What A Welcome! - Lifetime Legacies & Lunch, part 6
Danyel Rogers, North Park Friendship House Coordinator, likes to jog early in the morning. Even before the sun comes up, she will be on the street, giving it her best. On one such morning she surprised a mother and her children waiting at the bus stop. The kids screamed when they were face to face, without warning, with a tall bond-haired stranger. Afraid they would think she was crazy, she went by their home later in the day to introduce herself and apologize for scaring the kids. Brenda, the mom, says it was the best day of her life. At the time, she was newly divorced with three kids and lots of heartache. She says the Friendship House and her new friends gave her focus and hope and provided a safe place for her children when she needed a break. “It means the most to me,” she says. “We even got to meeting Representative Susan King at one of the CCC events, and now my daughters know that they can be anything they want to be. Opportunities the Friendship House provides open all kinds of doors for me and my children. I am part Hispanic and Indian, and we eat most of our food with our fingers, like burritos and such. However, when we were invited to the HSU dinner theater, I spent weeks preparing my children to eat with good manners and to be polite. It was the first time we had eaten with a white tablecloth and fancy dishes and got to see a real ‘Broadway’ play. We dressed up and it was a great experience. It is still a highlight for me and my children, and it was free! It was the most wonderful night.” Brenda hopes to one day be a writer and already has the books she’ll write in mind. She knows she can do it!
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Rae Gravley volunteers as CCC's Story Chronicler. This collection of stories from North Park is an ongoing series updated each Wednesday morning.