Supporter Stories: Interview with Steve Goodman

GHCC: Tell us a bit about yourself

Steve Goodman: I’m a software engineer for a small federal contracting company. I’m an avid gardener, I spend a lot of my free time digging in my front yard, and I’m finishing up a new deck in the back yard. On Sundays, I attend a “Course in Miracles” study group which gives me a lot of joy.

GHCC: Are you a Baltimore native?

SG: I’m not a Baltimore native. I moved here in 1998 to attend JHU. When I graduated, I lived in Mt. Vernon. After a few years there, which were great, my wife and I moved to Better Waverly. I was looking for a reasonably priced house with a yard for my dogs and my gardening. I fell in love with Charles Village while I was studying at Hopkins, so I was always looking for a place in Greater Homewood. We stumbled upon our house in Waverly, which has a huge city lot of 25’X200′! It’s a shady neighborhood, which is great for our hot summers and for bird watching. Our neighbors are some of the sweetest people in the world, which really makes our neighborhood great. I didn’t know that when I decided to move here, but it has been the biggest blessing.

GHCC: When did you first discover Greater Homewood Community Corporation and what prompted you to become a supporter of our work?

SG: I can’t point to a specific moment when I found out about GHCC. It’s a testament to your marketing that GHCC is just in my mind somehow. When I first moved into my house, I was attending some of the Better Waverly Community Organization meetings. I wanted to help out one of my neighbors who was in a tough situation, and GHCC seemed like a vehicle for making my special project a reality. The more I found out about GHCC’s mission of strengthening community in Baltimore, the more I wanted to support that mission. I’ve always felt that developing relationships with people is what life is all about, and GHCC’s focus has always been about connecting people with each other and with opportunity.

GHCC: Why do you believe it’s important for individuals to support a nonprofit like GHCC?

SG: No man is an island. We all depend on and support one another in everything we do. I couldn’t sit in my house typing these answers without the builders who put it here, the city that maintains the roads, BGE who keeps the power on, the people who are these organizations. We’re all connected. It’s our responsibility to pay the debt we owe our brothers and sisters for supporting us. The more we can give to our communities, the more everyone receives.

GHCC: What do you love most about living in Greater Homewood?

SG: The early evening at Sherwood Gardens when the tulips are in bloom is a little slice of heaven.