Success Stories

• A young man came to the Chaplain’s Office after being released from prison. He was surprised to learn that we had the driver’s license he had lost before being arrested. It had been turned in to us when it was found. He talked about wanting to go to California to get away from the element that had repeatedly gotten him into trouble and prison. He had not had any family contact in about 20 years, but he thought his aunt, who had rescued him repeatedly from his abusive mother, might want to hear from him and maybe help. We found his aunt and called and left messages, but after two days, we hadn’t heard from her. She finally called us and said she had been searching for him for 20 years. We helped him to rejoin his family, and he has since been reunited with his mother, who went into recovery years ago.

• The Motor Vehicle Division referred a man to ECH, because they couldn’t exchange his out-of-state driver’s license. He didn’t have it in his possession and couldn’t get it. While moving to Arizona, he was involved in a horrible accident, was evacuated to a Phoenix hospital, and released after a month. Everything he owned, including his license, was in his wrecked and impounded auto in Buckeye. He was on the street because he didn’t have the money to get to Buckeye, and no one would give him a ride. We gave him the ride, which was a simple solution to his problem of homelessness.

• A young woman came to the Chaplain after she escaped a violent and abusive relationship. After she got away, all her possessions, including her birth certificate, were burned out of spite. She arrived at our offices with nothing but the clothes she was wearing. We succeeded in obtaining her birth certificate from another state, and an Arizona I.D. card. Years of drug abuse had created havoc in her life and great difficulty for her mother. A phone call found her family was anxious to have her home. She called us the day before entering a drug treatment program, back with family and friends, and looking at a new path for her life.

• A man stopped by a while ago to thank us for our help. We helped him get his ID 2½ years ago right after he was released from prison. Today, he has a good job, a 3-bedroom home, and is very grateful. He just wanted to tell us in person.

These are just a few of the many successes we see every day....