FORSYTH COUNTY — The Place of Forsyth may always have its doors open in a commitment to help anyone in need, but as of Thursday those doors will no longer be held open by the organization’s iconic leader. She’s both ready — and sad — about that. Even in the last week before she retired, Sandy Beaver, who has been the executive director of The Place for 15 years, worked tirelessly to make sure everything she “can possibly do in advance is done.”“I love my work, and I have a passion for what we do, and I will miss it and the people,” Beaver said. “So that part will be very difficult.” Beaver won’t completely disappear from the nonprofit’s life, though. She said she will continue to be “in the background” and support the “work I believe in.” She began that work at The Place as a volunteer in 1995. She had just moved to Forsyth County, bought a home and received a welcome packet. The packet talked about a place that provided emergency basic needs for individuals or families and even had a thrift store to support the cause.“I went in to volunteer, and they didn’t let me leave,” Beaver said. “Apparently, they were short staffed. I had just moved from Iowa as a homeless crisis counselor. I walked in, and they said we need you because you’ve already been doing exactly what we do.” She volunteered for a month before becoming a part-time case worker for four years.“I found out about what this community was about and really liked it here and what was being done,” she said. “So I just ended up staying.” She said her fondest memories of her time at The Place are of assisting a homeless person and seeing his or her situation be resolved, going “on to better things and a good life.” One man who came in homeless still makes a monthly donation to help those who are in the same situation Beaver and her staff helped him escape.“That’s,” she said, “what it’s all about.” ‘Lifted up with dignity’ Even though just talking about her upcoming last day choked her up, Beaver said she knows the people there have the capability to keep it going. She said she would tell them to “keep on doing what you’re doing in taking care of those that need the safety net that The Place has become.” Ruth Baumann, lead caseworker, has worked with Beaver at The Place for 10 years.“Sandy has faith that people can better their situation and that everyone should be given a chance to better themselves,” Baumann said. “She also believes her life has been enriched because of the people she has met along the way, people who gave their time, talent and treasure to The Place.” Baumann said Beaver leaves behind a legacy that instills the thought that “we all, at one point or another, may fall in misfortune and deserve to be heard and given a chance to be lifted up with dignity.” Even after Beaver leaves, Baumann will take her advice.“If you err on the side of compassion, then it is not a mistake.” Doing right Beaver’s compassion has led to 4,300 Wednesday Noon Day Meals served a year, according to Becky Powell, a board member for The Place. On Christmas and Thanksgiving, 300 boxes of food are given to families.“She’s always strived to do the right things for the right reasons for the citizens of Forsyth County,” Powell said. Annually, Powell said, The Place provides more than $1 million in in-care assistance, whether the clients need food, clothing or shelter. They provide $200,000 in monetary assistance. In the past year, The Place helped 15 homeless clients.“People who came to us homeless, she would at least temporarily get them into housing situations,” Powell said. “She helps prevent about 100 [people from becoming homeless] a year, to help with rent or anything.“Being with someone who can face adversity every day and still be so committed to doing the right things, it’s never failing. Her heart is whole-heartedly in the helping of the citizens.” Powell said in addition to compassion, Beaver gave her an “understanding of what it means to have a responsibility for a nonprofit agency.”“I’ve always looked to her as a mentor going into the world of nonprofit [from a for-profit business],” she said. “She gets it. The human needs, how to get there and do it ethically and fairly and nonjudgmentally. What I get to see is her ability to help somebody move forward in their life instead of just becoming dependent on someone else to take care of them.” The idea of servant leadership has stuck with Powell, she said, and that’s because of Beaver.“It’s kept me grounded and with an unquestionable understanding of what’s right or wrong in the world and that not everybody is as lucky as me and my family have been.” ‘With every change comes opportunity’ No one could deny the impact Beaver made on The Place in her time there, but someone else must step in to take the reins. Powell and Mary Beth Grenner, who chairs the board of directors, will step in as interim co-executive directors, which was approved with a board resolution.“The staff is so seasoned and good they all know what they need to do,” Powell said. In a new director, they are “looking for someone who has awareness of how a nonprofit works, along with a business sense and a public relations and marketing slant. We need that person to be the face of The Place. With every change comes opportunity.” Anyone interested in the position can apply through theplaceofforsyth.org. Powell said a committee will begin interviewing applicants in the next “week or so.” As change comes and The Place must continue on, Beaver’s bittersweet retirement is opening doors she has left unexplored.“I used to paint a lot,” Beaver said. “I love quilting. I started writing a book like 15 years ago that I have since shelved. I want to work more on my family tree. I can go home and visit my family more. I’ll have opportunities to travel and enjoy some quiet. I can find plenty to do.”