Giving thanks for YOU
Cyndie shares how your support changed her life!
Cyndie was fortunate to have stability growing up. She and her family lived in a good neighborhood where she stayed for 15 years, from elementary through high school. “It was just below middle class, but we kept our houses nice,” she recalls.
At 20 years old, she met her then-husband when she was working while going to school. She had three kids with him and abandoned her career plans to stay home with them. “I’m glad I did because childcare costs were insurmountable,” she says, “but being a homemaker took a toll on me when my marriage didn’t work out.”
After her divorce, Cyndie eventually had to sell her home and live with her son until the pandemic hit. “He moved out of the area, and I got stranded,” she says. Someone suggested going to a shelter.
“I thought this is what I need to do to transition and get on my feet,” Cyndie shares. She arrived at the Bay Area Rescue Mission with a goal to get back into the workforce with the confidence and leadership skills she hoped to acquire here.
“I have learned to focus and leave what I cannot control behind.”
Cyndie appreciates the class structure and guidance the Rescue Mission provides, and the skills she learned about leadership, time management, communication, problem solving and community living.
“One of the biggest takeaways from the Life Transformation Program is the confidence and ability to implement what I learned,” she shares. “I also learned to treat people the way you would want to be treated, and to be present and mindful.”
She is grateful for the caseworkers, teachers, kitchen and the hospitality skills she gained by serving here.
This holiday, Cyndie is experiencing all the joy this season has to offer – because YOU believed in the power of a fresh start and shared a life-changing gift! “Before I came to the Rescue Mission, I was always worrying because of a lack of faith. I have more hope and peace. As long as I’m in the Word of God, I can worry less.”
To read this issue of Bay Area Hope, click here.
Help other people like Cyndie…
Cyndie’s story of hope and healing is inspiring. Our long-term recovery programs exist to help other men and women find healing. Will you help provide this help to others?