A quick note: I’m visiting family in France for the next two weeks, so my Daily Dose is going to be more spare this week and sporadic through mid-August. Thanks for reading me!
Good morning, DMV! It’s Thursday, July 30.
A few months ago, I asked readers about job loss, transition and how they’re feeling about the change.
Ann Crowley, 61, of Alexandria, responded: “Frustrated. Disheartened and a little embarrassed by my status. I hate when folks ask me what I’m up to.”
I reached out to her. We spoke last week, and I found a sweet, bright spot in our conversation.
Earlier this year, she signed up on Rover to care for cats and dogs. She said this about her current gig: “I’m meeting new people. Hanging out with pups is awesome for me. They’re the best coworkers I’ve ever had.”
(Courtesy of Ann Crowley)
But she struggles.
Ann worked 40 years in nonprofits — 25 of those years for Human Rights Campaign as the organization fought for marriage equality and “don’t ask, don’t tell.” She was a fundraiser.
She lost that job during the pandemic. She later worked two years at the National Wildlife Federation, but her role was eliminated in May 2025 due to loss of government funding, she said. It is her time with HRC that she clings to in her heart.
“There was a lot about that job that provided fulfillment, joy, a sense of accomplishment, community. I’m personally gay. It was not just for some 14-year-old in Iowa who realizes he’s gay. It was for me, my family. The idea of making life better and moving the needle was so fulfilling and powerful,” she said.
“I never imagined that my last chapter of my career would be picking up dog poop all day. This is not where I thought my life would be … Yet here I am.”
(Ann Crowley)
Over the past year, she has done part-time consulting, but that has dried up. She applied for at least 89 jobs, according to a list she showed me. I quickly crunched her data: She was interviewed for 39 jobs and got 21 rejections. Most never responded. She landed only the one at the National Wildlife Federation.
“Everybody is applying. It’s like musical chairs, and everybody is fighting for those chairs,” she said.
She worries about health insurance and car repairs. She earns roughly $1,000 a month through Rover. This work and the good ratings from pet owners give her a boost.
“I definitely enjoy hanging out with animals.”
Have you recently lost your job? How are you coping? Share your story here.
(Courtesy of Ann Crowley)
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📓 Things to do
This Sunday morning, head to Rock Creek Park for the Words from Birds workshop led by local writer Foley O'Brien. After a hike of about a mile, Foley will lead a generative writing of about an hour. Funds raised by the event will be donated to the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network.
📷 Your neighborhood
(Anne Wotring)
Anne Wotring, 75, shared this photo taken Tuesday night in her neighborhood in Bethesda.
“Miraculously this tree didn't fall on my neighbors’ house or car during last night’s intense storm. A second tree fell further down our street, blocking residents in,” she wrote in her submission.
“Pepco and the Montgomery County police arrived promptly and worked through the night. Within 8 hours they restored our electricity and internet and opened up the road. They did a superb job!”
🐕
