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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nMany will recognize him as the public face of the Special Olympics Torch Run in Charles County, for which he has coordinated fundraising since 2006 and helped the organization raise nearly $1 million in that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may also know him for his immense efforts to support LifeStyles of Maryland, specifically our Easter Basket giveaways in the spring and our Toy Drive during the holiday season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor me, it\u2019s a pride thing because of where I came from,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing in a position to give back just a little, I\u2019m going to do my part to leave this county a little better than where I started here.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Proctor has been working with LifeStyles for more than 15 years now. He was drawn to the organization by Executive Director Sandy Washington\u2019s passion for the community and her commitment to offering a hand up to those willing to work hard to improve their circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What sticks out most in his mind is a conversation he had with Washington just before Christmas a few years ago. She told him that LifeStyles was trying to help 600 families during the holidays but that the Toy Drive had only yielded seven or eight bicycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI said, \u2018Oh, no. We can do better than that,\u2019\u201d he recalls. \u201cThe first bike drive we did, we got over 200 bicycles. Every adult remembers their first bicycle. We need to create those memories again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Proctor brings that same drive and dedication to every community effort he supports. He succeeds because he brings a personal touch. He doesn\u2019t work by phone call or email. He gets out into the community, visiting local citizens, businesses and organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When they see him walk through the door, they know the effort is sincere. When they hear him talk about the cause, they know that anything they may give will be put to good use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m very transparent,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll let you know exactly what your contribution went to. It\u2019s not going to pay some CEO\u2019s six-figure salary. We put together 450 baskets for LifeStyles. It was so fun. We posed for a picture with all the Easter Baskets. Every one was distributed locally.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Proctor is eager to share the good news and generosity of our community. He regularly snaps photos with donors and posts them to his popular Facebook page, creating an interactive community of people proud to give back and to support each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGus’ excitement and compassion are contagious,\u201d Washington said. \u201cYou’ll see the banner he uses in many of his photos for LifeStyles. It says, “Charles County Cares.” This is true, of course. And one of the reasons that Charles Couny cares so much is that Gus Proctor truly cares about the people of our county, and he inspires others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his new role as Community Organizer, he is free to pursue the feel-good endeavors that he has become known for. He also coordinates the Sheriff\u2019s Department\u2019s role in some of its signature public events, such as National Night Out, the Charles County Fair and Project Graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI could not do it without the support from Sheriff [Troy] Berry,\u201d Proctor said. \u201cHe is 1,000 percent in support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s the perfect job for the perfect person \u2014 at the perfect time. Like everywhere else during this pandemic, Charles County has many people who are struggling right now. But our community also has a big heart and many more people who are driven to help. Proctor is focused on creating the connections that help make transformation possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis county is one of the most amazing counties as far as giving back,\u201d he said. \u201cCharles County is like no other. It\u2019s simply amazing how we come together and take care of one another.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gus Proctor\u2019s \u201cretirement\u201d lasted all of two weeks. He had only just stepped aside from his role as a sergeant in the Charles County Sheriff\u2019s Department in late August, when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n The vehicle pulled slowly into the bumpy parking lot, a black plastic trash bag taped across one window, doing the best it could to keep the cold winter air at bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After parking, a young couple stepped out to find LifeStyles of Maryland Assistant Director Corae Young waiting for them beside the large white passenger van bearing the LifeStyles logo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She\u2019d been expecting them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Wednesday, Young joined Homeless Services Manager Jean Bazile and Client Advocate Supervisor Shavonna Butler, making their rounds across Charles County, engaging with the local homeless population and offering food, water and essentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a typical part of the organization\u2019s weekly homeless outreach, but on this day, the team had the added task of conducting the annual Point-in-Time Count, a national effort that each year attempts to estimate the number of unsheltered adults and children living in our communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The couple had emailed Young earlier in the day, and she asked to meet them that evening at the Bryans Road Shopping Center, the final outreach stop of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019d stayed in a hotel the night before, but most nights recently, they\u2019ve been staying in that SUV with their two children and the trash bag over the window as the January temperatures regularly dropped into the 20s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n COUNTING AND SERVING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Point-in-Time Count is conducted each January, as required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Most years, LifeStyles deployed teams of volunteers from 12pm until midnight, canvassing the county and visiting known homeless encampments or anywhere else they can go to get the most accurate count of unsheltered individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As it has for most everything else, the pandemic changed things this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe goal is to count the number of people who are living on our streets, but our goal is to also make sure that we serve them at the same time,\u201d Young said. \u201cThis year it's different because of COVID, so we have had to limit how many people can do outreach. Normally we have more than 100 volunteers helping with either street outreach or gathering supplies. So it\u2019s more limited this year, but we actually have a week to do the survey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the first day of the count, the LifeStyles team had completed dozens of survey forms identifying homeless individuals at stops across Waldorf, La Plata and Bryans Road. They\u2019ll do it twice more next week at locations that will be announced soon.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While the revised approach and limited volunteers may affect the accuracy of the count this year, Young said she believes the number of homeless individuals could be declining because of the extraordinary efforts that LifeStyles and other local services and organizations have made to find shelter for them during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere has been a lot of coordination of helping our homeless population this entire pandemic,\u201d she said. \u201cQuite a few of them are either in shelters or we have worked hard to get them placed in housing or with family temporarily. So we'd like to say that the majority of the reason why we have a lower count is that many of them have been offered shelter or housing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n ACCEPTING A HAND UP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Within minutes of arriving, the couple in the SUV also met Rene Curry, an Intake Supervisor with the Charles County Department of Social Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe asked them vital questions about how they arrived at their situation and whether there is someone we can contact to let them come and stay with them,\u201d Curry said. \u201cIt\u2019s called a homeless intake, and it\u2019s what we do every day. When it gets really cold or we have inclement weather, you have more people willing to go into shelter care. This time is our busiest time of year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She was able to help them complete paperwork to make them eligible for a range of services and housing options. Once they have COVID tests, they will become eligible for shelter through Safe Nights or one of the other local options available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the couple completed the intake process, the LifeStyles team prepared bags with four hot meals from the Southern Maryland Food Bank, as well as nonperishable milk, cereal, hand warmers, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, hygiene items and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever comes next for this young couple and their children, they\u2019ve taken an important first step toward finding safe shelter. Now that they\u2019ve coordinated with both LifeStyles and the Department of Social Services, they\u2019ll be able to take advantage of the resources and opportunities available to them to improve their situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And it\u2019s that coordination that brings about the Help, Hope and Transformation that everyone is striving to achieve in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey\u2019re our partner agency, so we work very closely, very hand in hand,\u201d Curry said of LifeStyles. \u201cWe need them and they need us.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-staff-and-volunteer-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static.wixstatic.com\/media\/b3875f_91c43b021c504f1c8115b6bfd7034dfc~mv2.jpeg\/v1\/fill\/w_360%2Ch_480%2Cal_c%2Cq_90\/b3875f_91c43b021c504f1c8115b6bfd7034dfc~mv2.webp?w=1080&ssl=1\")
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