Family Stabilization & Strengthening Success Stories from Catholic Charities Hawai‘i
“How do you teach someone to trust when they’ve never (felt that they) had anyone worthy of their trust? You immerse them in a nurturing environment.” – Jennie Heleski, program director of the Mary Jane Program. Jennie Heleski has been with Catholic Charities Hawai‘i for 17 years. In the last five, she has served as the program director of the …
Carl and Priscilla had been together as a couple for 30 years. Life was good, they had a home together and both were employed. Priscilla’s daughter, Caroline, and grandson, Schuyler, lived with them and they were a comfortable family unit. That all came to a screeching halt four years ago when they were both laid off from their jobs due …
While stationed in Honduras, he met his wife, who was also in the military. They had a son; the marriage however, did not last. His now former wife was reassigned to Hawai‘i and he was sent to Germany. Sandro medically retired in 2011 and relocated to Hawai‘i to be near his son. He used all his savings to stay at …
Joseph, a local boy from Waianae, attended Leeward Community College for a year and decided that joining the Marines at 18 years of age was a better life path for himself than was attending school. He spent six years serving his country and was honorably discharged in 1994. Four years later, he met the love of his life, Leilani, and …
