Giving Hope
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Redonna Riggs also known as Rae has been a friend of mine for four years. I met her at Catholic Charities where I am a volunteer. I am hoping to raise enough money to get a dependable used car for her.
Let me tell you a little about her story. Rae has not had an easy life. She was in an abusive relationship for several years and two of her vertebrae were shattered in a bout of violence. This has limited her ability to work.
In 2002, her infant son died of SIDS and in 2012 another son was a victim of street violence. A month later her mother died. Rae sold everything she had in order to bury her loved ones.
She had to start over but she was stuck in a deep depression. She didn't want to go out and her remaining children had to encourage her to get out of the house. Slowly she realized that she had to take care of herself or she wouldn't be able to care for her family.
She sought counseling at Catholic Charities in Flint, Michigan. While there, she noticed there were other people needing help and, selflessly, began to volunteer. A year ago she became the coordinator for the Community Closet, a role for which she is paid part time and volunteers the rest of the week.
Redonna has recently been able to move out of Flint and into an apartment in a safer nearby community. About the time she was in this transition her old car quit working and she was adviced that it was not worth fixing even if she had the money. She is not on the Flint bus routes. She has to rely on friends or family to get her to and from work. With no transportation available she is unable to go anywhere - even for simple errands like grocery shopping.
Rae now has a safe and comfortable place to live and, with a dependable car,she could begin to live the life she is so deserving of. This means so much to me because I have seen how hard she works helping other people rebuild their lives. I feel that it is now her turn!
I
Let me tell you a little about her story. Rae has not had an easy life. She was in an abusive relationship for several years and two of her vertebrae were shattered in a bout of violence. This has limited her ability to work.
In 2002, her infant son died of SIDS and in 2012 another son was a victim of street violence. A month later her mother died. Rae sold everything she had in order to bury her loved ones.
She had to start over but she was stuck in a deep depression. She didn't want to go out and her remaining children had to encourage her to get out of the house. Slowly she realized that she had to take care of herself or she wouldn't be able to care for her family.
She sought counseling at Catholic Charities in Flint, Michigan. While there, she noticed there were other people needing help and, selflessly, began to volunteer. A year ago she became the coordinator for the Community Closet, a role for which she is paid part time and volunteers the rest of the week.
Redonna has recently been able to move out of Flint and into an apartment in a safer nearby community. About the time she was in this transition her old car quit working and she was adviced that it was not worth fixing even if she had the money. She is not on the Flint bus routes. She has to rely on friends or family to get her to and from work. With no transportation available she is unable to go anywhere - even for simple errands like grocery shopping.
Rae now has a safe and comfortable place to live and, with a dependable car,she could begin to live the life she is so deserving of. This means so much to me because I have seen how hard she works helping other people rebuild their lives. I feel that it is now her turn!
I
Organizer
Lee Ann King
Organizer
Swartz Creek, MI
