Former Calvary Client Betty Crowned Ms. District of Columbia Senior America 2026

Betty was in disbelief that she had just won the Ms. District of Columbia Senior America 2026 pageant. Even after hearing her name called, she found herself questioning whether she had heard correctly.

Betty entered the Ms. Senior DC pageant as a way to honor her mother. Her mother raised 10 children and taught her to keep moving forward, no matter what life placed in front of her.

“The journey of why I entered is because my mother’s no longer here, and everything I do is for her.”

In 2013, Betty was evicted from her home and spent months living with different friends. Eventually, she was encouraged to visit Calvary Women’s Services.

She remembers finally having a place that she felt comfortable in, meals that she could count on, employment resources, case management, and people around her who believed in her.

“Even though you face life’s challenges, now what you’re going to do, what shows up is Calvary Women’s Services. It provides, it just provides everything to make you feel like I haven’t lacked anything. Okay. So what? I don’t have my own house. So what? I don’t have my own car, but this is a place that’s safe from the time that I’m here until the time I leave. This is like a safe haven for me.”

After leaving Calvary’s programs, Betty completed her education and continued pursuing acting, voice-over work, and even writing a children’s book. Betty also returned to share her story during Calvary’s 2013 Hope Gala.

Now, almost a decade later, Betty returns once again to share another milestone.

Betty describes becoming Ms. Senior DC as an opportunity to advocate for older women, and remind others that wisdom, strength, and purpose do not diminish with age. Her story carries special significance because many of the women Calvary serves are older adults themselves. Women who have spent decades caring for others can suddenly find themselves facing homelessness after job loss, domestic violence, health challenges, or financial instability.

Betty speaks passionately about the importance of the older generation and preserving the stories that have shaped our city, reminding us that without their voices, we lose the lived experiences and history that continue to guide future generations.

“You’re talking about history? How do you go to the future if you don’t understand where your past was and who has shaped that? And I say it’s the elders, because they walk with all this history, the seniors.”

But perhaps the message Betty hopes resonates most is the one she has for the women currently living in Calvary’s programs.

Betty wants women experiencing homelessness to know that today’s circumstances do not determine tomorrow’s possibilities. Healing and rebuilding take time and that progress does not have to be linear. Moreover, accepting support is not a sign of weakness. It is courage and a major step towards changing a life.

“…where you are is not where you’ve been. Your past is your past. This is where you are. Keep looking forward because you cannot live life with your head turned backwards. You can only live life in the present moving forward. And that’s one of the things that I think that Calvary reiterates to its clients.

Betty now lives in her own apartment and continues using her creativity to inspire others. Her reign as Ms. Senior DC will culminate this fall when she represents DC at the Ms. Senior America Pageant in Atlantic City.

Every woman who comes to Calvary has dreams, talents, and extraordinary potential waiting to be rediscovered. Sometimes what stands between where she is today and where she hopes to be tomorrow is simply having a safe place to begin again.

And when asked what she’d like to say to the supporters who make Calvary’s work possible, her answer comes without hesitation.

“Don’t ever stop giving.”

At a time of uncertainty in our city, more women than ever are coming to Calvary seeking a second chance. This summer, our goal is to welcome 20 women home and empower them to end their homelessness through Calvary’s housing and supportive services. You can be part of this by donating essentials through our Giving Catalog.

Because one day, another woman may look back on this season and realize it wasn’t the chapter that defined her, it was the chapter that changed everything.