Giving Guide 2018

SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2018 | Special Advertising Section 1 R 10 Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission serves Seattle’s homeless by addressing short- term physical needs and providing long-term solutions that break the cycle of addiction, mental illness, and poverty. We share God’s love by serving those in greatest need. Learn more at ugm.org . When her pimp forced her to work the streets for days without a break, Patricia took meth to stay awake. When he beat her unconscious, she didn’t press charges. And when he with- held heroin to maintain control, she learned how to shoot up on her own. But she never left. It didn’t occur to her. Patricia didn’t know life could be any other way. An alcoholic father. Contracting an STD at 15 from a violent assault. Divorce. Losing her kids. Unemployment. Addiction. All of it led to prostitution as a means of survival. But Patricia first tasted freedom in jail. With nothing to do but sit in a cell, she attended every Bible study offered. Hungry for God, she began to choose life over death. In jail, she met Hulet from Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission’s Prison Ministries. He told her about the Mission’s addiction recovery program. When she arrived at the Mission, the first person she saw was a woman she knew from jail. “She looked totally different!” Patricia said. “I thought, ‘Maybe I could change too.’ ” After a year of hard work, she gradu- ated from the Mission’s program and will graduate with her associate’s degree from Northwest University this month, thanks to a Mission partnership. Patricia’s goal is to work with women in the justice system, and create a safe place for them to come out of prostitution. “I didn’t have goals growing up,” Patricia said. “At the Mission I started developing a relationship with God. I wrote a letter to thank Hulet for everything and I realized that I really wanted to do that for others. There are women who are prostituting who feel hopeless, worthless and stuck in the justice system. I want to show there is a way out.” By guest author, Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission She left addiction behind, found freedom and direction in prison program PROVIDED BY SEATTLE’S UNION GOSPEL MISSION During this past year, Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission counted on your generosity to provide 915,813 nutritious meals 207,879 nights of safe shelter 15,880 counseling sessions and more than a million warm hugs and countless smiles to Seattle’s homeless. GiveBIG to Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission by May 9. Matching grant doubles your gift of meals, shelter and hope for new life! ugm.org On May 9 th , can they count on you?