I Found Something Much More

The past couple of months at The Franciscan Center have truly been a great help to me. My life before the Franciscan Center was very unstable and in such of disarray, even though I did know what I wanted in life, it seemed like the “how” part was a complete mystery to me. Before I was a resident at the Franciscan Center I lived in Auburn, New York with my grandparents, and it truly seemed like my life was at a standstill, there weren’t any reliable jobs available and I felt that I was slowly going downhill. So I decided to leave Auburn, New York to Buffalo to live with my dad because I was set on to create a stable life for me as a young man. Due to series of unfortunate events I became without a place to live and discovered the Franciscan Center.

Even though I came to the Franciscan center for a place to stay, I found something much more, a place that would help me begin my journey as a young man. My first week at the Franciscan Center was truly enlightening for me, with the combination of the orientation packet that I was given and the Franciscan Centers staff’s vast knowledge I gained information that could take some people years to master like budgeting, banking, job searching, job maintenance, and last but not least not wasting your first check. With the Franciscan Center Staff’s help I have been employed by Tops Family Market Along with job preparation The Franciscan Circle have given me life skills that I will always remember, and helped me set up life goals.

My goals for the for the near future is that by my twenty first birthday I will continue to work at Tops Friendly Markets and to obtain a decent apartment for when my time at the Franciscan Center will be expired, and I will be preparing myself for fall enrollment at Erie Community College for Basic Engineering. Some of the goals I have set for myself that are farther down the road of life are that; I will become a licensed engineer, own a home, adventure the world, establish a family, and write a novel. Father Joe thank you for your very entertaining wisdom and your comical lessons of life I will always remember and thank you Maureen and Sharon with your determination and patience of making sure I become the young man I have set out to be, I would also like to thank the rest of the Franciscan staff for their vast knowledge of life. Last but certainly not least I would like to thank the Franciscan centers supporters because if it wasn’t your generosity the Franciscan Center wouldn’t be able to be continually changing the life of young men. May you all have a good and blessed night.

- Quawnday, the 2011 Recipient of the Fr. Patrick Mendola Memorial Scholarship (Sponsored by our friends at Ingram Micro, Inc.)