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Tom had failing kidneys and couldn't pay his bills. When he became homeless,
he lost hope. When he moved into the Sheltering Arms in Orange, he made a friend.
He got a job at a discount store in Warrenton ... a long drive but a job nevertheless.
When he received a call from Washington DC, where a kidney was finally ready for
transplant, he didn't have gas money. His boss gave him $20 and Tom made the drive
in record time. Tom is back on his feet and healthy!
Beatrice was in her own apartment with her two small children. She was
putting pictures on the wall and planning where the Christmas tree would go.
For the first time in years, she wasn't afraid her husband would smash the
pictures or the tree, because the Shelter for Abused Families in Emergencies
(SAFE) helped her get out, find a job and finally escape the abuse for good.
Sam met his social worker while in intensive care
in the Culpeper Regional Hospital. She helped him apply for State disability and
apply for Medicare. Then she got him interim help with medications through
Piedmont Dialysis Fund, so he could go on with his new but altered life.
Tina was only 15 but in trouble and skipping
school a lot. When she ended in Juvenile Court for a minor crime, she was
referred to Options and assigned to do community service. It was
embarrassing that after school she was picked up, and her friends saw her
collecting cigarette butts and beer cans along the road. She got a job after
school and vowed never again to take something that wasn't hers.
Joe and Jenna both work to support their family
on small wages. After work, Joe is improving his English and Jenna is
getting her GED at the local Literacy Council. They know their children
are safe at supervised youth activities until they can pick them up and
head for home
to make dinner together.
Kelsey had an employer take out health insurance
from each paycheck. When he had surgery, he was informed that he wasn't
covered by insurance, because the boss had not paid the insurance company.
Kelsey
received the phone numbers of several legal contacts from First Call for
Help,
so he could investigate his rights.
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