A PARTNERS FOR CHANGE SUCCESS STORY OF "RAY THOMAS"
by Denise Wisdom,Certified Food Service Manager
Partners for Change
Housing Partnership, Inc.
Today, "Ray Thomas" is a 37 year-old man with integrity, self confidence and a career. This was not so true on March 3, 2008 when Ray entered Partners for Change as one of the first few residents of CPG’s pilot CDOI project.
Ray came to Partners for Change a nervous wreck. Stripped of his dignity, by drug use and tragedy, he was completely dysfunctional and suicidal.
Ray is of Italian descent and one of eight children from a split family. He was allowed to drink wine with dinner at the age of seven and he was miserably abused. This started him on the road to alcoholism. By age 13, he was a black-out drunk. Ray was diagnosed with PTSD from years of being abused. He suffered from major depression at a young age. Ray got into recovery in 1993 and was clean and productive for 15 years until three tragedies struck his life.
First, Chan’s fiancée died of medical complications; his father died in a jet ski accident; and then his brother was murdered. These traumatic occurrences left Ray with a grave sense of despair. Ray said, “I wanted to end my life! I decided to end it by taking a shower with a space heater, but I got too drunk to do it. The next day, I called some friends who came and took me to Columbia Hospital. I stayed there for three weeks then I went to Partners for Change-- where my life did change.”
When Ray came to PFC, he could not hold his hands still and he was heavily medicated. He stayed to himself and did a lot of reading for most of the first few weeks. Scott Lawrence was his assigned therapist and they connected very well. Scott was able to help Ray re-ignite his spark for life. Ray attributes positive influences by other PFC employees to his coming out of despair. Kerry Wallis and Rebecca Cable were instrumental in breaking him out of his shell.
Three weeks after coming to Partners for Change, Ray got a job (a major step in regaining his self-esteem). Ray believes that the therapy he received, the loving and caring environment, connecting with fellow residents, and reconnecting with God, enabled him to once again believe in himself. He was able to clear his criminal record of 12 arrests. "Ray Thomas"’s most valuable accomplishment was earning his teaching certificate. He is now employed with the Palm Beach County School District as a high school English teacher.
Ray has gone from a homeless, unemployed, medicated danger to himself to a man of valor. He said, “Because of Partners for Change, I have a profession, value myself, work in the community and live in the faith that God loves me.”
Ray continues to be an important part of Partners for Change. He comes to PFC to take newcomers to meetings; he sponsors those who need encouragement and brings in alumni speakers once a week. Ray exemplifies success as a product of Partners for Change.
A CPG STORY: "LAURA"
by Mindy Parsons, Outpatient Therapist
Parent-Child Center, Inc.
Sometimes we are dealt hands that would not be of our choosing, as life has a way of often being unfair. Yet, even in our darkest moments, we are given choices – choices to rage against our lot in life or to seize even the tiniest shreds of opportunity and hope. In the face of tremendous odds and adverse circumstances, CPG client, "Laura", chose hope.
Raised by a doting grandmother who loved her unconditionally, Laura fought hard to recover from her Nana’s untimely death while she was just a junior in high school. Faced with such a huge void in her heart, it was then that life took a fateful turn as she met the boy who would eventually become her husband – a teenaged bride and groom.
A few short years later, they found themselves parents once, then twice. With two children in the home under the age of three, the stress of making ends meet began to take its toll and sadly, their home became a violent one riddled with abuse. Although initially reluctant due to deep embarrassment at her situation, Laura graciously accepted the help of CPG as a source of encouragement and community resources.
In mere months, Laura has made tremendous strides. She has grown with the support of case management and delved headlong into introspection of her challenges through outpatient therapy. Her children, once improperly diagnosed with learning disabilities and hints at autism, have vastly expanded their language and fine motor skills. She credits being open to suggestion and putting parenting advice to work in her daily routine with the children.
Seemingly unstoppable, she presses hard toward playing the hand she’s been dealt as best she can. Once a high school graduate who put her dreams on hold, she has recently applied to a local community college – determined to make a better life for herself and her family. But she hasn’t stopped there. Struggling with raising children in an apartment located in a high crime area, she physically felt the emotional strain of constant shootings in their neighborhood. That’s when she decided her fate would be different and she found an affordable home to rent in an historic area of Lake Park.
Today, Laura’s gratitude is palpable. She is thankful for the support and encouragement she continues to receive from CPG, but perhaps it is those who have been fortunate enough to work with her who are the truly lucky ones. While we wish this kind of success for all our clients, it is not always our destiny to witness progress, let alone such high level of achievement. In the end, it is clients like Laura that give us all hope – and in that hope we find our strength to carry on.
The “D” FAMILY
by Sandy Symonds, Case Manager
Partners for Prevention
Parent-Child Center, Inc.
Partners for Prevention (PFP) accepted the “D” Family in September of 2009. This family consists of a single mother and her four children, ranging in ages from one to eight years old.
When I first met the D Family, they were living in a shelter; the mother was employed at a fast food restaurant. She was concerned about her six-year-old daughter, who is having learning and behavioral problems at school and at home. She was very aggressive. The mother initiated an appointment with Parent-Child Center before PFP’s involvement, and a diagnosis of ADHD was given. Also recommended was a psycho-educational evaluation. A referral was completed to Multi-lingual, where the six-year-old was diagnosed with learning disabilities. The oldest daughter was also having difficulty in school and she was referred to PFP. We were able to get child care through Family Central, as well as clothing, school uniforms, two car seats, bus passes, and food.
PFP assisted the parent in completing a social security application, and the six-year-old was referred to therapy. The mother found an apartment and PFP assisted her with the move-in cost. The children were out of the shelter, but now they were farther from their school. The mother negotiated a discounted price with a cab driver to get her daughters to school. The mother has numerous appointments with various agencies, and her two-year-old has been receiving services through Child Find. She finds a way to get her children to appointments with bus passes and rides, while continuing to work.
Parent-Child Center Therapist, Rob Lerro, has been working with the “D” Family, and they have started working with Case Manager, Cheryl Jordan, as PFP needed to close the case. The family recently moved to a larger apartment and social security was awarded. The mother and Cheryl will work with the school on the IEP and will resume the process of placement in an ESE program.
I chose to write about the “D” Family as the mother has made great progress and it shows how everyone worked together to help this family become successful.