Diane has lived in Lawrence since 1975. Diane served on the CASA board, helped with The Shelter's Annual Tree Auction, providing Sunday dinner for the Shelter's Girl's residence and Deerfield School Fundraisers.

Diane had a brother who lived in Richmond, Virginia who was homeless and later killed on the streets. Diane remembers, "I was young when my brother became homeless, but I often wondered where he went, how he ate, and what he did each day. My hopes are that he had somewhere like the LCS to go! Anyone can become homeless - it doesn't matter how you grew up it can just happen by a bad choice, addictions or mental problems."

After becoming involoved in the LCS mainly through monetary and clothing donations, Diane was asked to prepare meals for the guests. Upon delivering one meal on a wet, cold night - seeing all the guests and the crammped quarters, she knew that a new location was needed!

The new site is away from the center of our city. The location out by the jail is perfect. Everyone should take a drive out there. It is tucked down from the jail and has such great potential for gardens, work programs and space to develop a center for learning skills to get LCS guests back into the mainstream of life! Diane know with a leader like Loring and his amazing staff, this new shelter will be the talk of the country and Lawrence will be proud of itself for helping our own!