Kawana and Cori have HOPE this Christmas!

Thanks to you…

“I’d been trying to help my daughter for two years…”

Kawana’s little girl was struggling with autism, but Kawana couldn’t get her in to see a doctor for diagnosis and treatment. “I’d been trying for two years, but the waiting lists in Georgia were just too long.”

Then she learned that Indianapolis had excellent autism specialists, and her relatives who lived here said she and Cori could stay with them while Kawana looked for work and a home.

So they moved to Indiana, but before Kawana had time to find a job, her car broke down and all her plans fell through. “The family members we were staying with didn’t give me a chance to get back on track. Instead, two days after my car broke down, they dropped us off here,” Kawana says.

She was leery when she and Cori walked into our Center for Women & Children. But she quickly discovered that they were in a safe and welcoming place, with warm beds, nutritious meals, and compassionate staff. “It felt like a home away from home.”

“We felt safe here.”

Christ-centered counseling, Bible studies, and Christian fellowship have helped Kawana find strength in her faith and healing from the fear and confusion that came with sudden homelessness. “I was at my lowest point, but I met people here that I could relate to and confide in, and it strengthened me so I could provide emotional support for my daughter,” she says.

We’ve connected Kawana with housing resources, childcare facilities, and autism centers to help her and Cori settle into life in Indianapolis. Then she plans to go back to work part-time as a surgical technician. But her highest priority remains the same. “I’m going to keep trying to get my daughter diagnosed so she can get the care she needs. I’ll never stop.”

Kawana and Cori have hope this Christmas—and they want to thank YOU for supporting their journey toward a new life. “Wheeler Mission gave us a roof over our heads and helped get our lives back on track.”

 To read the most recent issue of Inside Story, click to download.