“Cara helped me find my strength.”
The following is told by Vlad, an employed participant of Cara, January 2024 Cohort.
“For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Vlad and I would like to share how Cara Collective transformed my life.
“As a kid, I felt lost. I didn’t have a strong family unit at home, so I went searching for it in the streets. Back then, being part of a gang meant I had a group that took care of me. They bought me food. They taught me things. They looked out for me. It was all the things that I yearned for at home. I didn’t see a gang. I saw my family.
“That thinking is what led me to my first misdemeanor offense…and then my second, followed by several more. Eventually the crimes got more serious, until I was sentenced to 19 years in prison.
“About a year-and-a-half into my sentence, something changed. I found my calling through music, I connected with my higher power, and I was driven to give up my old life. I had two young children. I had a family that needed me. I’d been left behind by everybody and I didn’t want it to be that way anymore.
“When I got out of prison, I was ready to change, but I did nothing right. It was hard being gone for seven-and-a-half years. I went in a kid and came out a man. I didn’t feel set up. I didn’t see a future ahead of me.
“Then I heard about Cara through the halfway house I was in. I thought it was a program where they get you a little job or something small. I didn’t expect anything real. I can’t believe how wrong I was.
“Cara helped me find my strength. Cara supported me when I faced the difficult things in my life that made it hard to look at myself in the mirror. Cara taught me that I’m not my mistakes. I never thought I was capable of anything. Cara showed me I was capable and that I was still worthy of the best that life has to offer.
“Most importantly, Cara gave me a sense of family. That’s what got me coming back every day. I didn’t want to let my newfound family down.
“Today, I work at Lurie Children’s Hospital as a Linen Distribution Technician. For the first time, I actually look forward to going to work. Those kids need and depend on us, and I see it as an opportunity to serve. I have my own apartment. I am rebuilding a life with my kids. I found love in my beautiful partner, Victoria, and we have a baby due in December. Thanks to Cara, my dreams have no limits.“
Your support this season makes an immediate, impactful difference in the lives of Cara’s job seekers. Transform a life this Season of Giving at www.caracollective.org/give.
