Lost and Found - Hope for a Better Future
If you’ve ever been to Hope’s Corner, you’ve probably seen Mikey. He’s a regular guest who enjoys our hot breakfasts and uses our showers. To give back, Mikey helps at Hope’s Corner most Saturdays by setting up tables and chairs, and cleaning up afterwards. Although Mikey has many friends, Hope’s Corner has helped him find someone who is very dear to him – his mother.
Mikey was born to a teen mother and raised in foster care, living with nine different foster families. His mother would visit, usually around Easter. Then at age 10, while living with a foster family, there was a tragic accident that left deep emotional scars. Mikey never saw his mother after the accident. Shortly thereafter, Mikey was adopted and raised by a caring special education teacher who understood his background. Mikey graduated from Mountain View High School but bore the weight of an unstable childhood with little connection with his birth family. As a young adult, he continued to struggle.
Fast forward more than two decades and you’ll find Mikey at Hope’s Corner where he has found a supportive community. He’s selfless and kind-hearted to a fault, taking care of others, some with health problems and struggling with addiction. He says, “Hope’s Corner gives me something to look forward to, not only the food and showers, but the people. My work at Hope’s gives me meaningful work to enrich my life and the lives of the people around me.”
Until earlier this year, Mikey had pretty much given up on finding his mother. However, Hope’s Corner volunteers found a website with experienced staff who located his mother in Boise, Idaho. After a few phone calls, Mikey reunited with his mother in July when she came to see him at Hope’s Corner. “Finding her has meant everything. It’s meant the difference in the way I look at myself in the mirror. I can see the resemblance with my biological family, which reunites me with who I am. It’s like coming from a dark place to a light place. You want something so bad for so long and you don’t think you’ll find it or be strong enough to receive it. But to see my mom and the people related to me is the difference between my life yesterday and my life today.”
“I was reunited with my biological family after 39 years,” Mikey says with a smile and a hint of emotion. “For whatever reason, I was reunited with them. I feel it only goes to show the good work I’ve been doing at Hope’s Corner. I now look forward to a new life knowing my biological family.”
In August, Mikey went to Boise to spend time with his mother and meet other relatives. He thinks about moving there or spending at least part of the year there and looking for a job in the area. “I just want to be with my mom. I want to turn back those 39 years and be with her the way I thought it would be.”
Mikey has hope for a better future thanks in part to Hope’s Corner. Please support our efforts to continue providing critical services to members of our community who are turning their lives around and finding purpose in their work.