Meet New G.O.A.D. Member Tammy Winslow

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I am a native Washingtonian, raised in Montgomery County now a resident and homeowner in Prince George’s County, Maryland since 1979. I was raised in the era when care from the village was welcomed and I firmly believe that is missing from today’s communities. I joined Giving Others a Dream to help build that village in our communities.

In 1977 I gratefully accepted a scholarship from the DC Community Studies Program and attended American University (AU) in DC on that scholarship. There I studied accounting and business management and graduated with an Associate degree. I worked full time, attended AU on a part-time evening schedule, and chose to attend summer school to expedite completion, with my priority being my beautiful young son whom I needed to raise and keep active. It has amazed me that when you take on a task, the energy to complete it will come.

As a divorced single parent who worked full time in the federal government, this opportunity would have been lost without the help of the community program and family, who cared for my son on school nights. Hail to the village! This much-needed and appreciated support set the pace for my passion for giving back and paying it forward.

Using my education in accounting and business, I have given support as an independent contractor to a variety of small minority businesses over many years, after leaving the federal government. It became my passion and still brings me joy. In my career, I expanded my usefulness in business by learning construction and environmental regulations and becoming certified in a variety of environmental and construction arenas.

I am a fan of education in all forms. Information is one of the few things that can’t be taken from you. I take every opportunity to learn something new. I often find that even though the newly learned information does not fit my immediate need, it often is information that I can share with others for their benefit. I am a fan of all things related to self-improvement and urge others to take on new and unfamiliar tasks to promote that learning. I live to learn.

My preference for books is also self-improvement. As a realist, fiction was not interesting to me. I want to hear the real story, something that actually happened, or how to do something that was not already familiar to me.

I believe that truth is most important in life. I live by the Lewis Carroll quote “One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for others”.  

Diane Beal-Tydings is from the D.C. Metropolitan area, currently living in Prince

George’s County. Diane is a Nurse by profession. She graduated from college in

1984 with 2 degrees in Nursing and Human Development. Diane also attended

Michigan State University where she was enrolled in their extension program for

Hospital Administration. She recently joined G.O.A.D. because of shared interest

in helping others and wanted to find a way to expand what she was already doing

relative to supporting those in need in the community.

Diane’s philosophy of giving is to give freely from the heart, and to advocate for

the needs of the community. Her hobbies are singing, dancing, traveling, and

reading.

Diane says her role model is Jesus. The three most important things in her life

are GOD, family life, and friendship.  She is proud of her family and says it is

imperative to tell this generation to love one another.

Diane and her husband, Reginald Tydings, have 5 children and 8 grandchildren.

She says her kids all have the same heart for giving back to the community as she

does.

I have been in the DMV area all of my life. I was born and raised in Washington, D.C. My family relocated to Oxon Hill, MD, during my junior high years, where I resided until 1995. At that time, I moved to Camp Springs, MD, where I currently live. I have one daughter, who is 30 years old. She is developmentally delayed, ventilator-dependent, has various other medical conditions, and my life's joy.

My 36 years of employment with the Federal Government agency where I currently serve as a Lead Financial Management Specialist has been with the same agency.

I have been with G.O.A.D. since its inception. My reason for being one of the founders of the organization is because I saw it as an opportunity to give back to the community and inspire change. I am currently the Treasurer which includes overseeing all of the financial transactions to include tracking and documenting all incoming funds and approving all outgoing disbursements.

Pat is a native Washingtonian but has been a resident of P.G. County, Maryland since 1976. She spent 36 years working for the Federal Government, in the field of Human Resources. Happily retired, she splits her time among her various pursuits which include spending time with her family (two very independent, successful adult children and 6 grandchildren). She is an entrepreneur with multiple successful business ventures and she is deeply involved and committed to G.O.A.D.

Pat has been with G.O.A.D. since its inception in November 2014. She was one of the members who was instrumental in helping G.O.A.D. obtain its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in 2018. Pat says she joined G.O.A.D. because she promised herself that she would devote time and energy to giving back and paying it forward when she was able to. She recounts that it touched her deeply when so many family members and friends supported her oldest granddaughter, Jada when she went to college. In the spirit of giving back, she now has the opportunity to help others, especially those who are described in G.O.A.D.’s mission statement. So, when a group of friends discussed getting together to do some positive things in the community, she said, "I'm in".

Pat dived right in and volunteered to be G.O.A.D.’s first Secretary.  In that role she was able to use her “government skills," to help plan and organize G.O.A.D.’s nonprofit structure; document meetings and guidelines; and develop marketing tools to include the G.O.A.D. website, brochure, and newsletter.  

Pat believes that each of us, especially those who are able, should give as much as they can, as often as they can.  She says that giving isn’t always financial, it’s volunteering your time, skills, and energy.  

As for her free time, she laughs and says “What free time?”.  She adds that her hobbies/passions are music, traveling, swimming, dancing, reading motivational books, and spending quality time with family and friends.  

When asked about a role model, Pat's response was very heartfelt.  She said, "it was definitely her mother, Joan Middleton."  She recounted that her mom sacrificed so much by being a stay-at-home mom until she and her 2 siblings were in high school.  Her mom began working at the Senate Child and Development Center and attended classes after work.  She received her GED in 2007. The Washington Post recognized Ms. Middleton in an article, as the oldest person to receive their degree that year. Her mom continued her education beyond that, receiving her Teaching Certificate and officially becoming a substitute teacher. Pat says that after she and her sisters retired, they struggled to convince their mother to do the same. Her mom eventually retired and is enjoying her retirement to this day.  Pat credits her mother for having a tremendous impact on her and her sisters but also on her grandkids and the many children who attended the Center. So many of the children from over the years at the Center attended Ms. Middleton’s retirement celebration. Pat says she was told that not many employees get recognized in the Congressional Quarterly, but her Mom did! Pat said, that her mother and her late grandmother are the people who drive her to keep learning new things and to help others do the same.  

When asked to identify the 3 most important things in her life Pat said, "faith, family, and freedom."  As for the things that make her most proud, Pat is extremely proud of her children and grandchildren's accomplishments and the example they are setting for the next generation.  

As for a book or movie that has impacted her life, she named Stephen Covey's book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  

And finally, as to her message for posterity, she quotes Whitney Young, "It's better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared."