Network thrived under Ivy Olson's leadership

• Founder of charity network faces cancer in good spirits

By Mary Kaye Ritz
Religion and Ethics Writer

•	Angel Network Charities A ministry for the hungry and homeless, attached to Calvary-by-the-Sea Lutheran Church 377-1841.

When Olson got sick in 1999, her group started to falter, too. Now, eight families live in Angel Network housing.

"For a while, the board had some difficulty stabilizing itself without her at the helm," Rubins said. "The spiritual force that is Ivy was absent from board meetings."

The only thing left to do was to reduce services and reprioritize. "We tried to get things back on a more stable financial keel — which has been done," Rubins said.

With a new executive director — Helga Wilhelm, formerly of Big Brothers Big Sisters — the aim came to make Angel Network into a stronger, tighter organization.

"There are good things ahead, I believe," Rubins said. "The transition period was rocky for a while. ... It's better for the long term."

Olson said she had hoped to share all her years of service, all the lessons she learned, with the new CEO, but had to "let it go."

Will Angel Network ever be able to recapture its glory days under Olson's leadership?

"It was so glowing at that time, I don't know if that can ever be recaptured, unless we have another cloned Ivy Olson," Rubins said. "If there are substantial kinds of resources that becomes available, it can be possible, but not in the sense of the spirit that invigorated it."

And Wilhelm said her job has been harder since Sept. 11: "We've had a lot of people calling in, asking for help. ... We wish we could take more families."

However, if they themselves can't assist those who request help, Wilhelm said, they'll find a service agency that can.

Correction: Winona E. Rubin, former state director of human services, is a board member of Angel Network Charities. Her last name was misspelled because of a reporter’s error. The preferred number for calling Angel Network is 377-1841.