Success Stories

Appearances can be deceiving. Just ask Cindy. “I grew up in a middle-class family in southern Indiana,” she says. “Everything looked good … on the outside.” What the outside world …

Byron’s life was humming along just fine. A veteran service tech for a cable company, he was up for a promotion to manager. Then things changed in almost an instant: …

“When I was 17, I watched my mom get shot in the head.” Dustin is speaking without emotion as he says this. Now 32, he’s sharing his life story, including …

Ashley grew up with an absent father and a drug-addicted mother. When she hit her teens, her stepfather began sexually abusing her … continuing for three years. It’s no wonder …

Kelly has a lot of good things to say about the Kokomo Rescue Mission — starting with something very practical. “They have great food, a lot better than prison food!” …

Patty can’t get enough of the Kokomo Rescue Mission. Even though she graduated from the program long ago and lives independently, she keeps coming back again and again … but …

The death of a loved one can rock anyone’s world. There’s no telling how a person might react to such awful news. When two people close to him died, Brian’s …

Rachel loves to cook and wants to start her own restaurant. She makes a mean lasagna and specializes in homemade noodles. “That’s my dream,” she says. But it’s a dream …

There’s no such thing as a perfect family, but ideally, children thrive when growing up in a safe and stable home. Chasity’s childhood was just the opposite: Her parents divorced …

Anastasia’s life started spinning out of control at age 13 … partly because of a painful ear infection. Her father gave her a Lortab (a narcotic) to help with the …

Duane was eager to make a difference. When he was in high school in the early 1970s, Duane lost a few older friends in the Vietnam War and remembers others …

When you’re behind bars, you’ve got a lot of time to think. And Katelin had a lot to think about. “I kept thinking about all the things I’d done wrong …

Gwendolyn started using drugs as a teenager with low self-esteem. “I didn’t like feeling how I felt,” she says. “But when I caught a buzz, I always felt better.” Gwendolyn …

Bill grew up in an abusive home and started drinking at age 15 to cope. A few years later, he joined the Army to try to get away from it …

Daniel keeps using the same word to describe his life of drug addiction before coming to Kokomo Rescue Mission: Lost. He lost his job. Lost what was left of his …

Mary absolutely did not want to come to the Kokomo Rescue Mission. But she didn’t have much of a choice. A judge sent her to the Mission after she’d served …

Tad knew he needed help. And because of you, he got what he needed to find a new path forward. “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but …

Your kindness is leading Lynne out of darkness and into the light. Lynne’s* childhood was so abusive and traumatic that it should come with a warning label. She somehow survived …