Another chance.

First came 5/9/2014 out of prison. (14 months) Difficult to find place to live because of past offenses. Matthew 25 ministries provided access to housing in sugar cane field. Started coming to United Methodist Church. Was surprised because people welcomed me. Difficult to find employment, but people let me into their lives and hired me for yard work. People in this community are different than any other community because they understand that people make mistakes. The Glades Initiative is helping turn my life around. People here accept us as who we are and extend friendship out. People understand that change needs to be made elsewhere. They need to work on unemployment and communication. Started an AA group (meets 3x/week) because people don’t have much opportunity. Town meeting happened at church, but town residents didn’t know. A newsletter or website would be good to help connect people.

About This Story

  • Project: We Are Here
  • Date submitted: 2018-10-14 00:00:00
  • Emotional tone: Neutral
  • Who should know about this? Everyone

About the Storyteller

  • Community: Pahokee
  • Age: Over 61
  • Gender: Male

How the Storyteller Interpreted Their Story

Note: Responses which fell closer to the middle (between two or three options) are shown as two dashes.
  • In your story, why did people act the way they did? NA
  • My story relates to: Dreams for the future
  • Why did things happen in the story I told? Upbringing, yes, but also a choice
  • The lesson in your story is: --
  • In my story, problems are solved by: Members of the community
  • My story teaches us to: Always look ahead to the future
  • My story teaches us that: --
  • My story teaches us that: The community is vulnerable
  • My story teaches us that: --

Enter the Collection | Stories by Date | Random Story | Story Interpretations (Summarizing All Stories)