Recovering addict rebuilding life with help from JVS
DETROIT (FOX 2) - "Being a recovering addict, having to start my life over and begin to believe in myself again, that's the hardest part," said Sonya Terry.
Sonya's life has many chapters, and being a recovering addict is just one of them. Being a U.S. veteran is another. Being homeless and hopeless was a sad one.
The one she's writing now is about victory. She's back on her feet, sober, happy and working for the City of Detroit. It's all because of the good men and women at JVS Human Services.
"They give you a stipend to just get you a little pocket money to be able to take care of yourself, personals and whatnot, and a bus card so that you can go to your job interviews, get to and from and where you need to get to. So job leads, that's where I really got involved, " Terry said.
"She's amazing, isn't she? Her story, her personality, her heart is just amazing," said Paul Blatt.
Paul, with JVS, is proud of Sonya. There was a special fundraiser at the Motor City Casino on Thursday to raise money for the very programs that helped lift Sonya.
"You call JVS and you're going to get a warm welcome, people are going to direct you into the right program, the right service to meet your needs and then help you on the right track," Blatt said.
It's a track that includes resume writing, helping teach people how to fix their credit, and learning how to budget, getting people who are dealing with all kinds of challenges the help they need.
Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein, who is blind, says JVS is a God-send for the community.
"You don't realize how exciting it is to have a place to go, to have a job, to have a sense of meeting, to have a sense of purpose, to have a sense of mission. What JVS does is it allows for people like myself to have that spirit of value, to be needed, to be wanted and to be able to make a contribution through ways that we were created," he said.
For Sonya, that means at age 59 hitting the reset button, fueled with hope and a lot of positive energy and gratitude.
"I want to tell JVS I am so grateful for their program. I pray that they always receive the help they need that they continue to have bright ideas and they continue to bridge the gap for people like myself," she said.
"We are here whether you have no degree, PhD, people with disabilities, whatever it is -- we're here to support them and help their lives," Blatt said.