Cute Friends Together

Dan and Dan chilled on the curb of the Speedway parking lot. Dan's trademark five feet of hair hanging from an Indian wrap, causing a slight slump. Dan, on the other hand, standing tall with his silver hair. Dan stood quiet as Dan opened up about his history, confessing to us his slavery to alcohol. Once well connected in the phone industry, traveling throughout Ohio with his sales, Dan ultimately fell flat--the gallons of alcohol eventually weighing him down. The booze washed away his wife and his house. Now he acknowledges his dependence on alcohol and realizes he can't even take a sip because he knows a sip will flow into more. In the meantime, while Dan tries to dry himself, he's making the most of the new friends he meets and the solitude of the woods where he lives.

Thanks to Patterson for the picture.

What does he have against side burns?

What's the difference between us and them? Most of us have support structures to catch us when we fall.

We saw Manny for the first time in a long while. His animated rush of topic-jumping kept us entertained during our visit. Bikes, slum lords, rigatoni, Donald Trump, the best thing in life, financial literacy--Manny topics.

Talked with Mark for a long while. He attended Hudson High School and liked Math (blah.). He ended up working in antics near summit lake, where he said he could still find some relics of Summit Lake Amusement Park. Most recently, he found a century-old bottle of Coke.

Met Harley Charley and Brian. Charley got into a motorcycle accident in 2003, which put him in a wheel chair and ended his days as a roofer. Brian helps scoot Charley around.

Don't forget, Project Homeless Connect is May 8.

Drom

A group of Hoban students spent the first half of their Spring Break with Mr. Horinger on the streets of Akron during Hoban's Urban Plunge. The crew dished food at pantries, made beds at the Haven, moved around town using their feet and the Metro, hung at the downtown library, lunched with some of our P. HOPE friends, and had a number of other enlightening experiences. On the last day, the crew lead us on Project HOPE. All the students wished the plunge had lasted longer.

During our outing we visited our friend Perch who had been sick and is now recovering and looking good. His illness put a scare in us all.

Stacy made her way a little late to the alley, but a big smile shined on her face and she giggled with optimism.

Mama's birthday is Friday. 58 years.

Bologna on the Ceiling

Allie was faced with an early Kant-test before testing the gripping effects of bologna.

Met Ken for the first time. He's struggled over the decades, nearly suffocating after falling into a darkness of substance abuse and crime. He said things are a little better now, but confessed that the darkness still consumes him at times. Together, we tried to convince A. J. that his aunt is his mother's sister-in-law. A. J. could not be convinced; however, he did help Ken stuff a new blanket into a new duffle bag.

It's nice to hear some of friends talk about jobs. Painting, roofing, insulating--as North East Ohio warms, construction projects are on the rise.

Annie of CSS (and Hoban grad) joined us on this night. We exchanged similar stories as we bumped into mutual friends.