When I think about why I like living at Boys’ Haven, one word comes to mind . . . stability. I guess I’ve always been looking for stability. I was only eight years old and my father died of leukemia. 64 years old at his death, my father was much older than my mother. She was 26 when he died. Unlike my father, my mother didn't go to college. She didn't really have any job skills and had no idea how to support four kids.
She was overwhelmed with grief and with trying to raise four kids and no good job prospects. So she gave all of us to my dad’s sister. My aunt never did have any children of her own and was very good to us. We liked living with her. Even though she worked hard as a nurse till she was 70 years old, she finally got too sick to take care of us. Not only did she have arthritis bad, but she also fell and dislocated her hip.So all four of us went to live at my great grandmother’s house. That didn’t work out either. I was 14 years old when we started moving around from cousin to cousin. My aunt (whom we all loved) died and eventually all four of us became wards of the State because no one in the family could take care of us.
My brothers and sisters went to a foster home, but I ended up in a psychiatric hospital because I was so depressed . . . I couldn’t deal with having no permanent living arrangement in my life. I just wanted a home. I literally quit showing any emotion; I guess I quit feeling any emotion.
Anyway, I ended up at Boys’ Haven. I like having a place to live where no one’s moving me around all the time. I guess because of the way I was raised I like a structured environment. I still see my brothers and sister from time to time and I talk to my mother on holidays.
By the time you read this story, I will have graduated from high school and headed off to college. I scored high on my ACT tests this last year and was offered scholarships at three different colleges! For most of my life I went to Catholic schools and I’d say I’m a very serious Catholic. Boys’ Haven helped me get into a Catholic high school my senior year.
I plan to major in math and minor in French in college. While I was at Boys’ Haven, I helped the other guys with their math homework. I feel it’s my responsibility to share what I’m good at because a lot of people have helped me when I needed it. And as I go through college, Boys’ Haven is helping me with an apartment. They keep in close touch with me and still give me what I need the most . . . stability.
