“Coming out of the woods on a cold winter morning you need to have a pick-me-up and to have a good place to do so, a safe place and wonderful people. It’s a great place to start over and pick up; it’s like, if you don’t know what to do or where to go there are people here to help you, or at least point you in the right direction…. Get you off your feet, get you feeling better about life.... To get somebody who doesn’t know me and only knows what I’m saying and sees me crying in front of them… its amazing. I don’t know how they’re able to shut their personal stuff off and come here to help us with our issues.”

“You give us such hope. I can come in for breakfast, pick out some clothes for my interview, and in three days I have a resume submitted to businesses and an interview scheduled. You just give us such hope.”

When I went to take the test for my recertification, I froze for a moment, questioning whether I could really succeed. But I remembered all the help and encouragement you gave me and then… I remembered who I am.