Covenant House

One of the successes at Covenant House is Ms. Bullock and her son Malik. Ms. Bullock is currently residing in our Rights of Passage housing program (ROP). She came to us in the fall of 2008. When she first arrived she was an angry young lady who seemed to think that any advice that was offered regarding her son was an insult to her. She was very upset when we shared with her Malik’s Denver II results and insisted that we “did not know what we were talking about” and that there was nothing wrong with her son. We continued to share with her how we would help Malik strengthen his large motor skills and reinforced that the results of the Denver II only measured where he should be and it was designed to help us to see what areas of development we need to work on. Over time she began to see that it was not an attack on her parenting skills but an attempt to help her understand what signs to look for in his future development. During the second Denver II assessment we were able to show how our techniques had strengthened the use of his limbs and how much balance and coordination he was able to gain. We also pointed out that he was attempting other tasks now that he felt more confident and had gained mastery over his balance and movement. Malik is now preparing to move over to our two year old class. We are working on preparing him for a more structured environment and a significant number of changes from the infant room, to the two’s classroom.

DC Central Kitchen

On Tuesday, July 21, DC Central Kitchen celebrated the graduation of our 75th Culinary Job Training Class. The ceremony featured guest speaker Kwame Brown, DC Council Member at-large, who delivered the keynote speech. Class 75 had a unique 12 weeks, taking field trips to Endless Summer Harvest, a hydroponic farm, and participating in a Field to Plate Class, taught by Chef Tim Miller of Mie N Yu. In addition to receiving a solid education in the culinary arts, computer literacy, job hunting, and life skills, the Culinary Job Training curriculum also includes nutrition classes that correlate with each culinary module. Students gain knowledge about healthy eating habits and cooking techniques in order to serve a diverse population with various health needs.

During the course of the program, Class 75 helped produce over a quarter of a million meals for social service agencies in the city. Working in meal production provides students with real-world training as they meet the intense production schedule and timeline. Students of Class 75 will now join their fellow Alumni of the Culinary Job Training program as they begin their successful culinary careers. After only three weeks of job searching, graduates of Class 75 have already gained successful employment at places consisting of the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, J& G Steakhouse (Located in the W hotel Washington), All faith Consortium, McCormick and Schmicks, Jamaica Jamaica, Palena, and Grand Hyatt.

National Multiple Sclerosis Society – National Capital Chapter

The following example describes in more detail how the United Way funds made a difference in the lives of District of Columbia families affected by MS. In the “A” family, all four members of the household are affected by disabilities. Mrs. A, a woman in her early 60s, and her young adult son, both live with MS. It is not uncommon for multiple members of a family to be diagnosed with MS; although the disease is not directly inherited, genetics play a role. Additionally, Mrs. A’s husband is a disabled veteran. Mrs. A’s brother, who has a severe mental illness, also lives with the family. Although none of the four is able to live independently, together they utilize their individual strengths to care for each other. With some assistance from various community resources, the family is largely self-sufficient. However, given their various physical and financial limitations – none of the four are able to work and each receives limited disability income – the family often faces hurdles. Some household tasks present continual challenges, and the family has few financial resources to address unexpected needs. Both Mrs. A and her son rely on motorized scooters for mobility. Within one month this winter, both scooters broke and the family’s service dog died, severely limiting their independence. Using funds from the United Way, the Chapter paid for the necessary scooter repairs, restoring mobility for the mother and son with MS. Throughout the year, United Way funds also helped pay for cleaning and chore services that the family was unable to complete. With the help of United Way funds, as well as numerous community resources, a family facing multiple disabilities was able to remain as independent as possible.

Calvary Women’s Services

When LaKeisha came to Pathways, she had been homeless for several years and had been struggling with mental illness for most of her adult life. She had lost connection with all of her family, and she had spent several years moving from one emergency shelter to another, where she kept to herself. She was not sure she wanted to be at Pathways, and she had difficulty trusting the staff and other women there. Most days she spoke few words to anyone.

LaKeisha’s case manager encouraged her to begin participating in Life Skills classes and activities like writing classes, cooking classes and community outings. Through these activities, she learned new skills and began to make connections to others and build some trust in those around her. After a few months she felt comfortable enough to join Pathways’ therapy group and begin treatment for her mental illness.

“What LaKeisha needed was time,” her case manager said. “She had experienced several traumatic events in her family life where her willingness to trust had been used against her and people close to her took advantage of her. Her mental illness reinforced her feeling that she could not trust anyone.”

LaKeisha’s case manager also helped connect her to community mental health services that would provide her continuous support wherever she lives. Now, LaKeisha is living successfully on her own in a permanent housing program. The program allows her to live with privacy and independence, yet it provides emotional and practical support when she struggles with her mental illness.

LaKeisha credits the staff at Pathways with giving her the tools and time she needed to develop trust in others and overcome the isolation her illness imposed on her. The staff, however, commends LaKeisha for her hard work and courage as she overcame significant obstacles and changed her own life.

Christ House

Like many of the patients at Christ House, 23 year old Daniel had already spent several months in prison. After his release on parole, Daniel broke his jaw in a street fight, a serious injury which required wiring his jaw shut for several weeks. His doctors recommended Christ House for his long recovery, knowing that Daniel could find both healing and hope in our supportive community.

Our medical staff monitored the healing of his fractures while our kitchen staff prepared specially blended meals that Daniel could drink through a straw. Daniel often expressed his desire to turn his life around and be involved in the lives of his two young children. With the help of our Case Managers, he took advantage of our substance abuse recovery programs and became an active participant in the Christ House community. Many of the older patients treated Daniel as a “little brother,” offering him their wisdom and advice over games of Scrabble in our Sun Room.

After nearly two months, Daniel’s jaw had healed. Our Case Managers worked closely with Daniel to find a program which would help him continue to improve his life, and he was placed in a substance abuse recovery program that also focuses on job training and housing. Daniel left Christ House with a smile, ready to take control of his future.