Shirley stopped by to donate some clothing one sunny afternoon. During her delivery, a staff member asked how she knew about us. It turned out Shirley has a long history with our programs, and it started out on the receiving end.
Shirley became pregnant at the early age of seventeen while attending Puyallup High School. Unfortunately, she had to drop out of school to attend to her new baby girl. During this time, she found a part-time data processing job at Good Samaritan Hospital. She loved her job, but it wasn’t enough income for her family. She came to St. Francis House and received wonderful clothing for herself and her daughter as well as many household items. “I would have never been able to afford any of those things at that time,” said Shirley as she reminisced about those hard days.
After a few years passed, she decided to go back to school. She enrolled at Pierce College to get her GED and then obtained an AA degree with an emphasis in computer science and business. She then went on to graduate from the University of Puget Sound in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
It’s wonderful to share this full-circle moment with you. We hope it brings joy to your heart knowing the impact you make on people in this community.