While working in a community resource center, Lynne Ballew witnessed unmet needs among the poor, homeless, and disabled in Anchorage. Lynne set about to do something to meet these needs. Over the years, she has initiated a number of programs to help the less fortunate.

In 1979, she founded Bean's Cafe, a place where homeless and low-income persons could secure a hot, nutritious meal in a warm, safe environment. Today, Bean’s Cafe serves approximately 20,000 meals each month to the disadvantaged and the hungry.

In the late 1990s, the city once again experienced a growing number of homeless families, which often had to break up in order to find shelter. This time, increasing numbers of disabled persons for whom traditional shelters proved inappropriate, had joined the swelling ranks of the homeless. Again, Lynne rallied community support. In November 2001, she succeeded in opening the Safe Harbor Inn––Alaska's first non-profit motel, exclusively serving homeless families and individuals with disabilities. Every day Safe Harbor Inn provides a home to at least 120 guests, half of them children. Lynne lives at Safe Harbor as its full-time volunteer director.

Lynne Ballew’s accomplishments have taken place outside of her workplace. But she has always viewed work as a means to accomplish her community service goals. She dedicates all of her time and efforts toward bringing about social justice and diminishing the impact of poverty. Drawing from her own experience as a single mother who has known poverty and homelessness first-hand, Lynne brings to all of her community endeavors a sense of mission: providing sustenance to and preserving the dignity of those in need.

To learn more about Lynne and her cause, and how you can make a difference, please visit:
www.safeharborinn.org

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