Ms. R was a human rights worker in her native African country. She worked for a non-profit organization, traveling the land to help displaced families and former child soldiers. Her efforts drew the ire of rebel groups and corrupt government officials, who often harassed and attacked her. Ultimately, she...
Restored to Good Health
When a driver came to pick up Mr. D for his daily trip to Fr. Tolton Center, he found the elderly man on the floor of his home. He had laid there for 18 hours, having fallen the day before. Mr. D went by ambulance to the hospital, where...
Finding A Job in Today’s Workforce
Mr. J first came to St. Francis Community Services for help with an electric bill. He was unemployed for the first time in more than 30 years and could not keep up with all his financial obligations. His search for a job had been discouraging. Out of the market...
Finding Peace
Ms. F is an Army veteran whose family life came apart at the seams. She separated from a husband who was verbally abusive and controlling. When their 8–year-old child visited him during the week, he insisted on bringing her back at 5:30 a.m., even if she had school that...
Strength in Numbers
Like many of her friends in the social support group at St. Francis Community Services, Mrs. R had seen her share of hardships in life. But nothing prepared her for the sorrow she would endure when her son died. She was consumed in grief when she went to the funeral home...
The Power to Honor His Father
Mr. B’s beloved 95-year-old father was in rapidly declining health. Alzheimer’s disease had robbed him of the capacity to make crucial decisions. Mr. B needed to take responsibility for his father’s health care. But he did not have the legal authority to make decisions on his father’s behalf. Services...
Healing Emotional Wounds
Brandon, a high school sophomore, immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was in the third grade. Ever since he could remember, his father berated and physically abused his mother. The cycle of violence finally stopped when his mother found the courage to leave with her children...
Time for a Happy Dance
Mrs. G and her two children joined her husband in the United States in 2004. Her visa in hand, she hoped her family, now together, would lead a happy life. But the last decade was a nightmare. Her abusive, controlling husband isolated her. He forced her to labor long...
A Veteran Struggles To Transition
An Army and Marine Corps veteran, Mr. V had warrants in five jurisdictions and faced paying thousands of dollars in fines and court costs. His driver’s license had been suspended. With so many outstanding warrants on his record, Mr. V was unable to find a job or lease an...
Home At Last
Mrs. B, age 96, and her daughter lost their home in Florissant to foreclosure last year, just as winter was turning to spring. They had no place to go. Various friends took them in for short periods, but the two had to move every several weeks. They left their...