A Lamont Homes “5 in 5” featuring Jackie Powers
Lamont Homes is dedicated to providing group homes to Washington D.C.’s most vulnerable residents. We pride ourselves on building strong, supportive communities. What follows is a five minute, 5 question interview from a member of our community: Jackie Powers, a staff member.
Question #1: WHO are you?
I’m Jackie Powers.
Question #2: WHERE are you from?
I’m originally from Leesburg, Virginia. I was born out there, and then I moved to Maryland when I was six.
Question #3: HOW did you find out about Lamont Homes?
I found out about Lamont Homes through my friend, Rena Foreman (a fellow staff member, who works at our residence at 4644 Hayes Street). I came to DC about four years ago. I’ve always been in Maryland, so I’m still brand new, feeling my way through.
Question #4: WHY did you decide to work for Lamont Homes?
Well I’ll always want to work for Lamont Homes, if I can. That’s why I make sure I still have time in my schedule to still be with you guys, even though I’m starting as a technician at Howard. I love it here. Monica Lamont-Bethea (our CEO) is wonderful to work with – she really is. She is open-minded, she’s fair, and she recognizes a good employee when she sees one. My residents are wonderful, too. I’ve grown to them; I’ve always been the kind of person who gets attached to people. I show them a lot of love, and they show me a lot of love. That’s why I’m always going to have a part in Lamont Homes if I can. Arnida Lamont (our Founder) is an amazing business woman, and I want to be like her when I grow up! So I definitely think what Ms. Lamont and Ms. Lamont-Bethea have done is beautiful, and I admire them both. I love to see black people – and people in general – who are so strong and amazing. My goal is to have my own assisted living facility in Maryland somewhere. So through this work I’ve learned the ins and outs. It’s great to see how Ms. Lamont took her daughter under her wing to learn the business. I want that for myself one day.
WHAT would you want people reading this to know about the work that you do, and its importance?
I think the importance of being an essential worker in healthcare is… love. You have to be a good nurturer. You have to be understanding. You have to be patient. It’s all about love, and wanting to give that love, because if you’re not willing to do that, it’s not going to work right. You can’t just be in it for the money. You have to be into it because that’s what you love to do, and that’s what I love to do. I’ve been a nurturer ever since I was a kid. I remember when my brother was sick and my mom was out, I would nurture and take care of him, even though he was nine and I was seven. So that’s what I do, and that’s what I love to do. I love to take care of people.
