PARC Love

I love the PARC. If you are around me for more than a few minutes you will know that about me. If you ask me about the PARC you better be ready! It is hard for me to stop talking about it. I love it! 

What do I love about it? I love the people. I love what happens here. I love that Richard comes to the PARC to stay sober while he looks for work and a place to live. I love that Derik comes every morning before work so he can participate in Bible Study to stay grounded and find the encouragement to keep working. I love that Cristan can come to the PARC, even though she has been banned from every other agency because of her temper. She can come to the PARC and we can have a conversation and hear her laugh. Terri (who also has been banned from other agencies) came in yesterday. She had a black eye and was a little high, but when she left she said, "I love y'all. Thank you." 

I can tell you about all the people that got jobs or a home. I love those too. But, what so many miss when they just hear the numbers is the everyday stories. The step by step every day small successes that lead to victory! We see it every day. We see anger turned into peace. We see hopelessness turn into dreams and possibilities. These aren't tangible, but they are real. They are true and they are important.

We often talk about how to measure success. Are we truly making a difference?  I can confidently and assuredly tell you "Yes! The PARC is so very impactful. It is changing and rebuilding lives every day.  It is here where they find love and value. They find acceptance for who they are and not what they do. At the PARC they never run out of chances and are not judged. There are people here who believe in them and believe more for them. Those cannot be included in 'statistics', but they are true successes. They are steps that they are moving them forward. They are doing hard things to get to the next thing. It is important.

Rebuilding lives end homelessness, and we are doing that every single day at the PARC. Thank you for being a part of changing our community one life at a time.