Dorthy Neal's Story
Dorthy Neal was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. After years away, she came back five years ago — and that return changed everything. She found herself in a women's shelter, battling alcohol addiction, struggling to find her footing in a neighborhood that had changed but still felt like home.
On July 8th, four years ago, Dorthy had her last drink. She made a promise to God: if He removed the craving, she would never touch alcohol again — and she would do His will. She kept both sides of that promise.
Dorthy started going back to the same shelter where she once stayed — not because they guided her, but because she knew exactly what the women there were missing. When she was there, nobody walked her through the resources. She figured it out on her own, and she was not going to let that keep happening to other women. She also picked up volunteer shifts at hospitals and other organizations across the city.
She had been working at a nonprofit on the North Side, but she kept seeing the gap: her community, the South Side, wasn't getting the same resources. So in February of this year, she left her job. She founded D&D Foundation full-time, because the South Side deserves better.
Today, D&D Foundation is a free resource navigation service for South Side Chicago residents. Dorthy doesn't just hand people a list — she walks alongside them, makes the calls, and makes sure they actually get what they need.
