This is What it’s All About
This photo is a representation. We keep our students anonymous.
Chris’ Story
My life before Robyne’s Nest was chaotic, to say the least. It honestly felt like I was just trying to survive but barely living. I had plans and goals, but a lot of my time was stolen by the daily struggle to simply get through each day. I was my own support system, but as time went on, I started growing tired, and those goals and my future seemed unattainable—too far out of my grasp to reach. I was barely enjoying anything life had to offer. The world can be beautiful, but I didn’t really get to see that beauty—before Robyne’s Nest, that is.
Besides my safe housing, the life skills classes have taught me a lot. We have finance classes, mental health classes, cooking classes, and so many more. I could go on and on about everything those classes have taught me, but I want to mention my favorite thing about them. Every Monday night, all the students get together and eat dinner. We come an hour before the class starts; sometimes we play games, sometimes we chat, sometimes we don’t. I look forward to Monday nights, sometimes it’s the highlight of my week. To me, it feels like a family dinner—something I saw in the movies but never really got to experience. The classroom is warm, and we are all safe. I’m happy, even if no one is talking and no one is in the mood to play a board game. Someone is on my left, someone is on my right, someone is in front of me, and someone is diagonal to me. We are all sitting, eating hot food. Even though I don’t know what everyone is going through, I know we all have one thing in common: we need support. We get a lot of support through the classes themselves, but we also get support from the people sitting next to us. We sit and eat, and for a while, I’m not trying to survive—I’m simply living, enjoying food, and I’m not alone anymore.
Recently I got into a car accident, the first person I called was my student care coordinator. No one was injured, of course, but instead of calling AAA or an auto shop, I called Breana because I knew she would tell me everything was going to be okay. I was sitting on the curb, tears streaming down my face, looking at my beaten-up car, and Breana told me everything was going to be okay, that we would get through this together. Even though it felt like everything was falling apart, I believed her.
Student care at Robyne’s Nest goes beyond the surface level of budgeting, bi-weekly check-ins, and keeping all our ducks in a row. They become a part of our support system. I’m pretty good at figuring things out on my own, but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t exhausting. But now I don’t have to deal with everything on my own. I just have to ask for help, and suddenly I’m not alone. Suddenly I’m sitting next to Breana, figuring out whatever problem is in my path. From car troubles to financial aid to budgeting, we make plans and take action. It’s a weird feeling—foreign, almost. All my ducks are in a row; I’m not scrambling to keep everything in its place. After a few months, I realized I had nothing to worry about anymore. Everything was in its place, and all my things were taken care of. Even if a problem arose, everything would be okay. I could finally take a step back from fighting every day. I could relax. I could finally breathe. Over time, those dreams that once seemed so far away started getting closer. Now I can see the path that leads to my future. I’m not fighting to survive anymore. I am simply living—enjoying the days, the sun, our dinners, everything around me. Life has gotten a lot more beautiful. I don’t think I will ever be able to adequately express just how grateful I am to be in this program and how much it has improved my life. Thank you! ~Chris
Our Robyne’s Nest students want to continue going to school and to graduate, their living environments are just not conducive to this….our programs are. Your support makes a difference.