After an uncle left Vaile Leonard with his house, she opened up a center for women recovering from drug addiction. Since the program's beginning, it has served 30 women in total.
A desire to make things better is a theme that connects the professional and personal sides of Vaile Leonard's life.
At work, Leonard is a Lucent Worldwide Services (LWS) member of technical staff in Hunt Valley, Md., who performs quality audits of the engineering work on U.S.-based Services orders. Looking to improve the way data for those audits was collected, Leonard created an innovative program for Hunt Valley that worked so well, it became the foundation for what is now a national program, according to DeAnn Hargis, director, Engineering and Installation Quality for North America, LWS, in Alpharetta, Ga.
Figuring out how to make things better and devising innovative programs to do it fills up the other part of her life as well.
When she's not at work, Leonard is the director and founding visionary of the Light of Truth Center in Baltimore, where she is helping women recovering from drug addiction make improvements in their lives.
Home Making
Leonard had been thinking about how to start such a program for years. In recovery herself for more than a decade, she had experienced first-hand what kinds of approaches to addiction worked and what didn't, and had a clear vision of what a successful program should be.
“Recovery is a change of ideas, a change of perspective. You don’t get that overnight.”- Vaile Leonard
When a favorite uncle died in 1999 and left her his house, Leonard began to implement her innovative vision of a home filled with love and encouragement where women could take the time they needed to heal "from the inside out." Explained Leonard, "recovery is a change of ideas, a change of perspective. You don't get that overnight."
With aid from Lucent organizations like WILL (Women in Leadership at Lucent) and ABLE (Alliance of Black Lucent Technologies Employees), as well as individual donors, Leonard filled her uncle's house with beds, curtains, kitchen equipment and books.
But furnishings were only part of making a home. From the start, Leonard and volunteer staff members at Light of Truth Center focused on creating an environment that would make residents feel safe, respected and loved — feelings most of them would not have experienced for many years. "We look at drug addiction as a disease, not criminal activity," Leonard said.
To achieve the right environment, she limited the number of residents to six, so that the atmosphere would be intimate and family-like. She insisted on rules that would keep the house a pleasant, safe place for everyone. She didn't put a cap on how long women could stay, though most have felt that six to nine months was enough. And, she found ways to teach them skills that many people take for granted.
"Treatment programs can remove drugs from the body," she said. "But they can't supply people with life skills they may never have mastered."
Many of the women had to learn or re-learn certain skills, including decision-making, having conversations or identifying emotions. Leonard and certified volunteer counselors work with the women to help them learn what they need to know.
"We tell them, 'If you want a new life, you can have it.' We encourage them, and try to give them the skills they need to make it happen. We're geared to helping them be successful," she said.
On a Journey
“We operate under the 'each one reach one' philosophy. The women who have lived here go out and help others.” Vaile Leonard
Since the program's beginning it has served 30 women, only three of whom have returned to addiction. One of those three is currently back at Light of Truth Center.
"We operate under the 'each one reach one' philosophy," Leonard said. "The women who have lived here go out and help others. Three of them are now directing similar centers in the area. The others have found housing and jobs and are proud of themselves and what they've accomplished."
Recently, the program held its first fundraiser, a big success. The Center relies almost entirely on the generosity of donors, and Leonard's friends at Lucent are still important contributors.
In fact, at Christmas, when it looked as though there would be no gifts for the residents of Light of Truth Center, Brenda Budzynski, LWS Engineering director at Hunt Valley, packed a big red stocking with presents for everyone at the house.
"They were just little tokens," Budzynski said. "Toiletries, watches — things women would like and need. Vaile said they were all delighted. Many of them come to the house with only the clothes on their backs. And many had not had a Christmas for years. It was just my small contribution to her work."
"Vaile is on a journey," Hargis said. "I'm amazed at what she's accomplished, and I hope I can help her in this awesome work."
— by Suzanne Sidhu
