| Promise Program |
| Theresa Living Center |
| Two institutions in the heart of St. Paul, Minnesota. Both existing to serve low-income women in need of a chance for better lives. One a part of Crown College, a Bible college represented by the Christian & Missionary Alliance. The other, a state program run by the Catholic Sisters of St. Francis. The Promise Program. Ten women, four instructors. A one-year Secretarial Science program with an internship before graduation. Classes held in an renovated section of a run-down Ober Club building in one of the worst parts of town. Theresa Living Center. Twelve women, some with a child. A transitional center for those who find themselves threatened with homelessness. Dorm-like private rooms and public living quarters in what was once a convent, next door to St. Casimer's Cathedral in the other worst neighborhood in the city. What do these places have in common? I attended one while living at the other. And that year changed my life... for the better. |
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| My room at the shelter |
| Jerri, Stephanie & Me - in the kitchen with William's new Christmas present. |
| Leigh in a Hmong student's New Year's Costume |
| Cynthia (my "mama" away from home) |
| Instructors & Friends: Margaret, Claudia, Leigh, & Carol (the Program Director) |
| Carol, Cynthia, Mary, Me, Lara - These four women, of all the students, touched my heart the most. Carol (who is about 9 months pregnant in this photo) became a very dear friend, and I was privileged to be her labor coach when my god-daughter was born June 19th. Mary and Cynthia were constant support to me during this time, and Lara was a wonderful pal, able to cheer me up no matter what the situation. |
| Blia, Me, Ka, Carol, Inez |
| Soua & Carol (Behind) and Lara & Inez |
| Me & Lara after Graduation |
| A year after thinking my life was over, I was graduating and moving on to attend Crown College. |
| Sister Patricia, Me, Jane & William, Sister Rita, Donna - TLC Friends who attended my Promise Program graduation. |
| Jane & William, "painting" |
| William, Lexi & Chantel, at Wm's 3rd B-day Party |
| Every June, TLC has a Reunion Picnic for former residents and volunteers. I go so that I can see my dear friend Donna Ray. |
| Each resident at TLC was assigned one of four nuns who worked there full-time, to act as a sort of Social Worker, helping us with goals, holding us accountable, etc. Patricia was "my" nun, and even though I haven't lived at the shelter for 8 years, she and I still keep in touch. |
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