Testimonies
REAL LIVES, REAL CHANGE, A REAL DIFFERENCE.
Neighbor testimony:
"I have been almost two years clean and sober and I found my sobriety with the help of Park View.
I have watched you all for years pour compassion, kindness, understanding, and love into the "less fortunate" souls such as myself. Your generosity comes from a place of love and mercy. Everyone I have ever had the pleasure of knowing that worked for you and shared in your mission has been humble and sincere and not once did I ever feel judged or shamed. What the Park View Community has done for me has certainly put me in a better place, mentally, emotionally, and financially.
I am a big believer in perception. We must look at our trials as though they are happening FOR us not TO us. Besides, James 1: 2-4 says 'Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.'
I believe that God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers and I know my life can serve as a testimony for those still suffering and living in darkness. Thanks again for everything you stand for, everything you have done, and continue to do for Lynchburg and surrounding areas.
You are truly changing people's lives. I'm living proof of that."
Giving Back
Recently we had a neighbor come in wanting to give back. She has been receiving food from Food for Families and clothing from the Clothing Connection over the past year and was so grateful that she decided to donate funds back to Park View now that she has found herself in a position with a little bit of extra funds.
Clean & Sober!
"I don't know if anyone else has felt like me lately. Stretched. Pushed. Compressed. Busy.
You feel like when you hit ONE goal, you find TWO obstacles in your way.
I've had the privilege of watching Park View from its inception and seeing the power behind a simple act of handing a bowl of soup to a stranger. I've been working with a young man who has pervasive autism. His mother committed suicide, and his father wants nothing to do with him. He was homeless, penniless, no food, struggling with addiction, and at the age of 23, he didn't even have a learner's permit.
Thanks to Park View, he is now clean and sober, has a job, a place to live, and food. He took his driving test this month and just enrolled in college."
Life Skills Institute testimony:
"This class taught me a lot about ways of better saving money, making the best use of my time, and also taught me to better care for myself. Thank you for supporting this class."
"I have learned a lot from this class about cleaning products and washing clothes that I had never learned. And it has also helped me with being in a group setting."
"My goal is not to be scared to learn more, and get out of the fear of doing things."
Homelessness
*As written by our Community Resource Director"
We were contacted by a local pastor at West Lynchburg Baptist who was trying to get help for a man he knew. It was determined he would be homeless in a couple of days, had no job, income, or place to go. Because of his age and a local partnership, we were able to refer him to the Jefferson House apartments and provide him with their application.
I called ahead to give the property manager a heads up, emailed his contact information, and she was able to meet with him that day. He was approved that day for housing!! In the meantime he needed shelter. We were able to coordinate getting him into a shelter until he could move into the apartment.
On a Wednesday he came in needing help and by the following Monday he was fully moved into his new apartment due to the generous support and collaboration from several agencies in our city and West Lynchburg Baptist Church!
Food for Thought testimony:
"One of my students would ask his classmates for their lunch leftovers. He knew he had a long weekend ahead with little food at home. Now he gets weekend meals."
A New Home
On the day of our Christmas open house, in 2021, a neighbor came in and let us know she no longer had housing and had slept in her car the night before. A call was made to a local apartment complex that serves those ages 55 and older. They confirmed they had openings. We helped her to fill out an application and submitted it on her behalf.
She was able to stay with a friend for the night and then get into a shelter. A few weeks later she received the news that she was approved for an income-based apartment of her own through the complex. She will receive a brand new bed through a local organization and some furniture for her apartment,
She was overjoyed and let us know this would be the first place she has ever had of her own.
A Second Chance
A Neighbor came to the doors of The Clothing Connection in February of 2021. Park View was one of his first stops after being released from jail. After he was released, he had lost everything. We were able to meet the physical needs of clothing and blankets. After the initial time of meeting this gentleman, he became a familiar face each week and we had the pleasure of getting to know his heart. After months of waiting, we were able to help him secure a job and a home. Our staff were able to help him find clothing for his interview, transportation and even moved him into his new house. He is now living on his own, working, and volunteering in his time off.