It’s International Women’s Day. At Maggie’s Place, women are everywhere–the moms, the Corps members and a bunch of our babies. They are, indeed, an amazing group. In honoring them on this special day, we have some of their thoughts to share.
Thanks to funding from a Dignity Health Community of Care grant, The ASU Morrison Institute provided program design support, technical assistance, and additional research into past and present health programming and subsequent best practices. ASU reported that one of the strengths of Maggie’s Place is the commentary from our moms, both past and present.
“I’m a recovering drug addict. I’ve been sober the entire time I’ve been at Maggie’s Place, and I feel like had I not come here, I probably would have lost my baby, and I’d probably be running the streets. I mean, real talk … This is the first time in my life that I’ve been sober like this. I’ve tried to get sober before, but it never worked. My daughter saved my life.” – Present Maggie’s Place Mom
“One of them [staff] actually was at my birth. She stayed the whole time. She watched the whole thing. She kept coming up to the hospital afterwards. He [her child] was in the children’s hospital for three days for his jaundice. She stayed up there till three o’clock in the morning watching some show with me.” – Alumni Mom 
“I’ve never found anybody that actually cared to take so much time out of their day to help me achieve my goals, and I really appreciate that. Because now I have my kids, I’m off drug court, I couldn’t ask for any better place to be.” – Alumni Mom
“The people who come and help at the house are just incredible and have been a really big blessing to me. So I would say that’s something that’s working really well, is the way that they– I don’t know what the process is of picking the volunteers for which house, but the fact that we have regular volunteers every week that we know — I base my schedule around some of them coming, because I want to make sure that I see them because they make that much of an impact in my life.” – Present Maggie’s Place Mom
“The volunteers, they’re great. They help a lot, and they also just talk to you when you need someone to talk to. They take a lot of the stress off and help you a lot. I don’t have nothing bad to say about them. It’s all good.” – Present Maggie’s Place Mom
“They basically make it impossible for you to fail. They’re always going to be there for you. And in the house too, they’re like, ‘There’s a way. You can find a way.’” – Present Maggie’s Place Mom
“Maggie’s Place has been such an awesome resource during the time I was there and definitely afterwards. They helped me with so many resources. The groups are just fantastic. I try to make it to as many of them as I can, but with work, it’s kind of difficult sometimes. I’d recommend Maggie’s Place to anybody that– to any mom out there that’s struggling, that needs a little help. And I’m really grateful for it, and I’ll forever try to come to their events.” – Alumni Mom
On this celebration of International Women’s Day, we honor our Maggie’s Place mothers. We are so proud of all of you.
