Like all of the women at Saint John’s Program for Real Change, Sandy and Starr share common qualities – courage, resiliency and strength. And, like all of the women who step through the red door at Saint John’s, they have had their share of adversity and despondency including depression, drug and alcohol dependence, abusive relationships,…
Read MoreThe Red Door Stories-Alicia
An innocent, newborn baby…what, exactly, did Mikhayla do to deserve the cruel life she was given? Why did she have to endure a world of such pain few of us can fathom, from the day she was born? The ninth child in a hopelessly broken family, the cold, cruel answer is…nothing. Nothing at all.
Read More11-Year-Old Leah Nelson Throws Saint John’s a Surprise Party
To promote and encourage random acts of kindness, Leah Nelson, an 11-year-old visionary from Sacramento, created BecuzIcare11 in July of 2016. Leah’s message of kindness is spread through Rainbow Loom bracelets, made of rubber bands, which are given to people to encourage paying kindness forward.
Read MoreThe Red Door Stories-Sabrina
At just nineteen young years of age, Sabrina found herself sleeping under a bridge, alone in the cold, and pregnant. Born into a world filled with alcoholism, drug abuse, and violence, she had never known a life without utter chaos. And now, she too was bringing another new life into that same dark place.
Read MoreSheila’s Story
Sheila, a 54-year-old native of Hawaii, has long been haunted by her younger brother’s untimely death at 18—something for which she blames herself. She has cowered under a shadow of whiskey and methamphetamine—a darkness that took control of her life for nearly 40 years before she found Saint John’s Program for Real Change.
Read MoreThis Past October Was Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Written by Tara Cryderman, Psy.D, Assistant Director of Integrated Health Services, and Susan Barron, Ph.D., Director of Integrated Health Services Since first proclaimed in 1987, October has been Domestic Violence (DV) Awareness Month. During the month of October, we seek to increase awareness of DV as a societal problem that affects women, men, and children,…
Read MoreBreaking the Cycle
Written by Abra Ruthenbeck, Director of Children’s Programs, Saint John’s Program for Real Change “Break the cycle of poverty and dependence one family at a time”. As the Director of Children’s Programs, I whole-heartedly agree with the Saint John’s Program for Real Change vison statement and I see it working every single day. At Saint…
Read MoreMeal time at Saint John’s
Written by Ursula Whitfield, Director of Operations, Saint John’s Program for Real Change Meal time is a big deal here at Saint John’s for Real Change. Although we are on a shoestring budget and heavily rely on the generosity of our donor base, we somehow manage to feed all of the women and children we…
Read MoreAn Open Letter to the Next President of the United States
Written by Michele Steeb, CEO, Saint John’s Program for Real Change Dear Madam or Mr. President-To-Be: Homelessness is one of the least talked-about problems in your campaigns so far. By every credible report, homelessness is ripping holes in the fabric of the country you’re about to lead. The good news is that it can be…
Read MoreLabor Day at Saint John’s Program for Real Change
Written by Susan Barron, Ph.D., Director of Integrated Health Services Labor Day is a holiday that highlights the contributions and achievements of the American worker. Since 1894 after a hard-won fight for workers rights and conditions, Labor Day has been our end of summer celebration appreciating workers and the products, goods, and services provided by…
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