Ernie spent over 2 decades in active addiction.
After his most recent incarceration, he struggled with drugs again and wound up in the hospital.
When it was time to leave there, he had no place to go.
So staff gave him a list and he picked Helping Up Mission out randomly. Arriving here with no better options, he decided to make the most of things and settled in pretty quickly to our 12-month residential Spiritual Recovery Program.
Ernie was a good class participate and developed in his spiritual walk. But one of the things that worked well for him was his daily Work Therapy Assignment.
Both his skill set and interests set Ernie up to be successful in our environmental services department — keeping the buildings on campus looking good.
A conscientious and capable guy, he could have taken a job in the community, but Ernie decided to stay and work here on campus. He also worked his way up to Intern responsibilities.
Ernie felt working here would better help him keep focused and was also a way to give back to HUM. Of course, he was also building his resume and developing management skills.
But spiritual recovery and work skills was not all Ernie was addressing this past year. He also took advantage of our HUM dental program.
They pulled 12 teeth and then gave him a full new set of teeth – upper and lower. His new smile is amazing!
Ernie graduates next week. After finishing his year, he’ll start looking for work in the community and, if things develop well, he’ll stay in Baltimore. Otherwise, family has work opportunities for him in Ohio.
They’re driving down here for his graduation. Life’s good for Ernie these days — he’s got a lot to smile about!