Rechal

I came to Harvest Home on January 20th, 2004. I heard about Harvest Home through an information line for emergency shelters.  My living situation was very unstable, as I was living with my boyfriend’s sister.  Her boyfriend was a serious drug addict, and his bad choices put our whole family through a lot of hard times. Because I am a mother-to-be, on parole, unable to find a job and couldn’t afford to go back to school, I became very tired of the downward spiraling situation. I decided to move into a maternity home where I would be safe and could leave the constant fighting and drug use behind.    

Before coming to Harvest Home, I tried to find a job but since I am seven months pregnant; no one would hire me. When I arrived at Harvest Home, I was given different choices on how to better support myself and my baby.   I wanted to have a good foundation on which I could learn from and build on, so I chose to go to school.  I selected Bryman College and studied to be a Registered Dental Assistant.  I absolutely loved school and my biggest goal was to graduate and find a really good job in the dental field.       After I finished the classroom segment, I started my externship in mid October and successfully graduated in mid November!  The Registered Dental Assistant Program at Bryman College was very demanding but I learned so much.  I’m proud to say that I was on the honor role every single month. 

To give birth, I had to take a leave of absence from school. And on April 22nd, I welcomed my beautiful daughter Samantha into the world.  Because of Harvest Home, I was able to stay home for two months to care for and bond with my daughter.  This was such an important and special time for us to have together.  After my short time at home, I found a wonderful daycare close to home and went back to school to finish the program.  I quickly finished the remaining modules and pass my final exam of 250 questions with 88% of questions correct!  I then went to work in a dental office in Beverly Hills to complete my 160-hour internship and now I have a job there.

Harvest Home has supported me in every way through giving me the resources to attend Bryman College and through in home classes in child birthing, parenting, healthy relationships and boundaries, health and nutrition, CPR, birthing, career counseling and Bible study.  Most of all, I’ve found a safe, stable, caring environment with a lot of support from the staff and residents.  This stability and support has allowed me to excel at school and ultimately, has deepened my relationship with God while equipping me to be a wonderful mother.  I was blessed to find Harvest Home, a place I’m thankful for everyday.