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Christina graduates program, puts lifetimeof drinking behind her
She’s focusing on helping others Christina, 53, struggled with alcoholism most of her life, but it wasn’t until her husband passed away from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that her life truly began to spiral. “I was his caretaker. He passed away right in front of me. It was a battle,” Christina said. “I watched him completely deteriorate.…
After 10 years of addiction, Victor leaves drugs behind
He’s forging a new path At 2 years old, Victor’s parents divorced. His mother raised Victor and his two older brothers by herself, but due to work, often left them with a babysitter. “I didn’t really have a relationship with my mom growing up. It seemed I saw the babysitter more than I did my…
Krystal vows to “get the most” out of program
She’s beginning to address her trauma Most of Krystal’s adolescence went unsupervised. Her mother spent her days drinking at the casino, leaving Krystal alone for long stretches of time. “My mom didn’t supervise me very much,” Krystal said. “I was lonely. She wasn’t there, at home, so I did whatever I wanted.” Krystal began hanging…
Jason “washes” his old life away, embraces the new
He was baptized at the Mission When Jason was in junior high, his mother and him were kicked out of their apartment. They lived in his mother’s car for years. “My childhood, I didn’t really get to see,” Jason said. “I grew up pretty quick bouncing around from friend’s house to friend’s house, trying to…
Family flees persecution, finds safety, support at Mission
They feel like they’re among family Living in fear of persecution was not the life Perla and Byron wanted for themselves or for their children. Facing deadly threats, the family was forced to flee to escape the violence and unrest in their home country. When they arrived in Los Angeles, Perla and Byron were left…
J.R. is grateful for the Mission’s open doors
After graduating, he returned to work at RMA VC On a recent morning drive to pick up donations for the Mission, J.R. was thinking about all the opportunities that have become available for him since graduating from the Life Recovery Program in January 2019. “It’s amazing how much my life has changed and how many…
Program offers Ana the time she needs to“be still,” heal from past trauma
She’s reunited with her two youngest children Reflecting on her childhood, Ana takes a moment to collect her thoughts. “I didn’t grow up emotionally stable,” she said. “I was always depressed. I had a lot of trauma growing up.” When Ana was just 1 year old, she suffered severe acid burns on her face, resulting…
Roger “gives thanks to God” for overcoming 17-year drug addiction
He recently celebrated 7 months sober Roger, 37, has had a life marred by drug addiction. When he was 4 years old, his brother overdosed on heroin. In his teens, Roger started using marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines, and eventually, moved on to heroin and fentanyl. At 19, Roger and his girlfriend had their first child. Over…
Mission throws wedding for Monica, Felix, their 5 children
Community partnerships made the day special Monica’s childhood was full of domestic violence, abuse, and neglect. “I grew up in a really toxic family. It was really hard; it was very abusive towards my mom and (us) kids. My dad would always hit my mom every day,” she recalled. “It was really traumatic to see…
After a lifetime of addiction, Adrian seeks help
He hopes to reconnect with family Adrian knows all about devastating loss. In 2011, his son was murdered in front of his aunt’s home. “It was a drive-by shooting, but my son wasn’t a part of it, wasn’t the intended target. Some of his friends were shot, but they all survived. I was so angry…
Jessica overcomes shame, finds love, acceptance in program
She’s reconnecting with her family “It’s different now – knowing I’m loved, accepted, and appreciated no matter what. I think a lot of us hide behind ourselves, or our addictions, or our shame. It felt shameful, having to admit I was drinking too much. Especially for me, who grew up in the church.” Jessica was…
Amazon Local Good partners, volunteers with RMA AV
We’re able to distribute more food to our needy neighbors In 2024, RMA AV partnered with Amazon Local Good, who began routing their drivers and trucks to pick up food for us weekly. Because of their help, we’ve been able to receive food from Foodbank of Southern California and Food Forward, which we previously were…
