For anyone who has stepped inside the Boston Living Center (BLC), Phylee is a familiar, high-energy presence. Whether she is tossing a salad, sharing a laugh with members, or prepping ingredients for a community meal, her dedication to the space is undeniable.
But Phylee’s connection to Victory Programs runs much deeper than her shifts in the kitchen. Years ago, facing a life-altering diagnosis and searching for a path to recovery, Phylee walked through our doors looking for a lifeline. She found it first at LARC (our Living and Recovering Community), and later, at the Boston Living Center.
“When I first came to the BLC, I was in a dark place,” Phylee reflects. “But this place wrapped me in a warm, comfy blanket of unconditional love when I didn’t know where else to go. It became my sanctuary.”
Finding Purpose in the Kitchen
As Phylee found her footing in recovery, she felt a powerful urge to give back to the community that had embraced her without judgment. She started volunteering in the BLC’s commercial kitchen, turning her love for food into a way to care for others navigating HIV/AIDS and chronic health conditions. For Phylee, cooking isn’t just about nutrition—it’s about serving dignity and connection.
If you really want to see Phylee in her element, you have to visit her legendary lemonade stand. She treats the BLC community to an absolute experience, crafting a massive menu of different fruit flavors, fresh-muddling the ingredients by hand, and shaking up each cup right to the beat of the music. It’s impossible not to smile when she’s behind the counter, and she is incredibly excited to expand her stand to bring those delicious flavors, tunes, and vibrant celebrations to even more Victory Programs locations in the future!
“We come together as a family here,” says Phylee. “A loving, wonderful community. I just love this place, and I want to give my best each and every day to the people who walk through those doors, because I know exactly what it feels like to be in their shoes.”
Hitting the Pavement in PTown
Now, Phylee is taking her advocacy to the next level. This month, she is participating in the Provincetown 5K and dedicating her miles to raising vital funds for our wonderful sister organization on the Cape, the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod (ASGCC).
Phylee’s transformation from a client seeking support to a fierce community advocate, volunteer leader, and fundraiser is a beautiful testament to the power of peer-led care. She spent years relying on the BLC as a safety net during life’s hardest storms; today, she is laced up and running to support a parallel mission of care, making sure that resources, love, and life-saving services remain vibrant for individuals navigating HIV/AIDS across the entire region.
How You Can Support Phylee
We are incredibly proud to have our powerhouse BLC volunteer repping the spirit of community out on the Cape! You can join us in cheering her on by helping her crush her fundraising goals for the ASGCC. Every dollar raised supports a vital network of unconditional love and regional care.