This holiday season, please share the gift of St. Vincent

Jonathan was just 15 when his family immigrated from the Congo region of Africa. Fluent in his native French, he spoke very little English. While in high school, Jonathan began to rebel at home, wanting to do all the things his American classmates did; things he never got to do in his home country. Unfortunately, Jonathan and his father clashed frequently, and he was kicked out of his home.

Suddenly Jonathan was homeless, trying to learn a new language and fit into a country he barely knew. He needed help. Referred by a school counselor, Jonathan remembers crying the first time he entered St. Vincent; he felt completely lost, alone, and abandoned. Jonathan knew St. Vincent would give him a place to sleep and food to eat, but he didn’t expect to be truly cared for or to have a real home.

“St. Vincent surrounded me with people who really cared about me; I was cared for and loved.”

A year-and-a-half later Jonathan cried again. Not because he didn’t want to live with family members but because St. Vincent had truly become his home. Today, Jonathan is an IT professional with a burning passion to share the gift he was given at St. Vincent with youth like himself.

Through your generous support, you can help ensure that more at-risk youth have a safe and loving place where they receive counseling and therapeutic supports that help them heal and grow into successful adults.

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