’s Coordinator
Benefits package Smith is quick to note the parallels between her growth within WWIV as a client and as an employee, and the natural progression that brought increased responsibility as a resident, culminating in employment. Through speaking engagements, overseeing the houses and interacting with the women she can help, she is constantly reminded of the difficulties that brought her to WWIV. She learns vicariously to avoid many of the issues she didn’t experience firsthand. Smith says she is constantly learning from the women she works with. Hearing about the other women’s negative consequences as a result of drug and alcohol use deepens her own resolve to not make the same kinds of choices. Smith appreciates her lasting relationships with the clients, but she knows that there comes a time when every woman must move on from the program to continue their new lives. “I tell them to try and get yourself together,” she says, “and establish some stability in your life that’s gonna carry you through life independently.” And that stability is founded on Smith’s principles of love, care and respect. 9
A natural fit Smith says she developed her caring nature from a family that instilled strong values in her, values she passes on to clients at WWIV. “My family is caring, loving and had respect for other people,” she says. She learned compassion from her mother, and practiced it as a mother herself. So when she sees a newcomer in one of the houses, she works to comfort them by relaying her own story, one of humility, perseverance and success. “I get [new clients] in a one-on-one and let them know what I have been through,” she says. “I tell them to sit back and give themselves some time.” From her early days as a client, Smith has displayed hard work, patience and especially attentiveness. She’s a constant observer of the happenings in the homes, and says this enables her to provide support where it is most needed. She says others started to notice her unprompted assistance, and her gentle leadership qualities stood out to her peers and the organization’s founder, Renee Payton. “Miss Renee would come to have a meeting at the houses, and I’d just sit there and listen and be quiet,” Smith says, “and she’d look at me and say, ‘There’s something about you.’”
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