St. Joseph's House
Caring for severely disabled youngsters—and injecting a sense of fun
By Amy Reinink
It’s mid-afternoon at St. Joseph’s House, and half a dozen young people are busy preparing for a talent show.
Amanda Mahmood, 21, leads a rousing rendition of Katy Perry’s “Firework.” Lexci Monnity, 13, chooses a silky white outfit from a bin of costumes; she’ll wear it to perform Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” Curtis James Teets, 21, dances on the sidelines.
It’s such a happy scene. It’s almost possible to forget that these young people suffer from profound disabilities. Their special needs have brought them to St. Joseph’s House, located in the cozy, four-bedroom home of Dan and Annalise “Cubby” LaHood in Silver Spring.
The program started in 1983, when Annalise opened a home day care center and accepted a disabled child as her first client. Word spread quickly that she was willing to care for kids with severe disabilities, and parents flocked to the place.
Five years later, Annalise gave birth to a child with severe health problems. The child, Francis, died of polycystic kidney disease moments after he was born. That’s when Dan left his job as an aide at Chestnut Lodge, a psychiatric hospital once located in Rockville, to help run St. Joseph’s House.
“Once we’d loved Francis, with all his brokenness, it carved out a place in our hearts for kids who are a lot like he would have been had he lived,” Dan says.
The LaHoods are lay missionaries of charity in the Third Order of Mother Teresa, meaning they have dedicated their lives to serving “the poorest of the poor.” Last year, they accepted a combined salary of $32,000. They say they have come to view St. Joseph’s House as their mission in life.
“We wondered: Had [Francis] lived, would anyone have helped us?” Annalise says.
The LaHoods now care for eight young people before and after school, and offer weekend respite and 24-hour emergency care to more than two dozen kids on an as-needed basis, often caring for children for two weeks at a time when their parents cannot. St. Joseph’s is funded by grants and donations, and doesn’t charge for its services. In the backyard, a plaque bears the names of the 16 St. Joseph’s kids who have died over the years.
Annalise and Dan, 56 and 61, respectively, are the only full-time employees, but they get help from volunteers, including their three children—Joe, 27; Mary Frances, 18; and Johnny, 13—who have grown up with St. Joseph’s.
“They’ve had to sacrifice a lot, but they’ve never complained, and they’ve grown into compassionate young people,” Annalise says.
Sam Campbell of Bethesda first brought her son, Jack, to St. Joseph’s when he was 7, after other providers turned them away. Jack has cerebral palsy, among other health challenges.
“I often joke that they’re better parents than we are,” she says of the LaHoods. “They have taken Jack bowling, to movies, ice skating—they literally take his wheelchair on the ice and push him around—and so many other wonderful things I wouldn’t have had the creativity or energy to do.”
That creativity and energy are even more impressive considering that Annalise was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. St. Joseph’s House stayed open throughout her treatment, which she mostly finished last year.
“This is our family,” Annalise says. “These kids kept me alive.”
