12 Kids of Christmas: Meet Antwon

Reason to give #10: Hit the Road Jack

We don’t want our kids to come back. Yes, we love our kids and want to help them, but once they leave us we don’t want them to end up in a situation that causes them to become homeless again. We want our kids to be leaders and we encourage their growth and provide tools for life-long success.

Meet Antwon.
Antwon is 18 and lives at the Crisis Center. He has been attending the Total Me Program where he learns about outside life whether it be social, work, relationships, respect, Antwon really enjoys the program. He says his favorite class is social skills where Ms. Parsons breaks down every day problems and teaches him how to cope. "We recently discussed swearing. Why do people swear? How does it become a habit? She encourages us to broaden our vocabulary. A lot of people choose to swear because they are ignorant and don't know other adjectives to use. Ms. Parsons says there's more to know than four letter words. I think that's pretty interesting, it makes me think about how I speak."

We asked Antwon his story, here's what he said.

Why did you come to Covenant House?
I came to Covenant House because I couldn't live with my mom anymore. We were having too many disagreements. I never knew my father so I couldn't stay with him. The best place for me was Covenant House.

If you could pick one thing that Covenant House has helped you with, what would it be?
They helped me get into college. I will be starting Henry Ford Community College in January. I want to be an RN. Before Covenant House I never considered college and now I'm going. Mr. Evans and Ms. Johnson do good work. They helped me do everything I needed to get into school. You can tell Ms. Johnson really likes her job.

What are you grateful for?
Being at the Covenant House. They helped me a lot. This is the best shelter program ever. I feel safe here.

What's your best memory at Covenant House?
When I first met Martin (another CHM resident). When I first came I was scared and shaky. I didn't want to sit down. I didn't know anybody. Martin came up to me and introduced himself, then he welcomed me to Covenant House and made me feel comfortable. He explained how everything worked and where things were. Martin's my bud.

And finally, what do you want to accomplish in the new year?
Being in school, learning new trades, working on my RN degree. Getting a job and being financially stable and independent.

Yes! I want to give today to help kids learn proper life skills and become leaders and to help all your kids, like Antwon, succeed!

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