Phillip’s Story
Education - A Family Affair “I know some schools don't want to hold kids back, even if they need it,” says Phillip, the proud father of 11-year-old twin boys, Phillip Jr. and Kamron. “But I'd rather my boys get left behind rather than go through life not knowing anything.” Phillip understands what it means…
Cassandra’s Story
Fast-Track Education on Life When Cassandra's family moved from Mississippi to Milwaukee when she was 5 months old, they hoped to better their lives. Instead, her family struggled from paycheck to paycheck. Despite their struggles, however, Cassandra's parents emphasized one important value: education. Cassandra was 12 years old when her mother died. Suddenly her…
Don’s Story
At some point, most little boys want to be like their dad — for better and for worse. Don, a 29-year-old guest at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission, was no different. But Don's father was a drug addict and drug dealer. “I learned from my dad a world that revolved around drugs and criminal activity,”…
Wilson’s Story
“All my life, all I wanted was to be normal,” says Wilson, a 35-year-old guest at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission. “I know when some people see me, they think I'm crazy. But deep down, I know there ain't nothing wrong with me.” From an early age, Wilson has struggled to cope with a variety…
Sheila’s Story
On the surface, Sheila always “had it together.” She was intelligent, ambitious, a loving mother and enjoyed a successful career as a Certified Dialysis Technician. But lurking deep beneath that surface lived a frightened little girl. “Growing up, I had trouble trusting anyone,” she says. “And I was always afraid — afraid of success,…
Robert’s Story
Most of my life, I wondered, “What use is love? What use is prayer or God?'' It didn't start out that way. My mother was a loving woman who believed in God. But life treated her cruelly. My father abandoned us when I was quite young. Mom struggled to feed me and my siblings,…
Melanie’s Story
I can't remember a time I wanted to live. I never knew my father, and my mother was an alcoholic prostitute who wanted to abort me. For much of my life, there were times I wished I hadn't been born. When I was a year and a half old, authorities took me from my…
Michael’s Story
People used to ask me what I'd change if I could go back in time. That was easy. I'd make sure I was never born. Life was meaningless and hopeless, I thought, and there's nothing you can do about it. It's just a big endurance test that only alcohol could get me through. I…
Larry’s Story
Here at the beginning of a brand new year, I have one simple New Year's wish: I want a new chance at life. I want a new beginning. I want to learn to read and write. Growing up in Chicago, I made it all the way to seventh grade — and I was illiterate.…
Semajia’s Story
Some gifts come and go — but sometimes a gift can change a life.Semajia is an 18-year-old youth who lives with her mother at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission's Joy House — an experience that has given her a second chance at life. That's a gift, she says, and she's determined to make the most…
