A NEW BEGINNING
“Adrift most of [his] life,” Keith was raised in a “very dysfunctional and abusive home, where no one respected anyone”. He talked about being in and out of trouble for most of his young life, sent to an alternative high school for troubled teens, and hanging out with the “wrong crowd”.
After a difficult divorce, Keith began traveling the country searching for something he wasn’t quite sure of—“himself”. Not afraid of hard work, Keith was employed in several different manual labor positions during his trek across the country, including roofing, drywall, painting, and maintenance. He remarked that “I pretty much got sick of who I was”.
Keith’s travels brought him to Panama City where he resided in a tent and a temporary shelter, before he met a couple at a local hotel who informed of their experience with Catholic Charities. Keith became a resident of the Naomi House. He stated “I’m a much better person than I was before; I still have those demons to fight, but I recognize them now and can deal better with them. Catholic Charities has provided the kind of assistance that helps keep me on track in my day-to-day living.”
Keith wanted to become a volunteer with the agency and “help in anyway that I can”. He has lent his expertise in repairing damage to the outside structure of the Naomi House and is found working on the facility during his days off from his construction job. He has put in more than one hundred hours of his time in giving a “facelift” to the place he temporarily called home.
p(Quotation). “I’m a much better person than I was before; I still have those demons to fight, but I recognize them now and can deal better with them. Catholic Charities has provided the kind of assistance that helps keep me on track in my day-to-day living.”
