Yvette’s Comeback Story | The City Mission of Cleveland, Ohio

Outcast

Yvette’s family in Texas made her feel like an outcast. So she left her toxic situation, rented a van, packed whatever she could, and drove all the way to Ohio. They had never been out of the state of Texas, and the only stops they made were for gas.

She and her young daughter moved to Cleveland to stay with Yvette’s sister, only to be cast out again. She had no job, no money, no car ... and in just two weeks, she and her daughter would be on the streets. Yvette thought they would never recover.

"I never thought I'd be in a crisis center. But Laura's Home is not a shelter. It's a safe haven."

A New Home

At The City Mission, she's had the time to recover from the pain and sharpen her skills. Yvette is getting back on her feet and is “excited about this journey.”

Right now she's proud to have found a full-time job as a teacher's aid, and is saving up for a car, and getting ready to call Cleveland her official home. They plan to find a rental near a good school for her daughter and put down roots. "Me and my daughter are going to achieve this," she says with a strong voice.

Reaching the Finish Line

One thing they already achieved while at Laura's Home is the completion of their first 5k at Running with a Mission 2019! Yvette and her daughter had never been runners, but she thought that with everything new they were taking on, what's one more challenge? They joined the Laura's Home Running Club spring training group, and committed themselves to practicing three times a week.

"On race day it was nerves! Am I gonna do this? Can I make this hill? But we did it! I pushed through that, and my daughter is my little trooper."

While participating in the race Yvette was able to take in the 1,000+ people who had come out to support not just Laura's Home, but her. She remembers thinking, "There are so many wonderful people out there who support Laura's Home. I've never seen an organization like this. You feel the love of the people coming here."

Yvette recently turned 50 and she planned to participate in Running with a Mission 2020 to celebrate her half century birthday. She has faith that the next year of her life, despite the challenges of 2020, will be filled with many new blessings.