60 | FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE A 2ND ACT Vincent’s journey to this second act began not with a bold plan, but with a phone call. Her friends Susan Levine, retired executive director of Hospice of the Valley, and Judy Mohraz, former president and CEO of Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, had an idea: What if Betsy’s vivid, expressive paintings could help brighten the lives of people transitioning out of homelessness? It just happened to be perfect timing. Vincent and her husband, Norm, were preparing to downsize, and her home studio was filled with hundreds of pieces accumulated over years of prolific output. “I used to say, ‘I’ll know what to do with all these paintings when the time comes,’” Vincent said. “And when Susan called, I just knew. This was it.” With help from Levine and Mohraz, a team at SVdP was formed. They began collecting the paintings, sometimes by the vanload, and installing them throughout both campuses. Each delivery became its own community event. “They said people would come watch the artwork being hung, and residents started talking to each other about the colors, the memories a painting stirred,” Vincent said. “People who didn’t know each other yet were connecting.” It was a deeply personal project for Vincent, who has long had a heart for people experiencing homelessness. “I’d

FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE | 61 see someone on the street with a dog and think, ‘That could be me. That could be one of my children.’ We’re all just one circumstance away.” So she painted for them, with intention. Every face on those walls is based on a real person: a friend, a model, someone she saw in a café. “I made sure there were people of every background — Black, Hispanic, Asian, white — so that someone walking by might see a face that reminds them of home.” And she didn’t stop there. Vincent asked if residents could pick a small painting to keep near their bed. When a staffer hesitated, worried they might go missing, Vincent didn’t blink. “Good. Let them take it. I’ll paint more,” she said. After a long career — studying at Carnegie Mellon University, exhibiting her work across the country, collecting other artists’ pieces — Vincent says this unexpected chapter might be the most meaningful yet. “This is the hardest move I’ve ever made,” she said about downsizing. “But also the most beautiful. I’m painting every day again, and I’m painting with purpose.” It turns out, her mother was right. Paint what you love — and it just might bring others home. To learn more, visit stvincentdepaul.net . With vision and heart, Judy Mohraz ( second from left ) and Susan Levine ( far right ) teamed up to reimagine the interiors of St. Vincent de Paul's transitional housing communities.