Stories

Our time in the field gives us a personal view on what it’s
like to watch someone make the decision to grow through
adversity to find their true self.

robert of community service alliance

Robert

Robert arrived in Cleveland, Ohio 15 years ago with his wife and children to begin work as a messenger for a bank. What started as casual, social drinking slowly morphed into alcoholism when marital problems arose. As time went on, Robert’s addiction spiralled out of control until his cousin helped him check into Stella Maris […]

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Brazzie

After seeing the monstrosities of war first-hand, Vietnam War veteran, Brazzie began using when serving in Vietnam. When he returned home to the United States, his addiction snowballed and worsened when he lost both of his parents, as well as his sister, in the span of three years. Without any family to turn to at […]

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max of community service alliance

Max

Max grew up in the Cleveland, Ohio suburb of Bainbridge. As a teenager, Max never had a career focus, other than to become the best criminal he could. Eventually, Max began using heroin and committing petty theft. After being in and out of county jail, Max was arrested in 2009 for aggravated robbery and sentenced […]

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james of community service alliance

James

As a Cleveland native, James frequented Browns, Cavaliers, and Indians games growing up. No matter where life took him, James always found his way back to Cleveland. After meeting a couple of boys at the local YMCA, James started running the streets and became a father at a young age. James struggled with alcohol and […]

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