Doris started her journey in 1998 at Safehaven, a Chicago recovery house.

There she joined with The Cara Program’s staff on a passage that would change her life.

“With the help of Cara staff, I learned how to interview, dress and to build a positive attitude,” said Doris. “They made sure I had the proper clothing, shoes and bus fare. I was sent on two interviews and hired by Mercy Hospital where I am still employed today.” Doris looks back on those interviews with nostalgia and a touch of humor.
“I was so frightened,” she said. “I was told to go on two interviews and it was so very hot. And, did my feet hurt! I was not used to high heel shoes.”

Doris now lives with her two children, ages 8 and 11, in Bellwood. She is a goal- oriented mother and respected worker (a clerk in Mercy’s labor and delivery ward). Even more dramatic is the fact that Doris has become a woman of vision. She sees possibilities for further transformation in her life and her children’s lives.

“I have accomplished goals I never dreamed I would,” said Doris. “I would like to have a house for myself and my children in the next couple of years. With what has been instilled in me, that goal isn’t too hard to try for. I see it happening.”

Filled with gratitude and humility, Doris recently sent a letter to The Cara Program offices to thank the staff. She wrote, “Thank you is said so often. It carries a lot of value when it is meant from the heart. Thank you from the heart. Without The Cara Program, it is scary just to think where I would be today….I am trying to make the right choices for me. It feels good.”

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