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Dorothy: Helping Women Just Like Herself
You could say she’s like a big sister. Dorothy Collins serves as a mentor to seven women in one of Heartland Alliance’s programs. “They’re happy to have someone they can call upon who won’t just say what they want to hear,” she says. “And sometimes we just get together as a group and have dinner or a fun night.”
The program helps women with children who are homeless and have experienced desperate situations, including using prostitution to support their children. The women are now on the road to a better life, but they’re also fighting against problems that range from addiction to a lack of job experience. In addition to housing, the program provides a range of services, and Dorothy and the three other mentors are critical.
Dorothy’s advice is so welcome in part because the women know she’s fought through her own troubles. More than a decade ago, she lived in housing operated by Heartland Alliance for a while to keep from being homeless as she came out of recovery. “I’m a recovering alcoholic and addict, and I have been for fifteen years,” she says, “I share my experiences, my strengths and hopes, and I raise the bottom for them, so they don’t have to go there.”
Mentors like Dorothy are an important segment of Heartland Alliance’s group of volunteers. Last year, more than 900 volunteers provided service hours at Heartland Alliance, valued at more than $16 million. Part of that is “the Heartland Alliance Way,” a four-step program to help move participants out of danger and poverty to social and economic success, and so individuals who were helped by Heartland Alliance give back to the community and help others.
Each month, Dorothy meets with the women she mentors in a group, and they also come to her home in West Garfield Park to talk to her one-on-one or call her cell phone whenever they need to. “One woman calls me every day; sometimes three or four times a day,” Dorothy says. “They talk with me about everything, relationships, their troubles. I don’t let them get away with anything.”
How You Can Help
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Heartland Alliance—the leading anti-poverty organization in the Midwest— believes that all of us deserve the opportunity to improve our lives. Each year, we help ensure this opportunity for nearly one million people around the world who are homeless, living in poverty, or seeking safety.
Please consider making a donation today to help others like Dorothy.