14 | SUMMER 2011 Martha’s Village & Kitchen
UPCOMING EVENTS for Father Joe’s Villages across the Southland
INDIO
Volunteer Orientation June 22 • July 6 & 20
August 17 & 31 • September 14 & 28 October 12 & 26 • November 7 & 11 December 2 & 7
August 25
Back-to-School Shopping
November 24 MVK 5th Annual
Thanksgiving Day 5K Run/Walk
SAN DIEGO Volunteer Orientation
July 5 • August 2 • September 6 October 4
June 26 August 5 October 24
San Diego International Triathlon
Red Boudreau “Hot Summer Nights” Party
Lucky Duck Foundation Swing & Soiree
November 24 Father Joe’s 10th Annual
Thanksgiving Day 5K Run/Walk
Chaplain Sister Mary Jane Kenney and Nick A.
Nick Finds His Way on a Tandem Bike
California at Irvine for fi ve years as a pre-med student. Following a diffi cult struggle with calculus and chemistry he was placed on academic probation,but, once he’d added psychology as a second major, he eventually made it to the Dean’s List! Although Nick had experimented socially with marijuana, cocaine and psychedelic drugs (starting with pot at the age of 12), alcohol became his drug of choice. It soon became impossible for him to get through a day without it. Nick never did earn his college degree, choosing instead to drop out and fi nd work. His plan was to save enough money to return to school and fi nish what he'd started. Although he was able to hold down odd jobs and get promoted, Nick
N
ick had a bumpy start in life. Straight out of high school, he attended the University of
couldn’t keep the jobs long enough to build his savings for school. At the age of 30 he married but, 10 years later and due to his excessive drinking, the marriage dissolved. Divorced, out of work, addicted, and
living on the streets, Nick survived by working day labor jobs. Sometimes he would sleep and eat at homeless shelters, trying to quit his addictions but never succeeding. One day, while staying at Martha’s
Village & Kitchen for the fourth time, he became depressed over his unfulfi lled dreams. A song came on the radio that said “It’s where you need to be right now/it’s just where I want you to be,” and that’s when the proverbial light went on. With the help of MVK staff, Nick started working on a new plan to quit his dependence on drugs and alcohol and to follow the Bridges to
Martha’s Village & Kitchen in Indio, Calif., offers a continuum of care for people to regain their self- sufficiency. The Village provides emergency and transitional housing for singles and families, addiction counseling, job skills, career counseling, medical care and children’s services. Martha’s is the largest provider of homeless services in the Coachella Valley.
Independence program at Martha’s Village. He also met Sister Mary Jane Kenney and, on a weekly basis, began attending Bible sharing group, Catholic mass, and time spent with the rosary — all of which supplemented his Bridges studies with the spiritual component he needed. Over time, Nick came to believe that the song he heard on the radio was a message from God indicating His approval. Now clean and sober for a one and
a half years and attending college classes toward a certifi cation in Human Services Alcohol and Drug Studies counseling, Nick is making long-term plans to return to the University of Irvine and fi nish his bachelor’s degree. He has completed Relapse Prevention classes, joined Alcoholics Anonymous, found a part-time job that allows him to work around his school schedule, reunited with his family, and become a lector at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. He has also become an ambassador of Martha’s Village & Kitchen and now appreciates his time here rather than regrets it. Nick says, “God’s power, mercy
and love are real. We just have to cooperate.” He likes to think that his life is like a bike ride and that he and God are sharing a bicycle provided by Martha’s Village & Kitchen, with God steering the bike and Nick pedaling. (The bike represents Nick’s bed, food, discipline, skills learned, etc.) Nick trusts that God knows the way even though he can’t see over God’s shoulders. When Nick saves enough money to buy a better, faster, more comfortable bike, he wants to be sure that it is a tandem so that God will continue to be his ongoing partner in life. ■
Karen exemplifi es the importance of family
In 2009, when both Karen F. and her husband, Gerardo, lost their jobs, they didn’t know how they’d be able to survive. And what would happen to their three small children? When their savings ran out, they couldn’t afford to pay rent and found themselves homeless. They sought help from Martha’s Village
Photo by Blair Amidei Karen F.
& Kitchen. Although distraught over their circumstances, they appreciated the fact that there were things they could learn in the classes being offered. They then realized that they could change how they lived and thus keep from becoming homeless in the future.
In the fall of 2009, while the family
was staying at Martha’s Village, Gerardo became hospitalized with complications from H1N1 Infl uenza A. He was in a coma for over two months and wasn’t expected to live. While waiting and hoping for his recovery, Karen spent her time attending classes at Martha’s Village and studying for her GED test. Gerardo fi nally recovered and was present when Karen earned her GED in April, 2010. Spurred on by her own success, Karen
enrolled in the medical assistant program at the Milan Institute in Indio. The case managers at Martha’s Village also
introduced her to Habitat for Humanity and — amazingly — she and her family will soon begin work on the construction of their own home. Meanwhile, Karen and Gerardo are working and saving money for their family’s new start. Karen’s progress was so inspirational that
she was asked to tell her story at the Bridges to Independence graduation ceremony at Martha’s Village. When she was fi nished, she received a standing ovation from the entire audience. Karen is a perfect example of how
just one person can make a difference for so many. ■
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