“I’m thankful that St. Patrick Center took the time to say you can do better than this. The things I needed were given to me and I am very grateful.”

Geraldine Drake had an excellent life and a nice career, but she lost it all to drugs and alcohol in the streets. Her life changed when she started dating a drug runner at the age of 30 and took on the hardest job of all – supporting a drug and alcohol habit.

“I eventually got tired of abusing me,” Geraldine says. “And until you get tired of being nothing and nobody, you will not stop using drugs.”

Geraldine came to St. Patrick Center and participated in the Alumni Club and employment programs. Case managers helped her with her resume and gave her the tools she needed to start utilizing her mind again.

Today, Geraldine is an accounts payable duplication clerk and says she loves the “boring life”. “I love going to work, to church, coming home, and spending time with my children and grandchildren,” Geraldine adds.