Hispanic Heritage spotlight: Susan Conway, 'a loving force to be reckoned with'

Editor's note: This is the second article in a planned month-long series to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Check future editions of the Daily Press for more stories.

A native of the Victor Valley, Susan Conway’s roots in the community goes deep, and her love to serve the needy goes even deeper, her supporters say.

Conway founded God’s Hand Extended, a nonprofit ministry created to serve the homeless, feed the hungry, assist single parents and help those in domestic abuse situations.

“We partner with various churches, agencies, and individuals to help people with their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs,” Conway told the Daily Press. “We have about 250 dedicated volunteers and no paid staff, which allows 100% of donations to flow directly to those we serve.”

The Apple Valley-based nonprofit accepts donations of gently used clothing, household items, and furniture from your estate clean-ups and community giveaways.

Her volunteer army consists of teachers, people in law enforcement, counselors, business people, medical professionals, moms, dads, teens, children, and people from all walks of life, said Conway.

Conway started the nonprofit in 2008 with the help of several community leaders, including the High Desert Community Foundation. She also credits “the Lord’s direction” and her husband, Joe, who urged her to “step out in faith” to launch the nonprofit ministry.

Conway started the nonprofit in 2008 with the help of several community leaders, including the High Desert Community Foundation. She also credits “the Lord’s direction” and her husband, Joe, who urged her to “step out in faith” to launch the nonprofit ministry.

Conway was born in Barstow and is a 1979 graduate of Victor Valley High School. She and her husband were high school sweethearts from age 15.

The couple has been married for nearly 36 years and have two children and two grandchildren.

"I raised my children and grandchildren to serve the community, which they do as volunteers," Conway said. "We were raised in church, which always gave back to the community, so serving goes back many, many generations."

Serving the needy

Earlier this year, the San Bernardino County annual Point-In-Time Count found that over the last two years, the countywide homeless population increased by nearly 7%.

The PITC also revealed that among High Desert municipalities, Victorville once again topped the homeless list with 455 individuals who were either sheltered, in transitional housing, or unsheltered.

While Victorville marked a 1% increase in the number of homeless people since 2020, Hesperia showed a 66% increase, from 32 to 53 individuals, during that same period.

Conway believes that when most people think of the homeless, they imagine people living on the streets, the back alleys, and open fields of Apple Valley, Hesperia, and Victorville.

“We do serve people on the streets, but we also minister to struggling single moms, and teens and young people that have jobs and go to school,” Conway said. “There are people in need who don’t look like they're people in need.”

One recipient of the organization’s benevolence was a young widow with three children who received food, household supplies, furniture, and clothing.

Conway was able to connect the widow with a local church, which is now supporting her and her children.

Last year, God's Hand Extended partnered with other nonprofit organizations to host a support event for “It Takes A Village,” the Victor Valley College program that assists its homeless and needy student population.

At the event, Conway’s nonprofit handed out free food boxes, clothing, resources and provided a taco lunch and other activities as an encouragement to students to get plugged into the community and the new program at VVC.

“I am honored to be under the local umbrella of the High Desert Community Foundation, which takes care of all of our administrative duties as we serve on the front lines,” Conway said. “The foundation accepts all financial donations toward our nonprofit and provides a tax receipt.”

'Struggles and God’s grace'

“God is faithful is the banner over my life,” Conway said. “The older I get, the more I realize how faithful God has been all my life.”

Conway admits that her life is not perfect and that she has experienced many struggles throughout her life, mainly because of her choices and her choices made by family and friends.

She credits her “struggles and God’s grace” toward her for giving her the heart to serve her community.

“I have lost loved ones, family, and friends due to addictions, choices, and life situations,” Conway said. “But God touched my heart at an early age to share Him with others during their struggles because it's about eternity.”

Over the years, the nonprofit has served the unfortunate, the broken, the single parent with no support, veterans, at-risk children, the addicted, the forgotten, the ill, and the incarcerated, Conway said.

Many of the people that the nonprofit has served are now serving with us and sharing God’s love with others, Conway said.

'A loving force to be reckoned with'

Nonprofit President Karen Sanchez told the Daily Press that the volunteers love and respect Conway because of her “genuine love for others.

“When it comes to Susan’s passion to serve the underserved in the Victor Valley, she is a loving force to be reckoned with,” Sanchez said. “She loves unconditionally, and her enthusiasm is contagious, which are a couple of reasons for our many volunteers.”

Under Conway’s leadership, which includes her faith in God, the nonprofit will continue to thrive, Sanchez said.

​Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Hispanic Heritage spotlight: Susan Conway, founder of God's Hand Extended