Twenty years ago, when Teresa was just 14 years old, she and her mom came to our Women and Children’s Shelter. They only stayed four months. But the experience made such an impression on young Teresa that she is now pursuing a career as a caregiver. She says she wants to improve other people’s lives—just like the Mission staff did for her during her time here. “Staying at the Mission really impacted my life,” Teresa says. “They showed me that people really cared.” Up to that point, Teresa associated care giving with abuse.

For years, she was molested by a babysitter who told her, “If you say anything, I’ll kill your mom!” Then she and her mom moved to Everett, where the son of an elderly man they were caring for tried to “hit on her” – even though she was 14, and he was in his 40’s! After the story came out, Teresa and her mom were no longer welcome in the man’s home. That meant her mom no longer had a job, they had nowhere to live, and no money to buy food.

Coming to the Mission gave Teresa’s mom a safe place to stay until she could find another job. And the counseling she received here helped her to re-focus her life so she could protect, support, and adequately care for her daughter. Twenty years later, Teresa says she’ll never forget what the Mission did for her and her mom. “I give to the Mission every month,” she notes, “But I could never repay what they did for us.”