Cover Story: 3 Alumni Profiles, pages 4 to 19
“I was in the car. It was raining. My mom went in. I
didn’t fully know what this place was. I thought it was
another hotel. I wasn’t really scared, I just didn’t know
a lot. When I moved out I started to understand where
I was and what I was a part of.”
What Michael Brown was a part of was something that
will stay with him forever.
Michael’s first concern as an 8-year-old moving into
Our House in 2008 was learning how to be social and
make friends. Though others don’t remember him as
an angry child, Michael recalls suppressing a lot of
anger, his need for friends compelling him to control
his feelings. “I didn’t want to be the odd-man out.” He
and his brother became particularly close to another
pair of brothers while living in the Family House.
“Albert and Octavian were like brothers to me. We did
a lot of stuff together, got in trouble together. It was
fun. They really made a lot of my memories.”
“
Michael also had to learn to try different foods, since
shelter residents can’t choose their own dinners. He
remembers always hoping for hamburgers or hot dogs
but is now glad he had the opportunity to try chicken
spaghetti and salad, which is now one of his favorite
foods. “I eat a lot more veggies now.”
After one fun year with his Our House friends, his
family was ready to move into their own home. Michael
was sad to leave friends but excited to have his own
room. “I got to customize it however I wanted.”
continued on page 12
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